07/07/2021
Closure of the Exchange 5 Programme
The final Conference organized on July 6th, 2021 in Belgrade, marked the completion of the activities in the implementation of the European Union Exchange 5 Programme. This complex four - year Program, was implemented as the fifth phase of one of the longest EU development support interventions directly targeted at local self-governments (LSGs) launched in late 2004. Although the final year of the Exchange 5 Programme took place in altered regime of functioning of administration due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the commitment of local self-governments the expert team of the Programme managed to achieve the set objectives through the implementation of the grant scheme and by providing professional support to cities and municipalities.
The total value of the Programme (fifth phase) was 4.75 million EUR, and it was realized through two Components: the first pertained to the topic of LSG property management, while the second focused on programme and capital budgeting as related to local development planning frameworks. In the scope of Component 1, a grant scheme was implemented with 18 projects covering 48 cities and municipalities with a number of local partners, while 20 LSGs received expert support packages in the area of property management. Component 2 directly supported 12 LSGs that received comprehensive support in the process of programme, capital, and gender budgeting and for improving budget transparency. In addition to cities and municipalities selected on a competitive basis, part of support in the scope of the Programme covered all LSGs in the Republic of Serbia - through accredited training in property management and instructive seminars for different phases of the budget cycle in accordance with the Law on Budget System and Methodologies prescribed by the Ministry of Finance, models for drafting/improving local acts, and continuous advisory assistance for specific issues in both Programme areas.
During address in the introductory part of the meeting, Saša Mogić, Assistant Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, pointed out that the Exchange 5 Program was designed and implemented in the best way to strengthen administrative, organizational and technical capacities in local self-governments, as well as to improve employees’ competencies.
"A large part of the activities was carried out so that cities and municipalities that participated in the Programme, within their respective projects – define how and in what way to register their property units in appropriate evidence records etc., which helped them to further plan operational activities, allocate budgets, as well as to understand from which additional sources their income can be generated", Mogić explained.
According to him, one of the most important results of the project is the creation of a base of trained employees.
"Within the Programme, several property management training cycles were realized intended for all local self-government units, the last of which took place in very complex circumstances due to the pandemic. It is commendable that in year 2020, as much as 179 participants from almost 100 local self-governments fulfilled requirements for obtaining a certificate in the field of public property management", Mogić said.
Yngve Engström, Head of the Sector for Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, explained that EU accession is taking place through the contribution of all levels of government and parts of society.
"All the public affairs that constitute the core of the services provided to citizens and what the local self-governments perform to develop their communities, actually have a direct impact on the quality of life of every person living in your local self-governments", Engström said.
According to him, states cannot develop and modernize if the whole society does not participate in such an endeavor and if everyone does not experience the benefits of such change.
"When we talk about the role of local self-governments in the process of Serbia's accession to the EU, there is an EU regional policy that has the ambition to support provision of equal opportunities and assist those who are underdeveloped", said Engström, emphasizing the principle of subsidiarity as one of the guiding principles in the application of the EU acquis, according to which development, social and other issues are resolved at the most immediate and suitable level of government that is appropriate, which in most cases is the local level as the closest to citizens and the economy.
Dušan Čarkić, Assistant Minister for European Integration, stated that projects such as Exchange 5 are extremely important, primarily due to resolving property issues and strengthening local capacities for quality and independent projects’ management.
He underlined importance of such project actions and emphasized their contribution to faster accession to the European Union and improvement of the systems viable in our country.
"Our Ministry has undergone a reorganization, so we have established a new department that will deal with the green agenda and sustainable development goals, whereby the focus is on the sustainable development goals, i.e., on supporting local self-governments", concluded Dušan Čarkić.
The Secretary General of the SCTM, Đorđe Staničic, stated that this Programme has had continuity since 2004, and that the EU, through five phases of the Programme, has invested more than 33 million EUR in the development of local self-government in Serbia.
"There is no local self-government in Serbia that in one way or another did not participate in some of the implemented phases or components. What is especially important is to act in a systemic manner. For us, as an organization, it is important to take care of how policies are conducted at the state level, what are the aspirations, strategic documents and what are the objectives that a line ministry or government aims to achieve in a concrete area", Staničić explained.
He said that cooperation with the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government is extremely important, not only in the scope of Exchange Programme, but also through other actions concerning local self-governments.
"Implementation of the Programme enabled the topics from its scope to be part of the annual reports on the implementation of the Public Administration Reform Strategy that was valid until 2020, and we also participated in elaboration of the new Public Administration Reform Strategy and of the Programme for Reform of the LSG System, which provide for the opportunities to further continue reforms in an organized manner", Staničić pointed out.
At the occasion of the final Conference, a movie was premierly released featuring the experiences of beneficiary local self-governments and improvements achieved in local communities with the support of the Programme, while the representatives of the coordination institutions of the Programme provided their feedback and impressions of its importance. This was followed by a presentation of key elements and achievements per Components of Exchange 5, while the ceremony ended with the awarding of thank-you certificates to cities and municipalities that were direct beneficiaries of support.
Exchange 5 Programme was funded by the European Union from the IPA 2014 allocation and was implemented by the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance - Department for contracting and financing of EU funded programmes. The Ministry of European Integration monitored implementation of the Programme through participation in the Steering Committee and in the reporting process, while the EU Delegation also had a role in issuing prior approval for certain steps in the implementation of the Programme (ex ante controls). As in previous phases of the Exchange Programme, the SCTM was designated as the implementing partner, implying that the SCTM directly provided all forms of technical assistance to LSGs and support for the implementation of city/municipal projects in the scope of Programme grant scheme.
Watch the promotional film Exchange 5 – Granted Knowledge >>>
