Council of Europe

COUNTRY SPECIFIC PROGRAMMES FOR CAPACITY BUILDING
 

Activities in 2011

Phase II of the Programme on “Strengthening local self-government in Serbia”

  Specific activities organised with a view to improving the performance of local authorities in the management of local budgets and the handling of municipal property
Participants: 5 Serbian (Majdanpek, Kragujevac, Sremska Mitrovica, Sremski Karlovci, Novi Beograd), 5 French (Le Creusot, Suresnes, Territoire de Belfort, Nevers and Bricquebec) and 1 German (Offenburg) pilot local authorities
 Other Activities aimed at developing modern and effective HRM models and functions on the basis of human resources needs assessment  and supporting the revision of legislation in the field of budget and property in Serbia
  A Joint Evaluation Workshop was organised with the 6 Serbian pilot municipalities’ and other key stakeholders, with a view to meeting the following objectives:
 
    -     discuss the  findings of the HRM need assessment questionnaire and review the detailed draft
          HRM models with a view to make they are adapted to local needs;
     -     and review the action plan for HRM activities in line with the ongoing legislative revision
           and discuss the structure and content of the future Manual on HRM at municipal level entitled
          “Modern and effective HR Management for the performance of local authorities”

Activities in 2010

Continuation of the performance activities applied to local budget and property and legal assistance to the reform of the related legislation.

Description
Specific activities were organised between Serbian, French and German Municipalities.

Aims
to improve the measurement and management of performance in the regulations of local budgets and the handling of municipal property in the 5 Serbian (Majdanpek, Kragujevac, Sremska Mitrovica, Sremski Karlovci, Novi Beograd), 5 French (Le Creusot, Suresnes, Le Territoire de Belfort, Nevers and Bricquebec) and 1 German pilot local authorities (Offenburg), via the development and use of different tools/strategies;

to promote exchange of experience between the Serbian, French and German pilot local authorities, identify good practices to be learnt from best practice and formulate separate/joint recommendations for improvement of their respective practices;

to raise awareness of elected representatives and officials of the Serbian, French and German pilot local authorities regarding the role and importance of the performance measurement and management at local level which includes a range of processes, techniques and methods that facilitate the identification of targets and measurement of progress towards achieving these;

to facilitate the exchange of experience and the development, when appropriate, of lasting partnerships/projects between Serbian, French and German local authorities (though development of actual twinning is not the objective of the Project).

to support the revision of the legislation in the field of budget and property in Serbia, through the submission to the Serbian relevant Ministries of proposals for improvement, in line with the needs and priorities of Serbian local authorities (identified through the activities).

to support the revision of the legislation in the field of budget and property in line with the needs and priorities of Serbian local authorities, through provisions of new legislative recommendations and subsequent testing of proposed changes in practice.

Activities

- A local and international experts’ meeting was organised on 22nd January 2010 in Belgrade

Aim:
to discuss the conclusions of the Joint Launching Workshop on property held in September/October 2009 in Belgrade,
to review the draft performance management tools prepared and tested since, by the Serbian pilot local authorities.
The latest development of the Serbian legislation in the field of local budget and property was also discussed.

Participants
Representatives of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM)
the Serbian Ministries of Finance and Public Administration

- A field visit of international and local experts in each pilot local authority was organised from 16th to 18th March 2010

Aim
to assist and monitor the implementation of performance management tools applied to local budgets and property
make, where needed, recommendations for improvement.
Discussion on ongoing revision of the Serbian legislation on local budgets and property with the elected representatives and officials of the pilot municipalities, with a view to identifying their key priorities and those issues that the legislators should, in their opinion, take into account in order to meet their needs.

- A Joint Workshop was held in Belgrade, on 8th June 2010

Aims
discuss the conclusions of the fields visits
review the final feedbacks of Serbian pilots on the testing/implementation of the performance management tools
introduce necessary improvements.
Discussion of German and French approaches to budget and property, with case studies of specific pilots, in detail, in particular the applied rules of financial auditing.
Discussions with workshop participants and later with relevant ministries on proposals of key legal amendments still needed in order to bring Serbian legislation in the field of local budget and property fully in line with the European standards, and also on local authorities’ needs to improve their practices (in particular with regards to the application of performance management mechanisms)

Participants
French and German pilots officials
Representatives of the French Embassy in Serbia and the French University of Pau

Launching of a new project on the management of human resources at municipal level

Description
A new set of activities dealing with the human resources management (HRM) at municipal level was launched.

