ABOUT BSCP

DEVELOPMENT OF THE BELGRADE CENTRE FOR SECURITY POLICY

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) is an independent think-tank that contributes to advancing the security of people in accordance with democratic principles and respect for human rights through research, public advocacy, community development and education.

1997-2000

Launching the idea of democratic civilian control of the armed forces

The Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) was founded on 22 July 1997 as the Centre for Civil-Military Relations (Centar za civilno-vojne odnose, CCVO) with the mission of advocating for the democratisation of the Serbian security sector. When it was founded, CCVO was the only civil society organisation in the former Yugoslavia to focus exclusively on security issues.

The organisation was founded by two former Yugoslav People’s Army officers (Prof. Miroslav Hadžić and Milorad Tomić), together with their friends from other civic organisations (Milica Delević) and the academic community (Prof. Sulejman Hrnjica, Dr Budimir Babović, Prof. Pero Šipka and Dr Jovanka Matić). Their initial ambition was to advocate for the introduction of democratic control of state security forces and to investigate their culpability for the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia.

At that time, it was unthinkable for civilians to work on matters of security. The founders’ aims were to research the relationship between the armed forces and their political overseers, to raise awareness of this topic and to draw public and media attention to it. To work in this field at the time took a lot of courage and the CCVO faced many challenges – from mistrust to the arrest of one of its founders.

During this period, the CCVO contributed to the demystification of the security sector by organising public events that presented the concept of democratic civilian control of this sector to the public. The press were identified as a particularly significant part of the process of establishing trust in the organisation, and in its first few years, the CCVO provided training on civilian control of the armed forces and police to almost 100 journalists from independent media outlets in 10 cities across Serbia and Montenegro.

2001-2005

Moving towards a broader understanding of security and security policy

Following the start of Serbia’s transition towards democracy, the organisation changed its focus in order to encapsulate a broader understanding of security. At the time, CCVO devoted more of its efforts to non-military security sectors, including the police, intelligence services and private security companies. Additionally, a new concept of security sector reform was adopted, reaching beyond democratisation to include the full range of issues, such as the transformation of society and its security sector and including effectiveness, efficiency, legitimacy, transparency, accountability, modernisation and the interoperability of the armed forces.

During this period CCVO pioneered the breakdown of taboos, strengthened trust and developed a community that understood security more openly. CCVO organised training programmes on European security architecture and security sector reform for members of the armed forces. Training was also organised for young political party activists, journalists and students. Additionally, a legal advice centre was put in place for members of the public, army conscripts and members of the armed forces; meanwhile public trust in CCVO was raised by the “Who Guards the Guards” (“Ko čuva čuvare” – broadcast on B92, Monteni TV in Montenegro) and “House Guard” (“Čuvarkuća” – broadcast on TV Studio B) television programmes.

During this period the security sector opened up to cooperation and called on the organisation to provide support in security sector reform. CCVO answered this call and provided solutions showing how the security sector could function under democratic control. At the request of the National Assembly Defence and Security Committee, CCVO drafted a Law on Democratic and Civilian Control of the Armed Forces of Serbia and Montengro and a draft Law on Oversight of the Intelligence Services, which was the first law since 1945 regulating these services by applying principles of democratic civilian control. Moreover, CCVO also produced models for a Law on Civilian National Service, a Law on Identifying and Processing Classified Information of Importance for National Defence, a Law on the Supreme Defence Council and a Law on Private Security Activities.

During this period CCVO also came to be known for seven rounds of public opinion surveys on perceptions of defence reform and security policy in Serbia. It was the first comprehensive and specialised public survey on security issues of its kind, and the questionnaire designed by CCVO was also included in public opinion polls conducted at the time by the Ministry of Defence.

In addition, CCVO was the first organisation to involve representatives of NATO in public events on the legacy of the Alliance’s 1999 intervention in Yugoslavia. CCVO initiated public debates about Serbia’s security integration into the Euro-Atlantic community and the country’s military neutrality – including its economic dimension – as well as about current NATO policy.

2004-2010

Systematic civilian capacity building for security research

A significant step forward in terms of organisational development was taken in 2006, when a specialised research unit was formed within the organisation – the Belgrade School of Security Studies (BSSS). CCVO had reached a level of development where it was understood to be time to gather together young, talented people together and encourage them to engage in security research. The issue that was identified was that there was a lack of civilian security experts who had received their education beyond the military and police academies and who were not employed in state security sector institutions.

The BSSS gave ten young social sciences graduates the opportunity to participate in a project focused on mapping and monitoring security sector reform in Serbia, which was the first of its kind to catalogue and analyse all of the state and non-state actors in the country’s security sector and detail their missions and powers. A unique methodology, the Security Sector Reform Index, was also developed and implemented to track trends and evaluate the scope of SSR. The European Commission in Serbia made use of the findings of this research in producing its report on the progress Western Balkan countries had made on their path to European integration.

