Municipalities operate without specific regulations on public service delivery

As part of the LGA Empower programme, the KLGI Institute today held the first session of the thematic group “Public Services”, with the aim of identifying problems, networking, advocacy and raising them with other levels of government. On this occasion a range of issues were addressed, such as: unifying service delivery standards, the relationship between public services and public enterprises, accountability and budgeting.

The thematic group addressed the need to advocate for a review of decentralisation, including functional sectors. It is important to address the need for compact legal regulation of public services, since a multitude of municipal directives have no legal basis for operating in the delivery of services to the public. Croatia, which regulates this field with specific legislation, can be taken as a model for this. Therefore, all the topics to be addressed will be promoted and pushed forward to the competent decision-makers. As a result, the working groups will produce a strategic document to be given to the competent authorities with the aim of improving and strengthening the local level.

Furthermore, there was discussion of the need to build coordination and communication between municipalities and regional enterprises, with an emphasis on their reporting to elected municipal officials. It is important to build a clear map of responsibilities and decision-making between municipalities and the public and private companies operating in municipalities (water supply, sewerage, energy, etc.).

In its first phase, through thematic groups, the LGA – Empower Programme aims to engage in focused discussions, advocacy and addressing sustainable sectoral policies and programmes, advancing functional policies, and providing recommendations and options for the actors engaged at local level. The next phase concerns facilitating experts for the thematic groups in drafting sustainable policies and programmes for the local level.

The programme is supported by the Norwegian Embassy in Kosovo.