Civil society participation increases in drafting public policies in Kosovo

In this context, notable advances have been made in some areas like: In the process of drafting policies by increasing the level of transparency during policy drafting; In greater involvement of interested parties and audiences in this process and the assessment of the impact these policies have on the lives of citizens. In the field of public consultation, Kosovo already meets all criteria under which the assessment is made. This is a brilliant wave of efforts undertaken by the Government of Kosovo and its Office for Good Governance near the Prime Minister's Office, which has been supporting the European Union-funded Technical Assistance Project since 2016.

Progress that has been made in developing standards and practices to increase the participation of civil society in policy drafting and legislation is generally important.

The process began in 2016 with the approval of the Order for the Minimum Standards of Public Consultations (N. 052016), and over the years, it has continued with the update of the Online Central Table for Public Consultation, with the establishment of mechanisms for monitoring the implementation of this process, with the establishment of capacities for public consulting and other civil servants. The process has also included public promotion and raising awareness of benefits from such a platform for OSCs and citizens in general. Online platforms offer opportunity to civil society and the public in general that by enrolling on this platform, they have the right to offer their contribution to drafting policies and legislation.

In 2019 the Office for Good Governance near the Prime Minister's Office with support of the European Union-funded Technical Assistance Project focused and marked progress in several ways. For the first time, nearly 100% or all 276 documents drafted by ministries, including laws, regulations, administrative guidelines, strategies, programmes and action plans, were subject to the consultancy process. It is also to be noted that 156 documents, or 57% of the consulted documents, have met the minimum standards envisioned by regulations, which, however, is a small increase compared to past years (56% in 2018 and 52% in 2017).

The number of participation of citizens and OSECs in the public consulting process and comments is more than double their share compared to 2018. According to statistics, 3577 participants participated in the public consulting process, which offered 1339 comments either through meetings, working groups or even in writing. On the other hand, the level of acceptance of comments and proposals has also increased. It is estimated that 688 or 61% of the comments offered have been accepted overall by the forgetful institutions. While 97 or 7.2% of the comments have been partially accepted.

Moreover, in 2018 the guidelines for establishing rules and standards for public consultations at the local level have been adopted. The Ministry of Management of Local Power has already provided the main guidelines for the municipalities on how to establish policies based on citizens' needs and opinions. On this line, all positive aspects and experiences from the central level have begun to be transferred to local self-government units. Since 2019, the Communists are also part of the Online Platform.

Thus, creating space for easier involvement of citizens and the OSCs in public consultations for local politics.

The Kosovo government acknowledged that the citizens' participation is at the centre of the idea of democracy and that citizens who are committed to democratic values, aware of their civic and active duties in public life are the engine of strengthening our democracy and the main inspiration for central and local institutions. The government will continue with improvements in all aspects of the public consultations process and will provide all the necessary space for people who want to be part of creating new laws, policies and strategies on both <x1 level.

Establishing the opportunity for involvement in the policy-making process is important because it ensures an opportunity for citizens (and interested parties) to have their say on decisions that affect their lives. On the other hand, this opportunity offered to citizens provides decisionmakers with a better perspective of values, interests, issues and concerns of interested parties and enables them to make better decisions.

The more the process is transparent and open the more it strengthens mutual confidence and encourages the public to offer a significant contribution to the decision-making process.

For more information on how you can become part of the public consulting processes you can click on  https://consults.rks-gov.net/

This article is sponsored by Project “Support for Implementation of the Government's Strategy for Co-operation with Civil Society”, funded by the European Union and implemented by WYG International and CESO Development Consultants. Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the European Union's views.