The National Consumers Organization of Serbia (NOPS) is an umbrella consumer organisation with 14 members-both local and regional consumer organisations from all over the country. Established in 2004 as a non-governmental, non-political and not-for-profit organisation, its main aim is to make consumer protection effective in Serbia. NOPS promotes regulations that improve consumer protection; inputs in the formulation of national consumer policy and educates, informs and advises consumers as well as represents their interests. NOPS has also signed several important memorandums of cooperation with state institutions in order to improve consumer protection at the local/regional/national levels.
The work of NOPS is concentrated on the area of Republic of Serbia, but it is also present in various projects in the region and beyond. Its work is public in a manner that all activity reports are published in the media.
In the past, it has closely worked with European Policy Center (CEP) and Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM), as well as with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Some projects that NOPS works on and has worked on in the past years:
- „Strengthening Consumer Organisations for better Municipal Services in South-East Europe“ (NOPS is the partner organization and the lead organization is European Policy Centre – CEP).
The main goal of the project was to strengthen the capacities of consumer organisations in advocating the rights of consumers of municipal services in South East Europe and to establish a regional network of consumer organisations, considering that local public utilities still frequently neglect the aspect of consumer protection in their operation. The duration of the project is 13 months.
- “Regional Model for a Smart Municipal Services Reporting System for the citizens” (where NOPS is the partner organization and the lead organization is Milieukontakt Macedonia).
The main goal of the project was to develop a regional model for Smart Municipal Services Reporting System for the citizens. The duration of the project is 8 months.
- “Prevention of the Theft of Electrical Energy”.
The main goal of the project was to prevent the theft of electrical energy through continual and efficient education of the consumers, the buyers of electrical energy. The duration of the project was 7 months.
- “Index of Consumer Satisfaction with Food Products Supply at the Market of Republic of Serbia”.
The main goal of the project was to investigate (via questionnaire) whether the consumers are satisfied with the manner in which the Serbian market was supplied with food products and whether they are satisfied with the quality and the prices of the same. The duration of the project was 3 months.
- Know Your Consumer Rights (Consumer caravan).
The main goal of the project was to inform and educate the consumers throughout the Republic of Serbia about their rights and opportunities of exercising these rights. The duration of the project was 5 months.