Better services delivery and improved dialogue with the citizens of Kosovo - 14-06-11
After two years after its start, the project ‘Support to Local Government in Kosovo’ (EULoG project) has come to an end and we are proud to share its strong accomplishments. The EULoG project supported the municipalities of Kosovo by developing their capacity to advance the reforms and the decentralization process.
The project improved the performance and management skills of municipalities to deliver cost effective public services, developed integrated planning capacities of the municipalities via incentives and procedures for utilizing plans, strengthened the municipal inspection functions, assisted the law implementation, and encouraged the use of inter-municipal cooperation.
To outline some of the achievements:
• Over 60 new laws and regulations, done according to the models prepared by the project, were adopted in the municipalities.These laws are now in place and are affecting everyday life of the citizens of Kosovo.
• Over 25 municipalities adopted a plan for their HRM programme and development. This is directly impacting the way in which human resource management is done in the municipalities.
• In all 10 pilot municipalities the capacity is in place to gather data that allows for benchmarking in the fields of urban planning and inspections.
• A clear plan for budgeting reform and the financing of municipalities has been prepared, having an enormous impact on the decentralization programme currently under way in the country.
• All 10 pilot municipalities under their own initiative have implemented commissions for strategic development and established an official in the municipalities for development. This process ensures more and better citizen involvement in the strategic planning process.
• 10 inter-municipal cooperation agreements have been signed and implemented, thereby sharing resources, reducing costs and providing more efficient services to the citizens (themes are e.g. cadastre, financing roads, sharing emergency services, river maintenance).
• Each municipality developed at least 5 project proposals for submission to the municipal infrastructure project.
• 4 study visits were implemented to expose the municipalities to EU methodologies and systems for HRM, citizen involvement, municipal inspection procedures and public service delivery.
• 8 sustainability tools (handbooks and manuals) were developed on communication policy, HRM and leadership, inter-municipal cooperation, inspections, legislation, service delivery.
The project targeted the municipalities of Gjakova, Drenas,Gjilan, Viti, Mitrovica, Junik, Obiliq, Hani I Elezit, Podujeve, and Mamusha, although all municipalities in Kosovo benefitted from the project activities. Further, the newly created municipalities Graçanica, Klokot and Ranilug, Partesh and North Mitrovica were incorporated later into the programme, thereby integrating Serbian municipalities into the programme’s activities. Click here for a map of the municipalities that participated in the project.
This EU-funded €2,9 mln project (www.eulog-project.com) was implemented by VNG International, in consortium with Eptisa Internacional.