Governance is not a synonym for government, although government alongside civil society and private sector is a part of governance. So, what is it? There are many definitions, but for this occasion let us say that governance is a continuing process, in which decisions are taken through interaction of different stakeholders.
Good governance is the one that employs all available administrative, social and economic resources at various levels in decision making processes. This interaction of public and private institutions, of governmental and civil society organizations, provides an opportunity to stakeholders to identify and formulate their interests in the best possible way, at the same time mitigating their differences.
At the end of the day, good governance is about participation, sustainability, effectiveness and efficiency, accountability and transparency, civic engagement, equity and rule of law.
South and South West Serbia are considered sensitive areas in the country. High unemployment and depleted economic activity in these, already low developed areas depict a grim socio-economic situation. This is further enhanced by inadequate good governance practices: civil society is weak, gender balance almost does not exist, participation of citizens in local government is insufficient and local media are often under political pressure from local governments.
European Partnership with the Municipalities Programme - EU PROGRES intends to promote participative, accountable and transparent governance through creation of partnerships between civil society and institutions of local governments, establishment of advisory services for citizens, support to local governments for organizing budgetary public hearings, providing information and resources to the municipalities and increasing ethnic and gender balance in the decision making process.
