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1. Legal/policy framework for the functioning and development of youth organisations

2. Public financial support

3. Initiatives to increase the diversity of participants

Legal/policy framework for the functioning and development of youth organisations

Section 2.¹ of the Youth Law. Section 2.1 Paragraph 2 of the Youth Law “Youth Policy and Youth Work” establishes that (2) national youth policy is implemented by public administration institutions and local government institutions pursuant to their competency, as well as youth organisations and other natural persons and legal entities according to the agreement.

Section 6 of the Youth Law establishes: “Youth organisation and the list of youth organisations"

(1) Youth organisation is an association registered in the Register of Associations and Foundations and included in the list of youth organisations. An association is entered into the list of youth organisations if it complies with the following criteria:

(1) one of the purposes of activity specified in the articles of association of the association is the promotion of youth initiatives and participation in decision-making and social life;

(2) the association carries out youth work and tasks of the association defined in the articles of association correspond to at least three main tasks defined in Section 2.¹ Paragraph three of the law;

(3) at least two thirds of the members of the association are children and young people or it unites several associations, where at least two thirds of the total number of members are children and young people;

(4) participation of young people is ensured in the board of the association, and the procedures for this participation are specified in the articles of association of the respective association.

(2) The procedures for entering youth organisations in the list of youth organisations and information to be included therein are established by the Cabinet of Ministers. The Ministry of Education and Science is the holder of the list of youth organisations.

Public financial support

Section 12 of the Youth Law establishes:

(2) Youth organisations have the right to receive the financing from the State budget, which is envisaged for projects, the objective of which is the promotion of youth initiatives and participation in decision-making and community life, as well as projects for youth work.

(4) Under the annual national programme of youth policy, youth organisations have the right to receive the financing from the State budget also for projects of support of activity of such organisations, if they comply with the following criteria:

1. the youth organisation performs youth work in compliance with annual priorities of the youth policy;

2. the duration of activities of the youth organisation in carrying out youth work is at least three years;

3. the youth organisation is an organisation of public benefit;

4. the youth organisation ensures co-financing for the implementation of the project that may be also as an investment in kind or volunteering.

(4¹) For the support of a youth organisation, according to Paragraph 4 of this Section, a separate open call for projects shall be organised if not less than 500 members have joined the youth organisation or youth organisations have united therein, the total number of members of which is not less than 500, and they perform youth work in at least three planning regions according to annual priorities of the youth policy.

(5) The Cabinet shall specify the procedures for granting of financing from the State budget, which is envisaged for promotion of youth initiatives and participation in decision-making and social life, as well as for youth work and support to youth organisations, as well as the procedures for administration and supervision of supported projects and admissible proportion of co-financing of the project submitter that may also be an investment in kind or volunteering.

Every year, the Youth Policy national programme determines financing, which youth organisations are entitled to apply for, implementing various projects in compliance with the priorities set in the programme.

Total available funding for 2016 that the Agency for International Programmes for Youth can assign for projects approved under “Erasmus+: Youth in Action” is EUR 2,706,407. The source of the funding is the EU budget.

Initiatives to increase the diversity of participants

Main objective of Society Integration Foundation (SIF) is to financially support and promote integration of society. SIF implements state budget support programmes, programs of European Union policies' instruments, as well as funding made available under foreign financial assistance programmes. There are funds organized, where NGOs can get supported for their own capacity building, including with a view to making them more inclusive and open to every single young person or group of young people, including minority young people and young people with disabilities.