Foreign Operations Appropriated Assistance*
Fiscal Year (FY) 2007: $61.33 Million (M) ($60M SEED, $1.33M Other)
Estimate FY 2008: $55.94M ($53.56M SEED, $2.37M Other)**
Assistance Goals: The United States Government (USG) has been engaged in assisting Serbia’s transition to a market-oriented democracy since 1997. USG assistance to Serbia creates opportunities for economic growth, strengthens institutional capacity of key government institutions, improves important aspects of civil society development and improves transparency through an improved adherence to the rule of law. The USG has also worked closely with the European Union, the World Bank and other bilateral donors to ensure banking supervision and reform in business development policies.
Areas of Focus (Foreign Operations Appropriated Assistance):
Peace and Security (PS): FY 2007: $2.88M; Est. FY 2008: $5.30M
- Improve Serbia’s investigation and prosecution of war crimes;
- Integrate Serbian law enforcement institutions into Euro-Atlantic institutions;
- Improve investigation techniques to combat money laundering.
Governing Justly and Democratically (GJD): FY 2007: $19.48M; Est. FY 2008: $18.77M
- Build NGOs’ capacity to influence public policy and advocate for reform;
- Build the capacity of the Serbian courts and prosecutors to effectively investigate, prosecute and adjudicate organized crime and war crimes;
- Strengthen the capacity of minority and young political leaders to contribute to law- and policy-making;
- Improve the quality of news reporting in Serbia and strengthen the financial, management and production capacity of independent and minority broadcast.
Investing in People (IIP): FY 2007: 0; Est. FY 2008: $0.2 0M
- Build the capacity of the Serbian educational system to teach English and enhance the ability of Serbian students to study in the U.S.
Economic Growth (EG): FY 2007: $35.56M; Est. FY 2008: $31.67M
- Improve the overall investment climate through support for a strong macroeconomic policy and legal framework with a sound financial sector;
- Address complex agricultural policy and infrastructure issues that help the country increase its agricultural production;
- Support enterprise development in order to expand economic opportunities, especially in vulnerable areas in southern Serbia.
Recent Successes:
- Improved regional cooperation and prosecution in war crimes cases, including the establishment of a joint investigative team of Serbian and Bosnian judges;
- USG activities in judicial reform contributed to the goal of improving efficiency, independence and accountability of the Serbian justice system;
- Increased numbers of high-level corruption and financial crime cases by enacting more effective strategies in investigating these cases;
- Significant reductions in the number of state-owned enterprises awaiting privatization. As a result, a large percentage of state-owned enterprises were consequently shifted to the private economy, contributing substantially to Serbia's move to the next country category with respect to EU integration and sustaining partner status
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Serbia: Est. FY 2008 USD Thousands
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Total For. Ops. Accounts** |
$55,935 |
Assistance for Eastern Europe and Baltic States:
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$53,563 |
Non-proliferation, Anti-terrorism, De-mining and Related Programs (NADR):
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$2,105 |
International Military Education and Training (IMET):
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$267 |
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