EU PROGRES

The European Partnership with Municipalities Programme – PROGRES organised seminars in Novi Pazar and Vranje in early February 2011 on topic “What is and Why We Need Good Governance”.

The seminars were held by Swiss good governance expert Dr. Mirjam Strecker and attended by around one hundred representatives of local self-governments and civil society organisations.

Good governance is the basis of integral and sustainable community development, regardless of whether we are referring to the local or national level, Dr. Strecker said. “Conditions for economic and social development are created through the adoption of the good governance concept and the application of its principles of accountability, transparency, participation, equality and efficiency,” she added, emphasising that this was a long-term process and that its results were not immediately visible.

Local self-governments, together with other participants in the process, such as civil society organisations, have the duty to begin introducing good governance principles in their everyday work as soon as possible. The local authorities, however, have to ask the central authorities to amend the regulations, which have been found to be impeding the work of municipalities and cities, Dr. Strecker concluded.

PROGRES Programme Manager Mr. Graeme Tyndall said that the essence of good governance lay in the governing institutions’ accountability to the citizens. “After this initial presentation of the good governance concept and its principles, we will strive to embody them to the greatest possible extent in all PROGRES activities and to transform them into a practice present in as many municipalities as possible. Municipalities participating in the Programme can expect PROGRES’ wholehearted support in that process,” Mr. Tyndall emphasised. 

The organisation of the seminars was one of PROGRES’ activities aimed at supporting the municipalities in their efforts to improve their work and their abidance by good governance principles. Apart from assisting the municipalities in their respect of good governance principles, PROGRES will also help them to improve their infrastructure and the quality of the services they render citizens and businesses, and to promote their development potentials.

PROGRES is funded by the European Union, the Government of Switzerland and the Government of the Republic of Serbia and is implemented by the United Nations Office for Project Services - UNOPS in cooperation with 25 municipalities in South and South West Serbia.