Civil Society in Action for Dialogue and Partnerships the Collection of Written Contributions
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Civil society in action for dialogue and partnerships The collection of written contributions This project is funded by the European Union Contents Antonella Valmorbida Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................................................3 Prof. Mirko Pejanović, Ph.D. Harmonization of the current legal framework of local self-government with the European standards .........................................................................................................................................................................................................5 Drago Martinović, M.Sc. Non-government organizations – a tool for increased citizens’ participation in decision making at local level ............................................................................................................................................................................13 Snežana Šešlija Environment (incentive and obstacles) for the adoption and/or implementation of the agreement on cooperation between the government and civil society organizations in 12 municipalities of former Doboj region ................................................................................................................................21 Jasna Zvekić The agreement on cooperation – the gap between the intended and the achieved ..................30 Sanijela Matković The role of CSOs in the process of European integrations of BiH .................................................................38 Šefika Muratagić Implementation of the municipal agreements on cooperation – from the memorandum of understanding to the local practice case study: the municipality of Ključ ............................................44 Suada Sofić The process of involving citizens in the creation of the communication strategy for the Municipality of Bihać 2011–2016.............................................................................................................................................50 Damir Jurić Democratization and strenghtening capacities of the local self-government .....................................56 Amira Hadžimehmedović Agreement on cooperation between non-governmental organisations and the municipality of Bihać – the example of good practice? ........................................................................................................................61 Dženana Dedić Challenges and prospects of effective co-operation of government and civil society at the local level – the city of Mostar ..................................................................................................................................................67 Miljenko Turniški Civil society development in Croatia ....................................................................................................................................73 Zoran Banović The agreement – from adoption to implementation .............................................................................................81 Jelena Elijas The place and role of NGOs in the European integrations .................................................................................87 Stanka Parać Damjanović Co-operation between civil society and government in Serbia: opening a new chapter towards the EU integration .........................................................................................................................................................94 Murisa Marić Developments in the shadow of the agreement on cooperation between government and non government sector ...............................................................................................................................................................101 1 Introduction Antonella Valmorbida, Director of ALDA The two-year project Civil Society in Action for Dialogue and Partnership has been realized in cooperation with eight civil society organizations and the same number of local governments, with the involvement of lar- ge number of representatives of civil society and municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Partner organizations, and numerous participants of the training program, local forums and thematic conferences emphasized the importance of the implementation of the memorandums of municipal local partnerships as a prerequisite for democratic development, efficient and transparent management, and thus significantly contributing to achie- vement of the objectives of the project. This publication is a collection of local practices in which the initiators of the change are the civil society organizations known for their years long involvement in respective muni- cipalities. From their assessment and consideration of the local context, the establishment of inter-sectoral partnerships, evaluation and analysis of the survey results, some factual and day-to-day problems can be seen in the implementation of the 2007 Agreement between the Council of Ministers and NGOs. Established legal and institutional framework for cooperation between government and civil society organizations is an important step towards acknowledging the role of civil society in social, economic and political life of the country. However, its effective implementation in local communities, with particular emphasis on institution building for dialo- gue and cooperation both in decision-making and in the implementation of policy measures, is evidently still facing a number of challenges. For the- se reasons, the description of local practices contained in this publication can serve as a guide for both NGOs and decision-makers in other areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina. 3 Building partnerships has become one of the key elements in the policy and programmes of the European Union as the sign of recognition of the consequences of the economic, social and political changes, and a deep cri- sis in particular. The principles of partnership and good practices of co- operation are an integral component of financial support instruments, the Structural Funds, of community development initiatives and strategic plan- ning at all levels. At the beginning of the new budget period 2014-2020, the principles of local partnerships are considered extremely relevant in view of the multi-dimensionality of the causes of the economic crisis, unemploy- ment, poverty and social exclusion. The concentration of these problems is the highest in local communities, while the system of local self-government equipped with adequate powers, based on principles of effective and re- sponsive performances of the tier of government closest to the citizens is becoming increasingly relevant. Bearing in mind the number and scope of local actors it is necessary to establish general principles and standards of their cooperation in public policy making, that can be applied at regional, national or European levels: the principle of participation, transparency and accountability, effectiveness and compliance with the local needs. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in other countries of the Western Balkans, it is necessary to further promote the culture of active participation in policy and decision making, integrated in the concept of active citizen- ship as an expression of acceptance of social responsibility. In this process, an equally important role is played by the public, civil and private sector. Continuous development of sustainable and effective mechanisms of their mutual cooperation is more than ever relevant as the response not only to the ongoing crisis, but for building the pillars of the local development strategies. 4 Harmonization of the current legal framework of local self-government with the European standards Prof. Mirko Pejanović, Ph.D. General characteristics of the local self-government development Local self-government has confirmed itself as the most successful segment in the functioning of political systems of the countries in transition. Within the structure of local authorities – municipal council, municipal mayor, and municipal administration – decisions are made on satisfying the most important needs of the human life in a settlement, i.e., local community. Decision making in municipal councils, i.e., municipal assemblies, has a dominantly civil and democratic interest character. Municipal level of deci- sion making identifies citizen interests in the fields of regulating settlements and housing construction, utility infrastructure, social activities, public utility services, and in the field of economic development and employment. Political combats among the parties in the municipal councils do not have the charac- teristics that appear at the higher decision-making levels. Common interest both for the ruling majority and the opposition in municipal councils is being shaped through the selection of the best projects of economic, urban, and cultural development of the local self-government units. 5 The introduction of the direct election of the municipal mayor enabled a new dynamics in the communication between executive authorities and citi- zens in making decisions about public affairs in the local self-government unit. Many countries in transition, particularly those that have become can- didates for the EU membership or already its members, have implemented a reform of local self-government in many aspects. Those reforms have re- sulted in a new legal position of local self-government, and in a stronger role