A new Rulebook on the Allocation of Funds for Programs for the Protection and Improvement of the Status of Persons with Disabilities (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia”, No. 4/2026) has been published. This Rulebook regulates the manner and criteria for the allocation of budgetary funds for financing programs aimed at improving the status of persons with disabilities.
Funds are allocated through a public call, based on clearly defined criteria relating to program objectives, expected results, sustainability, and cost efficiency. The applicant for the program proposal may be:
- An organization registered with the competent authority in the Republic of Serbia,
- An organization directly responsible for the preparation and implementation of program activities, and
- An organization whose objectives are focused on the implementation of programs of public interest in the field of protection and improvement of the status of persons with disabilities, protection and promotion of human rights, and the development of an inclusive society at the local and national level.
The Rulebook also serves as a reminder to all employers of the obligation to employ persons with disabilities, as prescribed by the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities (“Official Gazette of the Republic of Serbia”, Nos. 36/2009, 32/2013, and 14/2022 – other law). Under this Law, every employer with 20 or more employees is required to employ persons with disabilities, as follows:
- Employers with 20 to 49 employees → at least one person with a disability;
- Employers with more than 50 employees → at least two persons with disabilities, plus one additional person with a disability for each further commenced group of 50 employees.
Newly established employers are exempt from this obligation during the first 24 months of operation.
The obligation may also be fulfilled without direct employment, provided that the employer concludes and performs a business-technical cooperation agreement or purchases products and/or services (excluding wholesale trade) from an enterprise for professional rehabilitation and employment of persons with disabilities, in a value of at least 20 average salaries in the Republic of Serbia. In this case, the employer is exempt from the obligation to employ one person with a disability for a period of 12 months from the date the obligation is fulfilled.
If an employer fails to comply with the prescribed obligations, they are required to pay an amount equal to 50% of the average salary in the Republic of Serbia for each person with a disability not employed, in which case the obligation is deemed formally fulfilled.
Finally, the Law also provides support measures for employers who decide to employ persons with disabilities, including:
- Reimbursement of costs related to workplace adaptation; and
- A wage subsidy of up to 75% of salary costs, capped at the level of the minimum wage, for the employment of a person with a disability without prior work experience on a fixed-term basis, for a duration of 12 months.
For additional information or consultations, the Tasić & Partners team is at your disposal.