Europeanisation through Civil Society: The Role of Serbian CSOs in Shaping LGBTIQ+ Rights Legislation amid Serbia’s EU Accession Process

Using a case study approach, the paper explores the role and efforts of civil society organisations (CSOs) in advancing the protection of LGBTIQ+ rights in Serbia, in the broader context of EU accession. By analysing the intersection of activism and European integration, this study exemplifies the dual nature of Europeanisation, as a top-down process driven by the EU institutions and as a bottom-up process propelled through the work of local CSOs. The novelty of this paper lies in its conclusion: the success of CSOs advocating for LGBTIQ+ rights was enhanced with EU support. Pressure from the EU institutions alone would not have sufficed for the protection of the aforementioned rights. In other words, the direct involvement of activists, who campaigned for the implementation of the European recommendations, was instrumental in advancing the LGBTIQ+ agenda. While prior literature places states at the centre of the European integration process, this article concludes that civil society organisations can act as ‘norm entrepreneurs’ who facilitate the national authorities’ adaptation to EU values and legislation. Employing the case study approach has one major advantage: it enables the author to draw relatively general conclusions that can be extrapolated. For instance, Serbia could be perceived as a state with European aspirations and yet illiberal tendencies, while the Serbian LGBTIQ+ community could be seen as a marginalised minority seeking to advance its visibility and rights.