Transparency, accountability and the importance of the work of local government institutions on the road to European integration were the focus of the conference “Strengthening the Accountability of Local Government Institutions”, organized by Faktoje and the C1-EU-NPA project, with the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Tirana.
“Municipalities have a very special importance for the European Union” – with this message the Dutch ambassador in Tirana, Mr. Reinout Vos, who emphasized accountability, not only in front of EU institutions but also in front of citizens.
Regarding the accountability and transparency of the work of local government institutions, the executive director of the Faktoje center, Klodiana Kapo, referred to the work carried out to monitor several municipalities in the country through the “10 municipalities, 40 promises” project enabled by the National Endowment for Democracy and implemented from Faktoje in the last 4 years.
Mr. Rudin Beka, the deputy mayor of the Municipality of Shkodër, one of the monitored municipalities with the highest performance in terms of transparency, emphasized the importance that this transparency, measured in procedures and letters, is transmitted to the perception of citizens and the impact on their lives. daily.
The expert on European integration issues from the C1-EU-NPA project, Geron Kamberi, brought some figures that show the importance of public finance management at the local level, especially as part of the European Union.
The head of the Academy of Political Studies, Erjon Tase in his speech emphasized the importance that the mayor should have in the economic development of the city, bringing his vision and not turning into a government notary.