1. Economic development and transition to renewable energy sources
1.1 Investments and a guaranteed job program
Our economic development program is based primarily on large investments in education, science, health, energy, and infrastructure. Employees who get fired in the private sector in times of crisis will be temporarily engaged in jobs of public interest within their profession to preserve jobs, economic activity and encourage public spending.
1.2 New green economic program
If we want to prevent a global climate catastrophe, a comprehensive Green Economic Program for investment in renewable energy at the national, European, and global levels is needed. The green economic program will transform the state economy, provide new jobs and clean, affordable energy for all, without additional taxation of citizens (except major polluters). The energy network must remain in public ownership.
1.3 Clean energy and care for the environment
The transition to environmentally friendly technologies must be one of the priorities of environmental care, bearing in mind the fact that most of the energy in Serbia is produced in fossil fuel thermal power plants, which are among the biggest polluters in Europe. The state should significantly encourage the use of solar panels, wind generators, and geothermal energy in individual households, and at the same time invest in new power plants. Awareness of environmental protection must be raised through constant education of the population, but also through the application of stricter punitive measures.
1.4 Industrial strategy
In order to prevent the able-bodied population from going abroad, Vojvodina must re-industrialize. The industrial strategy must give priority to domestic, environmentally responsible companies that have been active in Serbia for years through favorable loans, subsidies for prepared land, and access to energy infrastructure, according to the level of technology they apply. One of the conditions for the subsidy of foreign companies would be the possibility that subassemblies and parts are produced by domestic subcontractors in Serbia and that (due to tax collection) the factory headquarters must be the company’s headquarters.
1.5 Workers’ rights and different management models
The existing Labor Law has set back workers’ rights and needs to be urgently changed by affirming humane working conditions, adequate legal protection for workers, and freedom of trade union action. Our long-term goal is a systemic change in the employer-employee relationship in the direction of democratization of the economy: affirmation of various models of ownership and management in the economy, workers ‘participation in company boards, encouraging the development of cooperatives, cooperatives, and workers’ shareholding.
1.6 IT sector, digitalization, and high technologie
Digital technologies are becoming increasingly important components of the economy, economic growth, and social development. The state should therefore encourage the process of digitalization of businesses and services, as well as the creation of new jobs in the IT sector. Subsidies to IT companies must be introduced transparently and systematically so as to stimulate competitiveness in the market without creating conditions for a monopoly. Of particular importance is the creation of an appropriate legal and tax framework that will objectively and fairly evaluate the work on the Internet. In addition, we believe that access to the Internet, as an inalienable right of every human being, must be included among the basic human rights.
1.7 Services
Improvement and expansion of the service sector in the function of development and stimulation of economic growth, both in the private and in the public sector, is a characteristic of developed economies of the new age. An equal society implies universal access to education, health, social protection, culture, and recreation services. They must not be left to the laws of the market and depend on the purchasing power of the population.
1.8 Sustainable agriculture and the countryside
In order to preserve small and medium-sized farms and prevent the total depopulation of Vojvodina, agricultural production must be supported: through direct payments per hectare as in neighboring countries, stimulation of farm consolidation, land consolidation, construction of a secondary canal network, livestock development. Investments in basic communal infrastructure, traffic networks, and digitalization are necessary for the survival of Vojvodina’s rural area.
1.9 Protection of natural and public goods.a
We oppose further privatization and over-exploitation of common natural assets: water, land, riverbanks, and mineral resources. Public spaces in populated areas (parks, squares, sports, and recreation centers) should remain gathering places for the benefit of the entire community, and not subordinated to the interests of capital.
1.10 Waste management
It is necessary to radically change the way of waste treatment as soon as possible, from the removal of existing landfills to the construction of facilities for recycling and waste management.
1.11 Traffic and tourism
The development of tourism must be harmonized with the protection of the environment, the promotion of natural and cultural assets, and other specifics of Vojvodina. Through investment in transport infrastructure, priority should be given to building and rebuilding the regional road network, including rail and water transport, bicycle and pedestrian paths, in order to improve the safety and connectivity of local communities.
1.12 Science in the service of man
Science must aim at the well-being of man and nature and the improvement of the quality of life. In addition to strengthening scientific research at universities, decentralization of scientific research is necessary, as well as transparent public investments in research and development of sectors of general interest in which a comparative advantage can be achieved. Companies that invest in science and innovation development should be provided with tax relief and financial assistance in all phases of the innovation cycle from the idea to the realization of products or services. Part of the economic profit achieved in this way would return to the new cycle of research and development.
1.13 Monetary and fiscal policy
The state must establish a system of financial and monetary policy in the direction of achieving a balance of economic growth and development of the country on a realistic basis on the one hand and ensuring economic prosperity and satisfactory material existence of the entire population on the other hand. The system should have the characteristics of a modern socially-oriented economic model that will overcome the shortcomings of a market economy in order to protect and improve the economic position of all citizens.
