Sustainable planning avoids the fragmentation of policies and budgets

As part of the project ‘An effort towards sustainable and functional local governance’, the KLGI Institute, in cooperation with the Office of the National Coordinator for State Reforms in the Government of Kosovo, held a workshop on the topic “Building the Skills of Civil Servants in the Correct Implementation of Strategic Policies”.

The workshop aimed to build the skills of civil servants at central and local level in the correct implementation of strategic policies. Presenting on reforms related to the administration, policy planning and the drafting of strategies were Mr Besnik Muçaj – Acting Executive Director of the KLGI Institute, Mr Besnik Tahiri – National Coordinator for State Reforms, Venhar Nushi – Senior Policy Planning Officer in the Government, and Arben Krasniqi – Director of the Government Coordination Secretariat.

The National Coordinator for State Reforms, Besnik Tahiri, spoke about the package of laws on public administration reform, which includes the Law on the Functioning of Public Administration, the Law on Civil Servants and the Law on Salaries. Regarding the Law on Salaries, a serious mismatch between public function/functional organisation and salaries was highlighted. Meanwhile, regarding the Law on Civil Servants, emphasis was placed on restoring meritocracy in recruitment competitions, which would help restore hope among young people.

The Policy Planning Officer, Venhar Nushi, gave a presentation on the drafting, monitoring and oversight of the strategies being drafted. Nushi concluded that it is extremely important for planning documents to be fully aligned with strategic priorities. Although there are good strategies and implementation plans, the challenge remains the faltering implementation and monitoring of these plans.

Meanwhile, Mr Besnik Muçaj – Acting Executive Director of the KLGI Institute – said that the current state of strategy drafting is worse at the local level. With regard to sustainable planning in municipalities in relation to performance, it emerges that only 28% of municipalities perform well in this field. Therefore, in this respect, the government also has a crucial role in strengthening the local level through strategic planning. Most of the strategic documents the KLGI Institute has analysed resemble a wish list more than real development projections.

For his part, the Director of the Government Coordination Secretariat, Arben Krasniqi, stressed in his presentation that when there is no good planning, there is no good reporting and implementation either. Moreover, in finding solutions and resolving problems related to these fields, it is of particular importance that there is prior assessment and analysis, as well as public consultation. It was also stressed that so far, in many cases, there has been over-regulation, which often causes the fragmentation of policies and spending.

In view of the need and the context, there was common agreement to organise a structured workshop/training, specifically on drafting strategies and regulations, so that municipalities can advance in this respect.

This grant has been funded by the Democratic Society Promotion (DSP) project – funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (DANIDA) and managed by the Kosovar Civil Society Foundation (KCSF).