Minister of Local Self-Government Suhail Fazliu and OSCE Ambassador Clemens Koja signed today a Memorandum of Cooperation for the period 2019-2021

The Ministry of Local Self-Government and OSCE will cooperate in improving the system of local self-government and the decentralization process. A key activity is the assessment of the implementation of the Law on Local Self-Government and the preparation of a Report with findings and recommendations, which will serve to correct policies and improve the system.

Minister of Local Self-Government Suhail Fazliu stressed that the Law on Local Self-Government is one of the most important systemic laws, which is adopted by a two-thirds majority and whose implementation has a direct influence on the functionality of the local self-government.

- The Law on Local Self-Government is the first law adopted after the Framework Agreement and the Constitutional Amendments. It is very important to analyze the normative part and the direct application by the municipalities and other competent ministries to see if there are problems in implementation and how they can be overcome. The Ministry of Local Self-Government insists on the inclusion of the process and involvement of the competent ministries, the municipalities and the civil sector. We will continue with the reforms in the area of ​​local self-government and the decentralization process, and the analysis will help us in the next year to initiate the transfer of new competencies, said Minister Fazliu, who thanked for OSCE support.

OSCE Ambassador Clemens Koya also expressed satisfaction that the two sides will cooperate on a very important project aimed at helping the decentralization process. Ambassador Koja noted that the Ministry of Local Self Government is responsible for the process and the OSCE will support it in the next steps. He showed interest in the functioning of the local youth councils as well as on cooperation in the implementation of the national anti-corruption policy at the local level, through the support of the municipalities in building a system of integrity and mechanisms for narrowing the space for corruption and conflict of interests.

Minister Fazliu showed readiness for cooperation in this segment, especially due to the fact that the Government with the funds from the State Budget has serviced the debts of the municipalities and has a moral right, Fazliu said, to support the process of transparency, accountability and prevention of corruption at local level.