1.14 Progressive taxation
Serbia is one of the countries with the largest income inequalities in Europe, but it also applies a fixed tax rate that favors the richest. Progressive taxation of all types of income, property, and inheritance, leads us from a society of equal opportunities to a socially responsible society. It is necessary to create preconditions for the introduction of a guaranteed basic income (dividend) and to consider global initiatives to limit the maximum personal wealth.
2. Social equality
2.1 Social policy
Adequate social policy is one of the important instruments for the protection of vulnerable groups through material allocations, which, thanks to the current budget projection at the state level, are not sufficient. In order to prevent an increase in poverty among the elderly, it is necessary to introduce a protection allowance for low-income people and to increase the capacity and economic accessibility of homes for the elderly and infirm. Stronger support for parenthood will be achieved by increasing the material and social well-being of children, improving the conditions in which children grow and equalizing their life chances, as well as measures of material and other support to parents such as longer annual leave and maternity leave for both parents.
2.2 Health protection
Quality health care must not be a privilege, but a basic right of every citizen, regardless of financial situation and employment and regardless of the form of ownership of the institution that provides health care. It must be easily accessible, including a sufficient number of health workers at all levels of health care, with special attention focused on primary health care, where over the next five years one elected doctor per thousand citizens should be provided, and over the next ten years one elected doctor per 500 citizens. Quality health care must not be concentrated only in large centers. This can be achieved through decentralization, including the education of health workers and the placement of health centers and general local hospitals at the center of health care.
2.3 Education and upbringing
Education as one of the basic social obligations implies the formation and development of critical thinking, objective reasoning, openness to knowledge, and the ability to make independent and responsible decisions. Public and free education is a precondition for eliminating large economic differences between people. In order to be realized in practice, continuous investment in school infrastructure and teaching staff is needed, which must receive adequate social recognition, professional respect, and salary for their work.
2.4 Pension system
We are in favor of forming a pension fund outside the reach of political rulers. Retirees need to be given back their dignity in order to become a respected part of the community, and not as before – a category on the edge of poverty and social margins.
2.5 Housing policy
Given that the decades-long process of relocating the population from rural to urban areas will continue in the future, the state must intervene in the housing market with more housing in its ownership to offer long-term leases on favorable terms to residents who cannot pay the market price. The right to housing must be a universal right for all, regardless of material and employment status.
2.6 Young
One of the biggest problems we face as a society is the migration of the population – ie. “Brain drain” – especially of young people, who leave the country in search of a better life or education. Among the necessary measures to change such practices are encouraging youth employment and exemption from taxes and contributions in the first three years after finding their first job, as well as subsidizing solutions to housing, parenting, and continuing education.
2.7 Culture and media
In order for culture to be equally accessible to all, it is necessary to provide free access of citizens to cultural institutions (libraries, museums, galleries, theaters, cultural centers), to invest in preserving cultural heritage, while encouraging artistic freedoms and all forms of contemporary art. Social equality implies nurturing and free expression of the culture of different social groups, national and religious communities through mutual respect and interaction. We stand for full freedom of the media and expression, with restrictions that include sanctioning hate speech and violence. We support the development of public media services, investigative journalism, and journalism geared to the needs of vulnerable social groups.
2.8 Gender equality
We guarantee everyone the right to freely and publicly (if they wish) express their gender identity. We will actively advocate measures to improve the social position of women so that they are equal to men in all areas of public and private life. We advocate for the legalization of same-sex partnership in the same way as it has been achieved in other countries in the region.
2.9 Fight against discrimination and all forms of violence
The development of tolerance and togetherness, and concern for the security of all social groups, especially the vulnerable ones, must be a priority of any society striving for democracy, political, social, and universal progress. It is necessary to vote as soon as possible and implement the anti-discrimination law, following the example of the most progressive countries in Europe, as well as to actively fight against stigmatization.
3. Democratization of society, reform of the political and legal system
3.1 Political system reform
It is necessary to pass an umbrella law on the political system of Serbia, which would include an amendment to the Law on Political Parties and all election laws. The new election law will ensure that, instead of parties, citizens elect their representatives (MPs and councilors), with a certain model of the preferential proportional electoral system, and will provide efficient mechanisms for conducting free and fair elections at all levels. These changes re-establish the accountability of MPs and reduce the influence of parties, which will no longer function as private enterprises, and restore confidence in democracy and the rule of law.
