Representatives of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Bosnia and Herzegovina took part in a two-day training titled “Chapter 32, Programme Budgeting and Transparency in Local Public Spending”, held in Vitez.
Participants had the opportunity to learn more about European Union requirements in the field of financial control, as well as the importance of Chapter 32 for municipalities, cities, and civil society organisations.
Within the context of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU integration process, the obligations set out under this chapter cover financial control, improving budget transparency, and the introduction of programme-based budgeting. These commitments are regarded as key building blocks in strengthening an accountable and efficient public financial management system.
The training also showcased examples from EU member states of transparent local budget monitoring, as well as digital systems used to track public investments.
Marko Martić, one of the training facilitators, said that civil society organisations play a crucial role in monitoring local budgets, particularly during the planning and adoption stages.
„This is precisely why the training is so important to strengthen the capacities of local CSOs and enable them to play a more effective role in budget oversight within their communities,” said Martić of the Centre for Research and Studies – GEA.
The second day of the training focused on the importance of internal audit within the system of financial management and control, as well as on identifying risks in public budget spending.
Professor Zoran Babić, who led the session, stressed the importance of this type of training and of strengthening expertise in public budget monitoring among organisations capable of influencing transparency in local budget processes.
„Training programmes for civil society organisations help build their capacity to monitor local budgets, identify risks in public spending and take a more active role in the planning and monitoring of public policies,“ said Babić.
At the end of the working day, participants were introduced to the LENS platform for monitoring local community budgets.
„For the first time, this platform enables civil society organisations to analyse local government budgets in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2023 to 2025, with tools for comparison, in-depth analysis and visual presentation of local budgets over a three-year period,“ said Leila Bičakčić, Executive Director of the Centre for Investigative Reporting.
She added that the platform will continue to expand to include additional budget documents in the coming years.
This training is the fourth of five modules being delivered by the Centre for Investigative Reporting in partnership with the organisation Futura and the Centre for Research and Studies – GEA as part of the LENS project – Strengthening the Capacity of Civil Society Organisations for Public Budget Monitoring – funded by the European Union.
The project aims to contribute to the fight against corruption by improving oversight of budget spending and the use of public funds at the local level, with the active involvement of civil society, particularly organisations focused on public budget monitoring and advocacy, anti-corruption policies, and transparency in public spending.
