Citizen Participation in the Urban Planning Process

Proper planning asks for citizens’ participation. This process may be a round table or workshops or a large public debate with stakeholders direct or indirect affected or interested. The general objective of the document is to contribute in stimulating “demand” for public participation in the planning process, inviting the local major stakeholders to navigate through the a large array of techniques which in long run certainly help for a good governance in the municipalities.

Legislation and analysis of the implementation of spatial and urban planning

One of the most important and biggest competencies that have been transferred from the central to the local level is spatial and urban planning. Planning is a responsibility shared by central and local authorities. Spatial and urban planning is a continuous process that needs to be mutually coordinated in a complementary way. Likewise, it needs to be coordinated with the large number of priorities coming from different areas of competency, in particular economic and social development and environmental protection. This publication is an effort to analyse the legislation and implementation of the spatial and urban planning in Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Republic of Srpska and Turkey.

Cost Estimation of Municipal Services of South East Europe

As a result of the awareness of the new needs od local authorities in South East Europe, the NALAS Task Force on Fiscal Decentralisation gathered experts and resources to develop cost estimation model of mainstream municipal services. This publication offers methods of cost estimation of municipal services that include operational (investment) costs, are simple and relatively easy to apply and still allow country-specific adjustments.

Brochure “Western Balkans: How residents view their local authorities”

In cooperation with CEMR and Gallup, NALAS has prepared a brochure “Western Balkans: How residents view their local authorities”. It presents the most important findings from the Gallup Balkan Monitor survey at a local level, that will be published in Autumn 2009. The report summarizes findings relevant to local governments in the Western Balkans, collected in the 2008 wave of the Gallup Balkan Monitor (GBM) - a multi-year project undertaken by Gallup and the European Fund for the Balkans (EFB). It examines how changes in various aspects of life in the Western Balkans are perceived over a period of time.    

Improvement of Local Property Tax Administration in South East Europe

This publication contains guidance on the most critical tasks needed to improve local tax administration with a comparative analysis of the situation in SEE. It provides practical advice by specifying methods used for property identification, assessment of property and techniques of local property tax collection and enforcement. It presents good practices on property administration within the countries of South East Europe. Recent successful international programs in some SEE countries are also described.  

How to Lead Successful Budget Negotiations?

The publication "How to lead successful budget negotiations?" sets the conditions, objectives and modalities of successful cooperation during the budget negotiations process: no matter how well a framework legislation defines the rules governing municipal revenues and expenditures, there is always a need for structured continual dialogue between the national government and local governments. Therefore, the procedural rules of budget negotiation between the National Association of local governments and the Ministry of Finance are extremely significant tools in achieving fiscal objectives and protecting municipal interest in the course of drafting the annual national budget act. The recommendations presented in this publication were elaborated by the NAMRB Expert Team, with support of other NALAS members.  

Role of Local Government Associations of South East Europe in Training Delivery to Local Authorities

During February 2008, NALAS surveyed its members to gather facts and best practices, challenges and recommendations for strengthening their training capacities. The survey covered several important issues, such as the development and implementation of a National Training Strategy, Training Delivery, the Training Capacities of Associations and the funding of training; it identified good and bad experiences and set out key questions in all these fields. This Survey Report, The Role of Local Government Associations in Training Delivery at Local Level, presents the most significant findings and offers policy recommendations.