Since 1989 the non-governmental organisations’(NGO) sector has played an important role in the social and economic transition in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). 1 These institutions have grown in size and span in all CEE countries. NGO activities have expanded over a wide range of areas, including human rights, minorities, media, environment, social protection, health care, culture, arts, education, information dissemination and the like.
The role of NGO sector in the process of democratisation is associated with building the civ society where civil society organisations have to perform important social, political and community functions. In contrast to the socialist political system where the state was the sol provider of social welfare services and the communist party the only institution dictating the political agenda, in a functioning democracy NGOs have to enhance political participation and help the political elite in defining a rational public agenda. During the initial stages of the transition, the NGO sector was considered as an important vehicle for the development of the political, economic and social reform and the main advocate of the new civil society. 2 The reemerging structures of the civil society embraced democratic values and ventured to translate them into "viable civic practices affecting societal attitudes, behaviour and organization".