The expansion of the research community working on security issues continued through an internship programme for Serbian and international students and researchers. This was launched in 2007 with the aim of helping establish the foundations for more active participation from academia and civil society in the security sector reform in Serbia, the region and Europe more broadly. So far, nearly 200 Serbian and around 30 international interns – from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Montenegro, Albania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, Georgia, Norway, Bulgaria, Portugal, Germany and the United States – have completed internships as part of this programme.

In cooperation with the Faculty of Political Science, University of Belgrade, CCVO organised a course on Specialised Postgraduate Studies in National and Global Security, with the aim of enabling students to actively participate in security sector reform. Most of the participants in these studies were employees in government administration (the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Interior, intelligence services and the National Assembly), but the course also attracted participants from the academic community and non-governmental sector. Some of the graduates from this course are now employed as mid-level and high-ranking officials in government institutions and form part of the BCSP’s network of contacts.

The School on European Security was also launched at the time, introducing new approaches to training by publishing a Dictionary of Basic Security Policy Terms, launching an online course on European security and establishing an alumni organisation.

Additionally, during this time, CCVO conducted empirical research on private security in Serbia, which analysed the origins and current state of the private security sector, identifying the major challenges it faces in its operation and oversight, as well as offering recommendations for improvements to the sector. This broke down barriers between the public and private security company managers, and fostered public debate on private security.

2010-2014

Consolidation into a regional centre of expertise and establishing national networks and coalitions

At a session held on 1 June 2010, the CCVO Board adopted a decision to change the name of the organisation to the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy. It was also decided that the organisation would function as a think-tank (an independent research centre). One of the reasons behind this change of identity was the fact that the BCSP had already begun to adapt its approach, departing from purely academic research and writing methods and focusing more on the development of innovative research and new public advocacy techniques.

During this period, the BCSP managed to reach beyond Serbia’s borders by exporting its expertise and contributing to increased civil society participation in security policy across the Western Balkan region. The most significant contribution came from comparative research on the successes of security sector reform in the region and the establishment of the Western Balkans Security Think-Tank Consortium, the first network of its kind in this region. The BCSP shared its unique methodology for measuring security sector reform, the Security Sector Reform Index, with other organisations participating in the Consortium, enabling them to implement it in their home societies.

At the national level, the BCSP first compiled a directory of organisations working on security and then initiated the launch of the prEUgovor coalition, with the aim of monitoring the implementation of policies in the fields of the rule of law (Chapter 23) and freedom, security and justice (Chapter 24). This coalition is the only civil society platform that publishes regular analytical material on reforms enacted as part of Chapters 23 and 24 of Serbia’s EU membership negotiations. The BCSP was also selected to preside over the working group for Chapter 24 at the National Covenant on the EU and became one of the founding organisations of this mechanism. Through these coalitions and mechanisms, the BCSP has taken work on issues pertaining to the European Union and European integration to a higher level. Following training programmes on these topics organised by the BCSP, research in this area has become more systematic and consistent. Moreover, the BCSP delivered training to local civil society organisations, enabling them to monitor security sector reform in Serbia.

Together with the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence and European Movement Serbia, the BCSP organised the first Belgrade Security Forum. The Forum is now a significant annual event that fosters discussion of the most relevant topics in the fields of security, foreign policy and geopolitics on the national, regional and global stage. The BCSP has provided an original contribution through the Belgrade Security Forum by launching an academic conference for young researchers.

In 2011, the BCSP conducted a public opinion survey on perceptions of personal and national security, trust in state institutions and attitudes towards security integration. The survey provided a unique database of public opinion on security policy and how members of the public experience the environment in which they live. On the basis of this research, the BCSP team compiled an analysis of current security police and analysed the trends of possible changes to these policies in the near future.

In its work on public advocacy, the BCSP is making ongoing efforts to promote police reform and the introduction of gender mainstreaming in the security sector in Serbia. One of the BCSP’s more significant achievements in this regard is the abolition of restrictive quotas for women enrolling into the Military Academy and the Criminalistics and Police Studies Academy. This achievement is a result of the BCSP’s ongoing research on gender equality in the security sector. The employment of women, their equal status and promotion in security institutions have been the focus of the BCSP for many years.

2013-2018

Adapting to new circumstances

The main trends characterising the environment in which the BCSP now operates are the growth of populism and the decline of democracy in Serbia and in Europe, along with the increasing securitisation of migrants, terrorism and also of organisations that promote human rights and accountability. The room for manoeuvre available to civil society organisations at first began to narrow gradually, but has become quicker and more pronounced over time. Due to its ideals and the values it champions, the BCSP and members of its team have often been the targets of attacks by state institutions, right-wing organisations and some sections of the media.

At the same time, the BCSP has continued to enhance its international reputation. Since 2012, it has regularly been ranked by the most well-known research centre ranking table as the top think-tank in the Western Balkans for the fields of national security, foreign policy and international relations. Moreover, existing cooperation with other organisations across the region was further strengthened by the establishment of the Balkan Security Platform. This initiative originated in cooperation that began in 2008 with the Western Balkans Security Think-Tank Consortium. Since it was launched, the platform has monitored anti-corruption measures in Western Balkan police forces through the POINTPULSE project.

