At the ceremony of rewarding towns and municipalities for best practice in the implementation of the principle of good governance, the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Branko Ružić, stated that good governance is crucial for gaining the confidence of citizens.
“These awards indicate that principles of good governance and laws in which are incorporated may be changed”, said Ružić.
He noted that the Law on Electronic Government had been adopted, as one of the pillars of the development of a full and functional eGovernment, adding that it prescribes the implementation of modern technologies in all administrative procedures which citizens and economic entities are conducting against the state.
Minister at the award ceremony for Annual National Competition for Best Practice
“Novi Pazar enabled citizens to also submit complaints through e-office, it is a consistent implementation of the Law on Electronic Government, which results in effectiveness and efficiency – the principle of good governance” said Minister Ružić.
Last year, he added, the Law on Electronic Government was adopted, which prescribed the obligation of towns and municipalities to consult citizens on the topic of investment budget – in other words. to ask them where and what should be done.
“Ruma implemented this in a very comprehensive manner, from considering needs to voting on investments, and proved that the principle of transparency and public participation in activities of local self-government in Serbia is being observed”, added Ružić.
He emphasized that the law in question allows local self-governments, concluding a cooperation agreement, to join capacities, financial and human, and to resolve issues of relevance for their communities, and he named the example of Vlasotince, which joined with Bojnik and resolved the issue of stray dogs.
According to Ružić, all citizens are equally important, as shown by the Urban Municipality of Vračar by its adoption of the Strategy for improvement of accessibility for particularly vulnerable categories of persons with disabilities.
“We, the administration – national and local, exist to serve the citizens, and therefore, whenever we are working, we must have their need and interest on mind. This is the only way we can fulfil our purpose and justify the confidence shown to us in elections”, said Ružić.
The award is given by MPALSG and SCTM within the framework of the project “Improvement of good governance on the local level”. Awards are given in four categories: Efficiency and effectiveness, Transparency and public participation in the activities of the local self-government, Responsibility and rule of law, Equality and lack of discrimination. Winners get a prize in the amount of 3,000 USD (Novi Pazar, Ruma, Vlasotince, Urban Municipality of Vračar), and special recognitions are also awarded (municipalities of Inđija,Užice, Pirot, Veliko Gradište, Nova Varoš, Pančevo, Bečej, Raška).