The new-old American president Donald tramp immediately after his return to the White House, he signed a decision to freeze the American aid program of the Agency for International Development (USAID) worldwide for 90 days. At the end of that period, the US administration will conduct a review of this policy, in order to determine whether it is in line with the goals of Trump's policy.
This decision began to be applied to Serbia as well, where many people close to the government welcomed it because many non-governmental organizations and research media receive a significant part of their funds through USAID-financed projects. That is, as they say, Trump turned the faucet "anti-Serb" NGO agencies.
What they fail to mention is that with this move, Trump turned the faucet on the country of Serbia itself.
How much money does Serbia receive?
In 2023 alone, Serbia received over 33 million dollars from the United States of America through the USAID project, according to data available on their official website. Of that, 11 million dollars went to the Government and civil sector organizations. Seven million went to businesses and other services, while six went to related expenses. The health sector received about four million dollars.
Data for 2024 are still not fully available. What can be found is also on the USAID website. "Additional $18 million from the United States for development partnership with Serbia," reads the headline of the announcement from July 2024.
"These funds will be used, among other things, to improve public procurement procedures in Serbia, improve access to justice for citizens, improve environmental protection and energy security, promote a stronger media environment, improve economic opportunities for vulnerable groups, as well as for greater competitiveness of the Serbian economy ", the announcement states.
The amendments to the existing aid agreements were signed by the Minister for European Integration in the Government of Serbia, Tanja Miščević, and the director of the USAID mission in Serbia, Brooke Aysham. The signing was attended by US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill.
Money for NGOs, but also for the state
It is difficult to say exactly how much money the state of Serbia receives from USAID. Financing takes place both through projects and various grants, as well as through direct donations.
For example, the civil society organization Center for Research, Transparency and Accountability (CRTA) received one million dollars from USAID in 2023 for its activities in observing elections and working on electoral reforms.
On the other hand, the children's dispensary in the "Mali Mokri Lug" health center was fully equipped in February 2023 through USAID. In the field of health, at the end of 2022, the Institute for Public Health "Milan Jovanović Batut" received new equipment worth $127.000 through the USAID mission, according to a statement on the USAID website.
A number of cities and municipalities in Serbia participate in USAID's five-year project "Better Energy", launched in 2021. This project, worth 10 million dollars, is aimed at improving energy efficiency at the municipal level and increasing the use of energy from renewable sources in Serbia.
Suspension of projects
USAID does not offer a consolidated list of all organizations funded through its grants. On their website, it is possible to find certain projects that are currently active, but which, due to the interruption of funding, are temporarily suspended.
One of them is the "Justice for All" project, which the US is implementing with the Government of Serbia and the Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM).
"We hereby inform you that, unfortunately, we have to suspend/suspend all activities that are carried out based on the engagement with YUCOM within the Justice for All project," reads the notice signed by USAID.
As stated on the USAID website, the "Justice for All" project includes cooperation with those state institutions mandated to guarantee the rule of law and equal access to justice, such as the Ministry of Justice, individual courts and prosecutor's offices, the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government and offices for free legal assistance of local governments.
