EU PROGRES

Fifty persons representing twenty five municipalities of South and South West Serbia participated in a two-day workshop “Good Governance in Infrastructure Projects” held at Kopaonik on 11-12 September 2013. The organisation of this workshop was financially supported by the European Union and the Government of Switzerland through the European Partnership with Municipalities Programme EU PROGRES.

The Programme strives to help local governments and local public enterprises improve their operations through the introduction of principles of efficiency, transparency, accountability, public participation, and non-discrimination. During the workshop, models of good governance reforms in Switzerland were presented, and knowledge and experiences were exchanged on the ways to establish good governance principles, conducive to more successful performance of municipal tasks, better regulated local community, respect for the interests and quality of life of the citizens. Examples of good practice in introducing the good governance concept in infrastructure projects were presented by the representatives of Bojnik, Sjenica, Ivanjica, and Priboj municipalities.

Bojnik Municipality presented a project of expanding the infrastructural capacity of the green market by building facility for the sale of dairy products, administrative building, and by strengthening institutional capacity for successful management of the green market. For this purpose, the Decision on Green Market Rules of Conduct and the Regulation on the Manner of Granting and Using the Sales Outlets Managed by PUC Jedinstvo from Bojnik, regulates the manner and procedure for using the sales outlets, pricing policy for the rental of market stalls, organisation of and requirements for the sale of goods, measures for keeping order at the market, and establishing the management and accountability structure.

“Priboj Municipality was responsible for the organisational part of the Banjica Regional Landfill project implementation. EU PROGRES provided technical assistance and advice aimed at establishing cooperation and finding ways for the project municipalities to join forces in solving this problem. Through joint cooperation, the municipalities of Priboj, Nova Varoš, Prijepolje, and Sjenica managed to address this big regional problem. This is a good example illustrating that local governments should come together and jointly solve citizens’ problems,” said Saša Vasilić, President of the Priboj Municipal Assembly.

Through discussion and group work, workshop participants were able to identify the needs of municipalities and local utility companies relating to improvements of their operations and successful implementation of good governance reforms in their municipalities. In early 2014, EU PROGRES will develop a handbook for the introduction of good governance principles in infrastructure projects, which will, through specific examples and practical guidelines, assist municipalities in the reform process and implementation of future infrastructure projects.