prijava
SARAJEVO, March 10 (FENA) - The latest research by Transparency International in Bosnia and Herzegovina (TIBiH) shows insufficient citizen participation in decision-making processes at the level of local self-government units, and the lack of proactive transparency that should provide citizens with comprehensive insight of municipal administration.
"Study on proactive transparency and direct participation of citizens in decision-making in local self-government - Waiting for democracy", whose findings were presented today in Sarajevo, show that out of 143 municipalities in BiH, only 20 record a level of proactive transparency of 50 percent or more, while in 104 municipalities the application of this standard ranges from 20 to 50 percent, and in 13 below 20 percent, and that six municipalities do not have a website.
The research is part of the project "E-participation", which is implemented with the financial support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in BiH, with the aim of intensifying citizen participation in local governance, increasing transparency and accountability of local institutions and improving sustainable relations between citizens and local authorities in BiH.
Chairman of the TIBiH Steering Board Srdjan Blagovčanin said on this occasion that for more decisive progress in this area it is necessary to improve the legal framework, including the creation of an online platform that will enable citizens interactive and continuous cooperation with government officials.
“The general premise of our research was that if citizens do not have proactive information available, it will be very difficult for them to participate in the decision-making process,” said Blagovčanin.
The importance of achieving a higher level of democracy at the level of local communities was pointed out by the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Reinout Vos, referring to certain aspects of direct democracy.
“Democracy is much more than the election of representatives and it also includes more direct participation of citizens in democratic processes,” he said.
Tešanj Mayor Suad Huskić, who comes from the top-ranked local community in terms of compliance with proactive transparency standards, said that these are standards that pose a particular challenge to local self-government in general, "especially at a time when ways of communicating with citizens are changing."
(FENA) A. B.
