The Council of Europe is continuing its support to the Association of Municipalities and Cities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Association of Municipalities and Cities of Republika Srpska through new grant agreements signed today.

The agreements, covering the next 15 months, aim to strengthen co-operation between the two Associations and support local authorities in improving democratic governance, transparency and service delivery. Each association will receive 45 000 euros.

This support contributes to the Council of Europe’s broader efforts on democratic renewal under the New Democratic Pact, by investing in stronger local institutions, more effective multilevel dialogue and long-term democratic resilience in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Building on results achieved in recent years, the new phase will focus on reinforcing co-operation and trust between local authorities across entities, as well as strengthening their engagement with higher levels of government.

Planned activities will enhance the ability of the two Associations to jointly represent local government interests, while supporting local authorities in areas such as public finance, public procurement, transparency and ethics. The initiative will also further develop and increase the visibility of the online platform of good practices (najboljeprakse.ba), strengthening it as a sustainable and user-friendly tool for knowledge exchange, peer learning and the promotion of innovative solutions at local level.

Overall, these efforts support local authorities in having a stronger voice in decision-making and responding more effectively to the needs of their communities. This contributes to more open, inclusive and resilient local governance, with better services and greater trust from citizens over the long term.

The grants have been awarded as part of the project “Advancing multilevel dialogue, innovative democracy and human rights at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina” implemented by the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2026-2029.