MOSTAR, November 13 (FENA) – The decision-making process at all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina is largely non-transparent, and more effort is needed to increase public involvement in these processes, it was emphasized at the conference ‘Open Government for an Open Society’ held in Mostar, organized by Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH).
”It is evident, especially in recent years, that laws are very often passed through urgent procedures, governments are not sufficiently transparent in these processes, and the public is generally not involved,” said TI BiH Program Manager Emsad Dizdarević in a statement to reporters.
TI BiH’s analysis showed that none of the 14 governments in BiH publish meeting materials in advance, while only a few publish adopted materials. The situation is slightly better in parliaments – all publish agendas, but four cantons (Herzegovina-Neretva, Central Bosnia, Bosnian-Podrinje, and Canton 10) do not publish meeting materials.
”We want to engage with representatives of governments and parliaments to explore ways to improve not only transparency but also the involvement of all relevant actors in decision-making processes through the inclusion of civil society and the media,” Dizdarević added, stressing the need for genuine, not merely formal, public participation.
Zenica-Doboj Canton (ZDC) Prime Minister Nezir Pivić described his canton as a positive example in terms of government transparency.
”Last year, we made significant progress in fighting corruption, establishing an Office for Combating Corruption, staffing and strengthening it, and we are about to adopt one of the most important laws, the Law on Reporting Assets of Public Office Holders. It is in its final phase, and I expect its adoption at one of the upcoming sessions,” Pivić said.
ZDC also stands out for publishing government session agendas two days in advance, giving citizens insight into topics to be discussed.
The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of cooperation with the NGO sector, which can help improve communication with citizens and prevent the spread of misinformation.
Experiences from the Brčko District were discussed by the President of the Brčko District Assembly, Damir Bulčević.
He noted that all sessions of the assembly are public and materials are available on the official website.
”In the coming period, we plan to amend the budget law to allocate a certain percentage of the budget for public consultation. For example, this could be around six million convertible marks, so that through public debate, citizens and citizens’ associations, via their amendments, would have a directly incorporated portion of the budget. I believe this amendment will be adopted very soon,” Bulčević said.
