On 26 June 2017, the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia adopted the Law on Amendments to the Law on Ministries, establishing the Ministry of European Integration (MEI). The Ministry began its operations on 27 June 2017, the day the law entered into force, marking the cessation of operations of the former European Integration Office of the Government of Serbia.
By assuming its new mandate, the MEI took over the leadership and coordination of Serbia’s accession process to the European Union (EU), including the coordination and management of legislative reforms and the overall coordination of international development assistance made available to the Republic of Serbia.
To successfully carry out this complex role, MEI has established or further developed a number of functions, both within the Ministry and across the wider public administration system. The functions of planning, programming, monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and communication regarding EU funds and other development assistance are not limited to MEI alone. Instead, they involve, to varying degrees, all institutions participating in the EU accession process and those that may benefit from or are responsible for managing projects and programmes funded or supported through development partners’ financial instruments.
In order to ensure coordinated activities among relevant international organizations, non-governmental organizations, and virtually all public administration institutions involved in development assistance to the Republic of Serbia, the Government established the Inter-Sectoral Development Aid Coordination Network (ISDACON) in December 2003. This network of international cooperation departments was tasked with proactively programming, coordinating, managing, and monitoring the use of international development assistance in Serbia.
The work of this Network was initially managed by the Development Aid Coordination Unit (DACU), established in November 2000 within the Ministry of International Economic Relations. In 2007, this Unit was transferred to the Ministry of Finance, and in 2010 to the Serbian European Integration Office (SEIO). Following the establishment of MEI in 2017, the coordination of international development assistance was assigned to the Sector for Planning, Programming, Monitoring and Reporting on EU Funds and Development Assistance within the Ministry.
To improve the functioning of the ISDACON Network, the ISDACON Information System (IIS) was developed in 2004. The initial version of the system was in use until 2020, after which a new, modernized version was developed and launched in 2021. The current version of the IIS is a modern, modular, and integrated information system designed as a multifunctional tool for the effective planning, programming, coordination, monitoring, and reporting on international development assistance.
The continuous improvement of this system aims not only to increase institutional efficiency, but also to enhance transparency and ensure broader access to information for all interested stakeholders and the general public.