The online training will be implemented through October and November with the aim to provide support to LSGs by strengthening their capacities to adopt and implement good governance principles – efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, accountability, rule of law, participation, equality and non-discrimination – in their daily practices.

“Good governance at the local level is founded in the implementation of positive legislation, but there is a large undefined area related to public interest protection, such as the level of discretionary rights of officials or the ways in which public tasks are performed, which leaves room for actions that are not entirely in the public’s interest. Simultaneously, the laws in Serbia do not prohibit from further regulating these areas, which is why it is important to keep advancing good governance processes,” Dragan Mladenović, Swiss PRO Good Governance Advisor, said.

The event was used to show that e-training offers key information, knowledge and practical examples of relevance for the implementation of good governance principles in local self-governments, in areas such as accountable development and public resource management, predictability of the administrative procedure, cost-effective and efficient discharge of competences at the local level, protection of rights and citizen participation in the implementation of public tasks at the local level, equality and non-discrimination, transparency of local self-government tasks and prevention and sanctioning of corruption at the local level.

“The training targets employees in local self-governments, who will have seven weeks to learn about good governance principles and the ways to implement them at the local level. The training is important for improving the quality of services provided to citizens and businesses, but also because of EU accession. Local self-governments need their employees to acquire new skills and address all the changes in the administrative procedure,” Ivan Milivojević, SCATM Deputy Secretary-General for membership services, said.

All participants will be awarded certificates upon completing the training, which is realized as an accredited course within the 2019 Sector-Wide Programme for Continued Professional Development of Employees in Local Self-Government Units.