OSCE, Montenegro’s union of municipalities recognize best practices in local self-government

Local governments using innovative ways to deliver services received the “Best Practices in Local Government in Montenegro 2012” awards in a ceremony held by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Union of Municipalities in Podgorica on 21 December 2012.

The initiative was first launched in 2007 by the OSCE Mission and the Union. It aims to identify and promote innovative best practices used by municipalities in providing services to citizens. This year, the awards were presented to the mayors of six municipalities by the Head of the OSCE Mission, senior state officials and heads of the municipalities. Thirteen out of Montenegro’s 21 local governments applied to participate in the programme in 2012.

Opening the event the Head of the OSCE Mission, Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj said: “The active participation of municipalities in the competition this year indicated their openness to receiving and sharing new ideas in order to serve their citizens and communities better.”

“The OSCE Mission has consistently advocated for strong local government as we believe many solutions to the development of Montenegro can be found at the local level. We are confident that the significant challenges to improving good governance that municipalities are facing can be effectively dealt with by sustained effort, and are ready to continue supporting this process.”

President of the Assembly of the Union of Municipalities Aleksander Bogdanovic said: “The quality of life of people is largely determined by the services provided by local government. Identifying and promoting best practices directly supports that process, and this awards programme has become an integral part in developing local government.”

The awards were presented to the municipalities of Kolasin in the category “Cultural Heritage in Developing Municipal Tourism” for its project “Traditional dance and song as a cultural offering” and Bijelo Polje in the category “Rural Development of Municipalities” for its “Good village - Good city” project. A number of projects in the “Public-Private Partnership” category saw awards presented to two municipalities: Podgorica with its project “Green Market and Block Five Shopping Center” and Mojkovac with its “Main Square Reconstruction” project. Bar and Kotor municipalities with projects on the efficient collection of taxes on real estate were awarded in the category “Collecting Local Public Revenues”.