PRESS RELEASE: Towards the Requirements of Chapter 32 – Budget Transparency and Programme Budgeting: From Regulations to Implementation
(Sarajevo, 13 May 2026) – Budget transparency and programme budgeting represent an important part of the public finance reforms that Bosnia and Herzegovina needs to implement within the European integration process and alignment with the requirements of Chapter 32 – Financial Control. These issues were at the centre of the round table “Towards the Requirements of Chapter 32 – Budget Transparency and Programme Budgeting: From Regulations to Implementation”, funded by the European Union, which brought together representatives of institutions from all levels of government, civil society organisations, and international partners.
Participants discussed what the requirements of Chapter 32 specifically mean for Bosnia and Herzegovina, particularly in terms of improving public finance transparency, strengthening institutional accountability, and establishing a more efficient programme budgeting system focused on the results and effects of public spending. Special emphasis was placed on the need for budget processes to become more understandable and accessible to citizens, as well as for budgets to be more clearly linked to strategic objectives and concrete public policy results.
During the discussion, participants presented experiences and challenges related to the implementation of existing regulations and methodologies in the areas of budget transparency and programme budgeting. Participants pointed out that, despite certain progress in the publication of budget documents and the development of the regulatory framework, practice still shows significant differences among institutions and levels of government. One of the key challenges identified was the limited linkage between budget allocations and clearly defined results and performance indicators, which makes it more difficult to monitor the effects of public spending and assess the effectiveness of policies and programmes.
Representatives of institutions, civil society, and international organisations particularly stressed that the obstacles to effective programme budgeting include insufficient administrative and technical capacities, limited analytical resources, uneven application of methodologies, as well as the need for additional training and continuous support to institutions implementing budget reforms. It was also highlighted that transparency does not only imply the formal publication of budget documents, but also their availability in open, understandable, and citizen-friendly formats.
In the final part of the round table, a joint discussion was held on recommendations and concrete steps for improving the public finance system in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Participants emphasised the need to strengthen the link between budgets, strategic priorities, and measurable results, improve the availability of open budget data, develop digital tools for communication with citizens, and ensure stronger involvement of civil society and the professional community in budget processes. The importance of interinstitutional cooperation and continuous dialogue among institutions, civil society, and international partners was also highlighted in order to ensure that reform processes are sustainable and oriented towards concrete results.
The round table was organised as part of activities of the LENS project – Strengthening Civil Society Organisations’ Capacities for Public Budget Monitoring, funded by the European Union, aimed at strengthening dialogue and exchanging experiences on public finance management reform and improving budget transparency in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The project is implemented by the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIN) together with partner organisations “Futura” from Mostar and the Center for Research and Studies – GEA from Banja Luka. The objective of this project is to contribute to the fight against corruption by increasing the level of monitoring of budget spending and the use of public funds at the local level, with the active participation of civil societys.
