On Thursday, September 14th, a meeting was held at the premises of the Office for Combating Drugs with the civil society organization, the Center for Youth Work Novi Sad (CYWNS). The CYWNS is an organization with which the Office has a signed Memorandum of Cooperation. The initial topic of the meeting was the formation of a Working Group for the drafting of amendments to the Law on Public Order and Peace. CYWNS conducted research related to alcohol prevention among young people, and in collaboration with the Office and other relevant government bodies, a joint meeting was organized. During this meeting, recommendations for the strategic improvement of this area were presented, including raising the age limit for alcohol consumption from 16 to 18 years.

Subsequently, it was agreed that the Office would submit an initiative to the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the formation of the Working Group. In mid-2023, the first meeting of the Working Group was held, and today, the conclusions from the initial meeting were discussed. Representatives of the Center for Youth Work Novi Sad presented their plans for the future and expressed gratitude for the successful collaboration with the Office. The Office for Combating Drugs recognized the efforts of this organization in promoting a healthy lifestyle among young people and their role in advocating for public policies aimed at improving the position of youth in the Republic of Serbia. At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that the Office and CYWNS will continue to collaborate in further enhancing public policies related to youth, psychoactive substances, and addiction prevention.