National Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria

Petrich Municipality adopted a pack of economic measures to support the local business
The mayor of Petrich Dimitar Brachkov and his team complemented the package of economic measures to support small and medium-sized businesses in the municipality of Petrich. During the state of emergency, the following special reliefs will be applied:

• the deadline for using the 5% discount for payment of the total amount of local taxes and fees is extended to 30.06.2020
• the term of the due monthly rents (for March, April, May) for municipal sites is extended by two months from the date of the obligation
• the patent tax due to the Municipality of Petrich will be decreased for all traders for the period the sites were closed on the basis of the state of emergency order
• the municipal property sites, which will be closed on the basis of the order the state of emergency order, shall be exempt from paying rent
• there will be no fees for kindergartens in the municipality of Petrich for the period of the state of emergency
• the municipal water supply and sewerage company will not forcibly stop the water supply of incorrect users until the end of the state of emergency
• parking in the city hospital parking lot will be free until the end of the emergency
• the municipal social enterprise in Petrich starts producing protective masks

The purpose of the proposed measures is to compensate the residents of Petrich municipality, whose income is formed by an activity having a direct or indirect relationship with the municipal property and local taxes. The economic package remains open to amendments depending on the dynamics of the situation.
 
School Classes will be Held Online until the End of the State of Emergency
The Ministry of Education and Science started this Monday an initiative for e-classes for children in schools. A large number of schools already had the necessary technical equipment, for the rest special efforts are made to ensure the equipment and internet access. Students will have access to special webinars and video-classes. There are different platforms that can be used depending on the capabilities of each school – real time (virtual class rooms) or through other online options - via e-mail or internet application, or with assignments by phone, etc.

On Monday around 89% of all students were ready to participate in the e-learning process. By Wednesday the plan is to reach 95%. On the first day there were some technical issues related to the high traffic that were solved by the end of the day. The Ministry is working with the mobile network operators to provide wi-fi access points for children with no internet available at their homes.

The Minister said that this is e-learning in its initial version with the aim to promote self-preparation and validation of the material. The publishing houses will provide all electronic textbooks for free use, the minister added. Next week, virtual classroom training is also scheduled to begin. It is too early to say whether the school year will be extended, but there is an option to reduce the scope of the annual exams. The National TV Broadcaster BNT will organize educational television and lessons. This will happen on BNT 2 or BNT 4 channels.
 
Vratsa Municipality Builds City Green Spaces from Waste
On 11 March Vratsa municipality started a campaign for free collection and recycling of waste and construction of new green areas in the city. It was announced that within the “Action-Recycling" initiative team from the municipal enterprise BKS"-Vratsa will collect for free paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, glass and timber materials from the commercial sites in the city and will transfer them to recycling points in the municipality. The activities are implemented according to the Waste Management Act. With the funds derived from the recycled materials, the municipality will purchase trees and other plants that will be planted by the citizens in the green areas near their home building and in public spaces.

In order to achieve the maximum results of "Action-Recycling" campaign and to prepare a schedule for collection of waste, the owners of commercial and production sites can submit applications to join the campaign until March 30 by e-mail: prvratsa@gmail.com.

After the deadline for submission of applications, a schedule for collection of recyclable materials will be prepared, which will be published on the website of the municipality, in the social networks, as well as on information boards in the city and in the commercial sites. The eco initiative of Vratsa municipality and municipal enterprise "BKS" will continue throughout the year with periodical campaigns, which will be announced in advance.

The total amount of funds collected will be announced in the end of the year and in spring of 2021 the trees and plants will be purchased and distributed for greening the public areas and inter-block areas.
 
New information service in Bansko municipality
Bansko administration has made a technological innovation helping residents, especially those who are not using the online services and prefer to apply and make payments on the spot.
A touch screen monitor is installed at the entrance of the municipality, next to the front office. The information system is developed by specialists from the municipal administration with the aim to facilitate the use of administrative services to the maximum extent possible. By lightly tapping the screen and dragging it, citizens can obtain complete and comprehensive information about the administrative services at Bansko Municipality.

They can check the terms for each service and their prices, as well as the forms for the respective service. For the time being, paper applications can be found at the front office, but the plan is to install a printing device so that citizens can print the required forms.

Taking into consideration that a large number of foreigners in Bansko municipal are using the municipal administrative services the information system will soon have an English and Russian version, as well as the ability to direct the necessary information to an email address.

The municipality also introduced a platform for easy reporting by citizens. This is done through a web (https://kmetevij.com) and / or mobile application that allows you to take pictures and give a brief description.




Union of Municipalities of Montenegro


Activities of UoM related to Covid19 situation in Montenegro
The Union of Municipalities has active role in the communication chain between the Government, government bodies (Ministries) and the Public Health Institute, on the one hand, and municipalities, on the other hand. The UoM has communication with the Government on the daily basis, and all the recommendations and orders from relevant ministries are communicated to the municipalities through the Union.

