For the fourth consecutive year, the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government (MPALSG) has, based on a public call for Annual Awards for the best city/municipal administrations, adopted a decision on the best local self-governments in four areas:

• In the area of Efficiency and Effectiveness where the municipality of Krupanj received the award.
• In the area of Transparency and Public Participation in the Work of the Local Self-Government where the municipality of Vrnjačka Banja received the award.
• In the area of Accountability and the Rule of Law where the municipality of Veliko Gradište received the award.
• In the area Equality and Non-Discrimination where the municipality of Ćuprija received the award.

The first prize in the area of Efficiency and Effectiveness is awarded to the Municipality of Krupanj for the good practice example entitled “Local Self-Government Efficiency and Cost-Effectiveness through the Introduction of Electronic Services on the e-Government Portal”. The Municipality of Krupanj developed six e-services for its residents, which are now accessible on the e-Government portal. The services were developed with an aim to improve the quality of services this municipality extends Krupanj’s residents and businesses.

The first prize in the area of Transparency and Public Participation in the Work of Local Self-Governments is awarded to the Municipality of Vrnjačka Banja for the good practice example entitled “Transparency of the Budget Process and Implementation of the Public Debate on the Budget”. The Municipality of Vrnjačka Banja is a good practice example in Serbia as regards the involvement of citizens in the development of the Budget Decision, the organisation of the public debate on the Budget Decision and the publication of citizens’ guides to budget enactments.

The first prize in the area of Accountability and Rule of Law is awarded to the Municipality of Veliko Gradište
for the good practice example entitled “Local Anti-Corruption Plan (LAP) of the Municipality of Veliko Gradište for the 2021–2024 Period”. The LAP concept is based on the identification of legislative, institutional, organisational and practical corruption risks and implementation of measures for their elimination, i.e. for eliminating the causes of corruption, misbuse and irregularities and poor governance in the broadest sense of the word.

The first prize in the area of Equality and Anti-Discrimination is awarded to the Municipality of Ćuprija for the good practice example entitles “Ensuring and Improving the Accessibility of Local Self-Government Services to Persons with Disabilities, the Elderly and Young Mothers”. This project is innovative inasmuch as it provided persons with disabilities not only with free speech therapy and sensory integration treatment, but with the opportunity to develop and express their potential and talents as well.

In recognition of the efforts made by local governments and on the grounds of the achieved results, special awards were made to the towns of Zrenjanin and Pirot in the category of Efficiency and Effectiveness, to the town of Sombor and to the municipality of Arilje in the category of Transparency and Public Participation in the Work of Local Self-Government, and to the town of Loznica and municipalities of Dimitrovgrad and Ruma in the category of Equality and Anti-Discrimination.

With the award, the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government (MPALSG) encourages and supports further improvement of good governance at the local level. The winners are also awarded through the Swiss PRO Programme supported by the Government of Switzerland.

The Ministry will allocate funds from the Program for Support to the Development and Functioning of the Local Self-Government System to the awarded local governments, in the total amount of 9.2 million dinars, 2.3 million dinars for the winner in each of the four areas. The winners will also be awarded with additional computer equipment (three desktop computers and three fast scanners), which is awarded by the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) from the budget of the Swiss PRO Programme.

The Annual Award for Best Practices in Applying Good Governance Principles at the Local Level was introduced in 2018 at the initiative of the MPALSG, the SCTM and UNOPS Serbia, with the support of the Swiss PRO Programme.

See which LSGs received the awards for 2020, 2019, and 2018.