3.2 Decentralization and regionalization of the state
Decentralization of society in a broader sense implies decentralization of decision-making in the economic sphere as well as in the security, cultural, educational sphere, and other important social segments. Decentralization is not the abolition of the state, but the granting of opportunities and freedom to decide and manage one’s own work and resources, regions, and local self-government. Serbia is one of the few countries that does not have a region, and that is why we believe that it is necessary to achieve regionalization in order to implement subsidiarity and give certain competencies to lower levels of government.
3.3 Autonomy of Vojvodina
The autonomy of Vojvodina as a constitutive part of Serbia with original powers is an inalienable right of the citizens of Vojvodina. It must include the broader powers of the provincial government, the possibility for the citizens of Vojvodina to manage public goods on the territory of Vojvodina. It would also include the control of financial flows, the possibility of creating their own policies, and the right to economic development, public safety, education, science, health care, culture, and other types of social activities. Vojvodina has its own specifics, such as the richness of diversity and uniqueness expressed in its autonomy. It is a factor of stability in the region, not instability. Autonomy accepts the idea of solidarity and opposes the continuation of exploitation and plunder.
3.4 Transparent government and civic participation
Transparency of the government implies publicity in the work of all state public services, which means that a higher level of responsibility and cessation of abuse of the public system must be established, as well as the abolition of the secrecy clause from all documents that are not secret by law. We want clear criteria for measuring performance and the responsibility of each individual at all levels of government for failure and irresponsibility in the management of state and public institutions. We see citizen participation as a method of bringing government closer to citizens, through strengthening local self-government, greater competence of local communities, participation of individuals and citizens’ associations in policy-making processes through participatory democracy.
3.5 Lustration
We are in favor of the adoption of a new law on lustration, which would determine and sanction the political responsibility of individuals for human rights violations in a socially and legally acceptable and efficient manner, starting from March 23, 1976. year, when the SFRY ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The law on political lustration needs to be passed in order to break through unjust and harmful decisions, which have resulted in the destruction of the state and society, countless human victims and crimes, and have not yet experienced their political verdict. The process of conducting lustration must never be ideological, partisan or personally led.
3.6 Judicial system reform
We insist on a balance and a strict division of power into legislative, judicial, and executive. We will advocate for a comprehensive reform of the judiciary with the aim of establishing an effective mechanism for protecting citizens from all forms of abuse of power, and especially for the establishment of an independent prosecutor’s office with the capacity to independently conduct a prosecutorial investigation.
3.7 Fight against corruption and clientelism
We are focused on the effective sanctioning of all corrupt crimes, with the aim of breaking up clientelistic networks, on determining and reviewing the origin of property, confiscation of property acquired by crime, and draconian taxation of property that is inconsistent with the realized income. We also advocate the abolition of the practice of avoiding the application of the Law on Public Procurement so that large projects acquire the character of state secrets.
3.8 Human rights and human security
Taking into account the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we advocate respect for human rights regardless of gender, race (or skin color), religion, age, property status, nationality, health status, origin, and any other characteristics that are mandatory and necessary. to create a safe and stable society. Improving the security of citizens can be achieved through public security reform, which includes: decentralization, depoliticization, decriminalization of the police, as well as amendments to key laws (ZOO, ZPP, etc.). The work of the police must be decentralized and the control and responsibility of its work towards the citizens must be ensured. The reform of the security system also implies the Sector for Emergency Situations as a special directorate within the RS Government, which would be managed by professionals from certain areas instead of the police.
3.9 Civil society
We must regain the role and importance of civil society in the functioning of a democratic system. Civil society brings about an improvement in the quality of the functioning of the community and is an integral part of official institutions and the political order. The work of associations and non-governmental organizations in solving specific social problems should be supported.
3.10 European integration and reform of the European Union
Serbia belongs to the family of European countries politically united in the European Union and, accordingly, must continue on the path of further integration, having in mind its specific interests. We believe that there must be harmonization of political factors within Serbia in whether and how we see our country within the EU. Advocacy in principle from actual procedures must be clarified, and clear rules on association established by the European institutions, as well as member states, must be adhered to, which must not be subject to blackmail and daily political speculation. EU accession must not be an end in itself, but only a step towards a common struggle to create a truly democratic and solidary, united European Union.
3.11 Regional cooperation
The once good relations in the region after the wars have been deeply disturbed. Therefore, Vojvodina (and Serbia) must work on overcoming these problems and establishing exceptional relations with neighboring regions and countries.
3.12 International politics
Vojvodina and Serbia must become a more active part of the international community by engaging in political, scientific, and cultural relations with other countries and international organizations. Our country is small in the economic and demographic sense, and that is precisely its advantage in that it is easier to connect with the world through various forms of cooperation. Decades of isolation, sanctions, and self-isolation have shown us the harmfulness of such a policy, which is also reflected in social depression, hopelessness, the departure of young people, and the impoverishment of society in all aspects.