40 candidates certified by the Local Governance Academy – LGA

The sixth generation of the Local Governance Academy programme included participants from five municipalities (Prishtina, Suhareka, D…ragash, Mamusha and Kllokot), the Ministry of Local Government Administration, representatives of independent public institutions (the Auditor General) and civil society.

KLGI Executive Director Besnik Tahiri said that those certified have work ahead of them, as they face processes that have not been properly defined, citing the decentralisation of municipalities. “As a state we have been through decentralisation for 10 years now; this does not mean reviewing the areas, but local governments need to take stock. It makes no sense not to do more for municipalities,” Tahiri said.

He observed that decentralisation is strong on paper but not in practice. He reiterated that Prishtina does not represent Kosovo and that the law on Prishtina must be passed. Tahiri said that north Mitrovica must be integrated so that the hand of the state is felt. Regarding local finance, Tahiri said they had good cooperation with the former Minister of Finance, Avdullah Hoti.

The Ambassador of Norway to Kosovo, Per Strand Sjaastad, said that KLGI’s activities are of high quality. “I will do everything possible for Norway to support Besnik and KLGI. Local governance is very important, since the world has become a strange and big place. Ambassador Sjaastad also spoke about cooperation between municipalities, which in his view is indispensable.

The director of the FES foundation, Frank Hankte, said that what matters most is to talk about people’s common interest and the interests that affect everyone’s well-being.

The Secretary General of the Ministry of Local Government Administration, Rozafa Ukimëraj, said that the problems and challenges are many, but there have been improvements. “Since 2014 we have made progress. There are no compromises with the law. Communication has increased, as has support from the European Commission. Municipalities need to be more transparent,” she said.

The Local Governance Academy is an educational programme, based on nine years of studies conducted, for strengthening local democracy, participation and, in particular, the representation of public interests in local governance by decision-makers of municipal assemblies and executive bodies.