Governance 

Three ministries are the main actors involved in policy-making in the field of youth entrepreneurship and employment:

1. Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs (Ministarstvo za rad, zapošljavanje, boračka i socijalna prava) 
2. Ministry of Tourism and Youth (Ministarstvo turizma i omladine), 
3. Ministry of Education (Ministarstvo prosvete )

Department for Active Employment Policy (Odsek za aktivnu politiku zapošljavanja), within the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, conducts tasks related to the analysis of the labour markets trends and preparation of strategic documents (National Employment Strategy, National Employment Action Plans). The department is also responsible for the development of measures for active employment.

Youth Sector (Sektor za omladinu), within the Ministry of Tourism and Youth, is responsible for the support and promotion of youth employment, self-employment and entrepreneurship. The support and promotion are mostly done through youth work activities and informal education. The Ministry opens regular annual calls for financing projects related to the youth employability and entrepreneurship.

Sector for student standard and investment (Sektor za učenički i studentski standard i investicije) within the Ministry of Education is involved in preparation and supervision of legal regulations in the area of pupil and student standard (including school and student dormitories, student resorts and student cultural institutions and pupil and student loan and scholarship). 

The main public actors involved in policy-making in the field of youth entrepreneurship and employment are:

1. Development Fund of the Republic of Serbia (Fond za razvoj Republike Srbije),
2. Development Agency of Serbia (Razvojna agencija Srbije),
3. Serbian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Privredna komora Srbije),
4. National Employment Service (Nacionalna služba za zapošljavanje).
5. Innovation Fund (Fond za inovacionu delatnost)

Development Fund is responsible for financing projects that encourage:

• businesses and entrepreneurs in the Republic of Serbia,
• employment,
• production,
• sustainable and comprehensive development.

The main activity of the Development Agency is to support micro, small and medium enterprises and entrepreneurs. The Agency informs entrepreneurs about different support programs.  

Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the national association of Serbian businesses that represents the interests of its members to the state authorities and institutions. The Chamber provides the allocation of grants within the Program for Encouraging the Development of Entrepreneurship through financial support for business beginners and young people.

National Employment Service supports young entrepreneurs through different support programmes, trainings, mentoring, especially through the Subsidy for Self-Employment Programme (Subvencija samozapošljavanju).

Innovation Fund  seeks to enhance the connections between science, technology, and the economy, aiming to stimulate innovative entrepreneurship by supporting early-stage development, fostering collaboration between scientific research organizations and private companies. Additionally, the Fund offers 11 programs to financially support startups and young entrepreneurs, establishing long-term institutional support for innovative entrepreneurship in collaboration with international financial institutions, organizations, donors, and the private sector.

Cross-sectoral cooperation

Cross-sectoral cooperation occurs at the governmental level. The mechanisms of cross-sectoral cooperation vary according to the concrete needs and planned activities. 

Ministry of Tourism and Youth and Ministry of Labоur, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, are implementing the IPA project “Youth Employability and Active Inclusion”. The project aims to increase employability and self-employability of youth by developing the sustainable solutions that address the needs of youth. 

In addition, the Ministry of Tourism and Youth establishes collaboration with different international organisations such as United Nations, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, German organisation for international collaboration – GIZ, Swiss Cooperation Office. The fields of collaboration are: improvement of the conditions for youth employment and employability, youth entrepreneurship, empowering youth offices, developing local action plans, informing young people about environmental protection, regional integration and youth mobility.

Under the initial segment of the national program IPA 2020, the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veterans, and Social Affairs, along with the National Employment Service, undertake the implementation of "Innovative Active Employment Measures and Approaches". This initiative aims to enhance the integration of long-term unemployed individuals, young people, women, individuals with disabilities, and other challenging-to-employ groups into the labor market. Simultaneously, activities are conducted for "Technical Assistance in the Implementation, Monitoring, and Evaluation of Employment Policy at the National and Local Level." This includes capacity-building initiatives for engagement in the European Social Fund. Additionally, the Ministry of Labor and the National Employment Service are implementing the pilot phase of the Youth Guarantee Program in Serbia, starting from 2023.