In co-operation
Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM)
Serbian Ministry of Public Administration.
German and French experts from public and private sectors, in particular from the Urban Community of Lille and the French private HR company Altedia.

Aim
the definition of new modern human resource management tools (job descriptions, procedure of selection and recruitment, and mechanisms of evaluating staff performance) to be drafted on the basis of human resources needs assessment,

Pilot local authorities
6 Serbian local authorities Kursumlija, Novi Pazar, Sombor, Uzice, Veliko Gradiste and Zemun

Expectations
Conclusions of such testing and subsequent recommendations to be used to suggest amendments to the related legislation of status of Serbian local government officials.
A Guide to HR Management with new HRM tools shall be published and then disseminated to all Serbian municipalities, with the support of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia (SCTM).

Activities

- A first international HRM experts meetings was organised on 1st March 2010 in Strasbourg,

Aim
review the latest development of the Serbian legislation dealing with the status of local government officials,
review of the existing HRM practices in Serbian municipalities;
consider and discuss the proposed methodology and action plan for HRM activities and their link with the ongoing revision of related Serbian legislation;
agree on the selection procedure and criteria for the six Serbian pilot local authorities
agree on the types of tools to be used to carry out an HRM needs assessment.

- A series of bilateral meetings

Participants
local and international experts
representatives of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government,
SCTM
Municipal Support Programme financed by the European Commission

Date and location
21st May 2010, Belgrade

Aims
to make sure that the proposed action plan of the HRM activities was in line with the ongoing revision of the related Serbian legislation above all, to complement the other related activities of key stakeholders.

- Joint Seminar

Participants
Representatives from 6 Serbian pilot local authorities

Date and Location
15 September 2010 in Belgrade.

Results
proposed action plan of the programme was discussed and adopted
detailed draft HRM needs assessment questionnaire presented and agreed upon.
questionnaire sent to all 6 pilots municipalities.
field visit of HRM local and international experts was then organised on 20 and 21st October as well as on 1st November to review more specifically the existing HRM practices of the 6 Serbian pilot municipalities in relation to their answers in the HRM needs assessment questionnaire.

- Study visit of Serbian pilots' officials

Date and location
18 and 19 November 2010, Strasbourg, Kehl and Freiburg.

Participants
Serbian officials
Strasbourg City and Urban Community (CUS),
French National Institute of Local Government Studies (INET),
French National School of Administration (ENA),
Strasbourg Institute of Political Studies (IEP),
Municipality of Freiburg,
Kehl School of Public Administration and Council of Europe experts.

Activities
They exchanged experience and know-how concerning HRM municipal practices, local government officials recruitment procedure, and training tools used in France and Germany, with a view to improving Serbian practices in this field.

Previous activities

Programmes of exchange of best practices, leadership and performance management at local level

Joint Programme on « Strengthening local self-government in Serbia

In co-operation
European Commission

Activities
Building capacities of local authorities, 2006-2008
   - Promotion of local leadership
   - Exchange of best practices 2007-2008
   - Promotion of performance management mechanisms (in local economic development, communication with the citizens, internal
     communication, waste management and management of staff)

Participants:
10 Serbian and 6 French pilot municipalities

Supported by:
French Embassy in Belgrade

Joint Programme on « Strengthening local self-government in Serbia – phase II

2nd Round of the Performance Management Project

Date: 2009

In co-operation
Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities of Serbia (SCTM)
French Embassy in Belgrade
5 French and 5 Serbian twinned municipalities (Le Creusot/Majdanpek; Suresnes/Kragujevac, Nevers/Sremska Mitrovica, Bricquebec/Sremski Karlovci, Territoire de Belfort/Novi Beograd)
Offenburg municipality (Germany)

Aims
Improving measurement and performance management in the regulations on local budgets and the handling of municipal property

Activities
drafting of a questionnaire on the experience of pilot municipalities in managing performance in the field of budgetary and financial planning/management of property (such tool was dispatched to all French and Serbian pilots),
the organisation of a Joint launching Workshop, held from 30th September to 1st October 2009 in Belgrade, with the representatives of Serbian and French pilots, the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, the French Embassy as well as Council of Europe’s experts,
the drafting of performance management tools specific to local budget and property and their experimentation in all pilot municipalities.

Legal Assistance Activities

In co-operation
European Commission

Aims
To submit proposals for improving the legislation on local budgeting and property