ILC Executive director Natasa Kovacevic held the presentation on the New Law on CSOs that   became effective on 01 October 2014 and according to which  all CSOs have to align their Statutes with its provisions until the 30 September 2015. Through her presentation, she tried to simplify the Statute, its mandatory contents, and she provided several useful advices for the changes of the Statute. Moreover, she informed all  the participants about economic activities, financial and administrative surveillance over the CSOs, contents and the way of conduction of the Register of CSOs in Republic of Croatia (RoC) and about the importance of governing of associations and its bodies.

Ms. Kovacevic highlighted that the aim of this Law is ensuring efficient activities of CSOs with legal entity and creating preconditions for efficient financing of projects and programs that are of interest for the common good and are  implemented by the CSOs in RoC.

 ILC representative Snjezana Lauc informed participants on the changes that have been brought by the New Law on Financial Business and Bookkeeping of Non-Profit Organizations (NPO) published in the Official Gazette 121/14. She introduced to them t  novelties brought by the Law mentioned above, one of which is drawing of Annual Plan for the period from 01 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 and Financial Plan for its implementation. CSOs which carry on double-entry bookkeeping are obliged to bring them by the end of this year.

It was also emphasized that the principle of the publicity and transparency are the crucial instrument in the struggle against malfunctions and frauds in the financial business of all non-profit organizations. Furthermore, CSOs were informed about compulsory financial reporting, revisions, and entry into the Register of Non-profit Organizations that is prerequisite for obtaining funding from the governmental budget, local and regional self-government and other public sources (except for political parties and religious associations).

Besides, CSOs were notified on fines for whole number of violations concerning financial business and bookkeeping of CSOs that are set by the new Law, and their level depends on the fact whether the CSO carry on basic or double-entry bookkeeping.

At the end of the first part of educational workshop  ILC representatives invited all representatives of CSOs to directly address ILC office with all questions and doubts  that they will eventually have throughout the alignment of their business activities with the new laws.

Although the City of Slavonski Brod organized various workshops relating to that subject, the analysis of individual applications submitted to the City tenders still faces a number of shortcomings. Therefore, in the second part of the educational workshop representatives of Development Agency elaborated that topic in their presentation “From the Project Idea to Project Submission”. Namely, representatives of the Development Agency introduced the basic logic of project submission and drafting project proposals, and brought up some examples of good practice  to CSOs representatives.