This is Civic Initiatives’ fourth conference and we have named it “Challenges of Normal Life” in order to focus the new situation in which non-governmental organizations find themselves in at this moment. Many people tend to overlook the fact that non-governmental organizations, too, are affected by a transition process that is radically changing our society. There are altered relations with the state and administration on all levels; there is increased presence in our country of a great number of international organizations and donors; there are real priorities imposed by the immediacy of new challenges; and there is the ever-present challenge of survival for many non-governmental organizations, particularly at the local level.

Do we actually know what normal life is? Through their activities over many years, particularly in pre-election campaigns, non-governmental organizations gave an enormous, almost immeasurable contribution to the changes in Serbia. But while many things have been done, there is a general impression that more could have been attained, primarily in enlarging the space for greater individual and collective initiatives and contributions of citizens, and especially those not tinged by party affiliations.

We hoped for a bigger discontinuity with the past and a more courageous, less selective, and determined accountability of war crimes. We expected political consensus around the priorities for political reforms to be formed above national and ethnic interests. Unfortunately, we have only a ruthless, insipid and above all dangerous struggle for a new division of power, new centers of power that want to polarize Serbia into two new irreconcilable blocks. The issue of war crimes has been moved from an issue of accountability and elementary humaneness to a point of conditioned response for economic assistance. But there is a much  more serious consequence of not dealing with this issue. Serbia will simply not become - and will not be accepted as - a civilized state and equal partner of Europe and the world as long as those suspected of  war crimes are brought to trial. Non-governmental organizations are playing an important role in this issue, but it must be intensified and pressure should be increased on certain segments of the authorities.

[. . . ] We are surrounded by a generation whose education and maturation took part in the period of Milosevic's regime and I believe this generation should be our priority at this moment. Working with young people and building capacities for democratic dialogue is one of the priorities set by us in Civic Initiatives. The Students' Union of Serbia is also gathering this weekend in a conference on students’ participation in education reforms. It is a good  is being discussed. I am glad that we correspond with that conference because it will certainly contribute to the reform in many positive ways. We have also got the possibility of direct communication with the European institutions and other donors who are present here, but I must say that we lack knowledge and experience in procedures implied by this cooperation. Hence the Day of Europe, with the presentation of the Council of Europe, will represent a new quality of our gathering and our future work. [....]

 Someone will maybe say that my presentation is too politically tinged for a conference of non-governmental organizations. However, I think that those who believe that our activities in the political domain finished with the last year campaign are badly mistaken. We have to have an impact on forming and respecting democratic institutions and procedures in Serbia. Non-governmental organizations have the right and obligation to intensively influence political and social turmoil, which has been intensifying from one day to the next, leading us towards an uncertain future regarding specific issues. The question of transparency and accountability of the authorities, as well as citizens' participation, are critical for the degree of democratization of the society that we have been building. All what I have said makes a part of normal life, and in spite of everything I am a big optimist. Namely, as many have remarked, we managed to successfully prove that we know how to cope with the challenges of dictatorship. I am convinced that we shall even more successfully face the challenges of a (successful)  normal  life.