Victims of crime require special attention and support from state and non-state institutions such as the police, the prosecution office, the courts, social welfare centers, health institutions and victim support organizations in order to ensure that they receive appropriate information, support and protection.
... See More + The Report ‘Compatibility of institutional practices in law enforcement, health and welfare and generic victim support entry points with the standards of the EU Directive 2012-29 on identification, individualized needs assessment and referral of victims of crime’ is focused on mapping the current practice of main actors interacting with victims in Serbia (law enforcement, health services and victim support services) with regard to the identification, needs assessment and referral of victims. The analysis revealed that only victims of domestic violence and juvenile victims are clearly identified as victims in Serbia; identification is not a clear process in either law or practice across entry points and the timeliness of identification is not an explicit requirement. To conclude, legislative and practical gaps still need to be addressed in Serbia to ensure compliance with the standards of Directive 2012-29. Recommendations focus on the need to strengthen the legislative protection of victims through legislative reform, the need to standardize practice across entry points, to design a common referral mechanism and procedures, to establish a general or single centralized service for assistance and information; to strengthen coordination mechanisms and to establish a single entry point to the victim support system through a 24-7 national phone line and to facilitate the exchange of practice and experience and provide common training of professionals dealing with victims. Privacy and data protection issues need to be explicitly addressed.
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Victim support is assistance which should be systematically provided to all victims of crime; it is important to be able to verify the quality of such aid.
... See More + Existence of quality standards are important for victims themselves, as knowing that services are subject to scrutiny, can be reassuring. Referral organizations can find it useful to be able to easily identify organizations to which they can send victims, with confidence in the quality of the service offered. Governments and donors can find it valuable to be able to easily assess the qualifications of an organization when funding is being allocated. In addition, given the specific vulnerabilities of victims of crimes, it is a priority that the service should be of the required standard as to avoid further traumatization and re-victimization. The report proposes a set of tailored standards for Serbian victim support providers. The standards should be acceptable to and seen as valuable by different stakeholders from policy makers to NGOs and the judiciary. In addition, a draft guidance document will explain the individual elements, as well as suggesting a set of indicators to verify the correct application of the standards and provide practical tools to help organizations comply with the suggested quality assurance systems. The report requires informed decision making by Serbian stakeholders to decide which path to take in the adoption of the proposed standards. Whether these criteria will be adopted, or other priorities will be set; whether standards will be imposed through a governmental instrument or adopted by victim support providers; whether they will be controlled through a rigorous system of licensing or through a softer approach of study visits, evaluations and internal regulation, all very important, are decisions to be taken by interested parties in Serbia. There are benefits and shortcomings in each approach and standardization needs to be the outcome of in-depth discussion and agreement between the governmental and non-governmental actors, working towards better services for victims of crimes.
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The activity on ‘Enhancing Energy Efficiency of Public Buildings in the Prešov Region’ is designed to assess the existing regulatory framework and financial alternatives and recommend strategic planning options to implement an energy efficiency (EE) program in public buildings in the Prešov Self-Governing Region (PSK).
... See More + The activity is also designed to assist PSK in establishing an Energy Management Unit that can help build an Energy Management System (EMS) to help its newly established Property Management Department (PMD). Energy efficiency is an important focal issue in EU and Slovak energy policies and as of November 2016, the EU’s EE Directive includes a 30 percent target for energy efficiency by 2030, up from 20 percent in the EE Directive of 2012. To meet the new target, the EU’s EE Directive now requires member states to take measures that include renovating annually at least 3 percent of the total floor area of central government-owned buildings to meet the minimum energy performance requirements. Public buildings are also required to meet new standards for Near Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB), which will require greater use of renewable energy sources. The new EE directive also requires energy distributors or retail energy sales companies to achieve annual energy savings equivalent to 1.5 percent of their annual energy sales through EE measures. Given the imperative of energy security to Slovakia, the energy policy supports self-sufficiency in energy through an optimal energy mix that promotes low-carbon technologies and domestic renewable energy, and increased efficiency in energy use in all sectors of the economy. The targets of the energy sector are consistent with EU targets for reduced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, increased energy efficiency, and increased use of renewable energy systems. Improving EE in public buildings in PSK will help the country meet its commitments under the energy policy, lead to lower expenditure on energy and more efficient use of public resources and lower emissions from the use of fossil fuels. Improved EE in public buildings will also reduce the consumption of natural gas, which is the primary fuel used for heating public buildings in PSK and help improve energy security for Slovakia which imports natural gas.
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