Mechanisms of Transparency: How can transparency be increased in the decision-making processes of the Municipality? This was the topic discussed in the Tuesday Salon, which is organised in the framework of the project “Citizen participation 4 better decisions”.
To discuss this topic, Shuajb Blakçori, Director of the Directorate of Administration in the Municipality of Podujeva, was invited to the panel. Citizens had the opportunity to engage in an interactive conversation with the director. The discussion was moderated by Besnik Muçaj, Program Manager at the Kosovo Institute for Local Governance.
During this discussion, it was emphasized that transparency and accountability are essential elements for the functioning of every municipality and are considered protective mechanisms that improve citizens’ quality of life.
The municipality of Podujeva has achieved a 93% fulfillment rate in terms of municipal transparency, positioning it among the highest in the country. However, one of the main challenges is the maintenance and updating of official municipal websites, which are often overloaded and crash due to limited system capacity, making access to information incomplete or impossible for citizens.
This issue is closely linked with the Information Society Agency, which manages the official websites but faces significant challenges in maintaining them. The lack of regular updates and technical problems negatively impact citizens, making it difficult for an ordinary citizen to access necessary information on municipal matters.
Despite growing efforts to address these challenges, improving access to information remains a priority to ensure that every citizen is informed and has full access to all decisions and procedures that impact their daily lives.
The salon was organised by The Democracy for Development Institute within the framework of the project “Citizen participation 4 better decisions”, supported by the Small Grant Facility programme of WeBER 3.0 project, implemented in Kosovo by Group for Legal and Political Studies and funded by the European Union and the Austrian Development Agency. The content of this event is the sole responsibility of the project implementer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Group for Legal and Political Studies, the European Union, or the Austrian Development Agency.