In spite of the unfavourable circumstances, the BCSP has successfully influenced the improvement of several significant laws governing the security sector during this period: this includes The Law on the Police, the Law on the Army, the Law on Weapons and Ammunition and the Law on Private Security. While some of the proposed amendments to these laws have been accepted, the BCSP is keen to emphasise that the laws are not applied in practice and that they simply serve to mask further state capture. The BCSP was the first to warn of encroaching state capture through the capture of the security sector. During this period, the BCSP began to document various aspects of the captured security sector. One example of this is empirical research on private security conducted by the BCSP team, which has proved to be significant because it identifies the mechanisms of capturing, extracting and redirecting public resources for private gain.

Since 2011, with the support of the Anti-Corruption Agency, the BCSP has researched the risks of corruption in the security sector and has advocated for measures to be put into place in order to mitigate those risks. The methodology for monitoring the risk of corruption has been shared with partners across the region. Transparency International UK has on several occasions selected the BCSP to conduct integrity assessments of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces. The BCSP has also developed innovative methodology for assessing public expenditure performance in the security sector, which has been applied to the analysis of a series of case studies – from the modernisation of air force planes to the procurement of equipment for the Emergency Management Sector. Following the publication of a case study on the procurement of combat boots for the Ministry of Interior and a robust advocacy campaign for an institutional approach to procurement for the police, the head of the Ministry’s department for material and financial affairs was dismissed. Press reports stated that she was dismissed due to a series of mistakes, especially in defining priorities, but also for exceeding the planned budget. It was also claimed that, due to the procurement of inadequate footwear and apparel for the police, the minister ordered a review of the ministry’s other procurement tenders.

During this period, the BCSP has turned its focus to a new area – the improvement of relations between Belgrade, Prishtina and Tirana. This research-led initiative aims to foster contacts between researchers, academics, politicians and journalists in order to discuss possible ways to improve relations between these three communities. The Belgrade-Prishtina dialogue was one of the topics explored in the BCSP’s 2017 public opinion survey, provoking a hostile public reaction and numerous attacks against the organisation and the researchers working on the project. In addition to the Belgrade-Prishtina dialogue, the public opinion survey covered not only the topics of national security and security threats but also questions about powerful countries, their influence in Serbia and what kind of foreign policy Serbia should adopt.

In addition to Belgrade-Prishtina relations, since 2014 the BCSP has also begun to work on the topics of extremism, terrorism, natural disasters and organised crime. In 2015, the BCSP participated in the production of the first assessment of the threat posed by organised crime.

2019-2020

BCSP today

Just as is true for the people of Serbia, the BCSP currently finds itself operating in one of the most difficult periods the country has faced in the last twenty years. The retreat of democracy, the dismantling of the rule of law, almost complete capture of the security sector, declining faith in the EU and its transformational influence, increased interference by non-European powers with ever more space for geopolitical one-upmanship, the radical political polarisation of society, illiberty and media censorship have all restricted the space available for democratic dialogue and for the constructive role civil society can play in advancing and strengthening the reform agenda.

Public discourse is riddled with disinformation, manipulation and fake news promoted via pro-government media outlets and on social media, further inhibiting well-argued and fact-based discussion of the most important issues facing Serbian society. Security challenges, risks and threats continue to be promoted by decision-makers predominantly as myths and obsolete nationalist narratives, rather than as a rational assessments of security in the country.

The BCSP will continue to contribute to the creation and preservation of a civic and democratic approach that is founded on facts about the foreign, security and defence policies of the Republic of Serbia, in accordance with its European commitments. Moreover, the BCSP will develop and promote alternative regional security narratives founded on facts and seeking to counter securitization and fearmongering.

The activities of BCSP will continue to focus on the accountability of the state’s security institutions, the rule of law, the determination of responses to new challenges and the presentation of real and factually-established security challenges, risks and threats, as well as the lack (unavailability and non-existence) of information and the unbiased interpretation of official data.

Our activities will be broadened to highlight the abolition of dialogue on foreign policy and security. This dialogue is in decline in political institutions but space for its articulation is also decreasing beyond their confines. The erosion of space for the engagement of civil society and the media leads to the strengthening nationalism, the militarisation of society and the marginalisation of peace building. The consequences of this include the dismantling of educational and civilising processes in Serbia and a failure to resolve bilateral disputes and historical legacies, which will significantly reduce political will for regional cooperation.

The BCSP will continue to ensure that its activities encourage decision-makers and those institutions of the Republic of Serbia that work on foreign, security and defence policy to make use of proposals that emanate from civil society in order to advance existing and develop new public policy and to implement it in a meaningful manner. Moreover, the BCSP will strive to encourage national, regional and international decision-makers, politicians, experts, civil society organisations and media outlets to develop and make use of the sustainable regional resource centre for security policy.