The European Union has provided 1.5 million Euros for implementation of the second stage of the Reinforcement of Local Democracy – LOD II project. A Memorandum of Understanding on the project was signed on Wedenesday by 15 partner municipalities and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Signatories were Boris Iarochevitch, Head of Operations at the EU Delegation to BiH, Bariša Čolak, Minister of Justice, Peter Van Ruysseveldt, Acting Resident Representative of the UNDP in BiH and the municipal heads of Bijeljina, Derventa, Foča, Sarajevo City, Gradiška, Jablanica, Ključ, Ljubuški, Prijedor, Tešanj, Trebinje, Tuzla, Srebrenik, Zvornik and Zavidovići.
The main goal of the project is to help local authorities deliver better service to citizens and in this way contribute to a higher quality of life in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Municipalities play a key role in the EU integration process, because they are the level of government that is closest to citizens and the best level at which to explain the nature of integration and the conditions that go with it,“ Boris Iarochevitch said.
He said civil society has an important role in the process and the EU consults civil society organisations extensively when creating assistance programmes and when progress reports on Bosnia and Herzegovina are being drawn up. In light of this, he said, the EU will maintain its support for the effort to build a dialogue between local authorities and civil society.
Justice Minister Bariša Čolak said he expects better cooperation between civil society organisations and the local community.
“This way we will have more structured community development and we will be able to make the financing of civil society organisations more transparent,“ he said.
Peter Van Ruysseveldt of the UNDP said the overall goal of the project is to help deliver more efficient and more effective services to citizens.
“This is a high quality project that is well designed and oriented towards citizens,” he said.
The project “Reinforcement of Local Democracy – LOD II” will run until March 2012.