In order to help municipalities to prepare an Operational action plan for anti-corona fight, the Union (with help of the Capital City), distributed examples of measures that have to be implemented by LGs in order to provide for the implementation of Orders and Recommendations issued by the Government, the National Coordination Body for Contagious Diseases, the Ministry of Health, the Public Health Institute.

The distributed examples of measures, among others, include:

• Distribution of educational material for employees and citizens with the aim to inform them on symptoms and protective measures
• The premises of the municipality are disinfected several times during the day and employees are familiar with protective measures and equipped with protective masks, gloves and disinfectants
• Increased city-level hygiene measures
• Procedures - electronic services, except when not possible
• Inspection services - enhanced work (catering facilities, waste treatment, traffic flow)
• Field operations - individual or working at the distance allowed
• Administration one parent of a child up to the age of 11 is entitled to paid leave, as well as persons with chronic diseases and persons with symptoms that raise suspicion of coronavirus or flu-like symptoms
• Reorganization of work in premises and offices - employees at a distance of at least 2m with enhanced disinfection measures

The Union of Municipalities of Montenegro won the battle for water services
During March 2019, the Ministry of Sustainable Development announced the preparation of the new Law on Water Services and asked from the Union of Municipalities to nominate representatives into intergovernmental Working Group for the preparation of the Draft Law consisted of the representatives from the Ministry, Water Regulatory Authority (the Energy Regulatory Agency), the Ministry of Public Administration (line Ministry for local self-government), the Ministry of Economy, the Chamber of Commerce of Montenegro, Regional Water Supply Company for the Coastal Region, the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro and municipalities, as well as the Association of Waterworks and waterworks’ companies. At the first meeting, the Working Group representatives have been given with the already prepared Draft Law. The concept was totally new for Montenegrin legal framework. The intention of strong reform was obvious.

The Draft Law was focused on the communal services: water supply and communal wastewater management. The concept of financing the construction, maintenance and management of water services systems has been rounded up with main following elements:

• The establishment of the Investment Fond by the water service company’s owner.
• Resources for the Investment Fond shall be: fee for water usage, fee for water protection against pollution, part of the construction development land fee (relevant part intended for construction of water and sewerage systems); part of the water service price, etc.

Strategic aspects on the Draft Law were as following:

• Ban of privatization of water services;
• Introduction of the National Strategy for Water Services Development;
• Introduction of Service Areas which should be defined based on techno-economic analysis and they wouldn’t necessary be compliant with the LG’s territory.

The Regulatory Authority introduced with the existing legal framework shall carry on with its duties. However, the local assembly wouldn’t have the final word when it comes to the defining of the water service prices. The prices should be, upon the request of the waters service provider, defined by the Regulatory Authority.

Related to the sustainability of water supply providers, the Non-Revenue Program was introduced as obligatory document, and it should be integrated part of the business plan.
The crucial obstacle for the constructive performance of the Working Group was the intention for centralization of water services. Actually, the Draft Law stipulated if Service Area was consisted of the territory of 2 or more LGs, the water service providers should be founded by the Government of Montenegro.

The municipal representatives and water service providers’ representatives were strongly against the centralization of water services.The Union’s Governing Board (consisted of all Montenegrin Mayors) discussed the Draft Law on Water Services in July 2019 and firmly stood against the centralization of water services. The position of the Waterworks Association was the same.

For the time being, it has looked like the Government did not have the intention to change its positions on the topic. It was obvious from the Draft Law which has been put on the public hearing during October 2019. Only positive improvement was related to the Union’s request that local assembly shall give final approval on the proposed water services’ prices.

The Union of Municipalities and Waterworks Association did not want to give up their requests. So, they used their Annual Water Conference (in October 2019) to raise the discussion over the Draft Law. All representatives of local level, in the presence of the Ministry’s high level representatives, stood firmly against the centralization of the water services.

In November 2016, the Union’s Governing Board discussed the Draft Law for the second time. It supported the need to reform the water services system, but not in a way that, without objective justification, they should be taken away from the LG’s competences as the authorities closest to the citizens. Bearing in mind that, in 2010, the United Nations declared access to drinking water and sanitation a fundamental human right by Resolution 64/292, the Governing Board considers that the provision of these services cannot be solely based on profit-oriented market principles, because it is a socially sensitive public service. Haste and unbalanced reform, instead of improving the situation, could have completely opposite effects. Also, it was pointed out that in such a large-scale reform it was necessary to make a detailed analysis of the situation in all aspects important for this sector, as well as the techno-economic justification of the existing system and the way of eliminating weaknesses, with full participation of municipalities and water utilities, and then jointly to create solutions that will give the best result in practice.

Concerns have been raised that, if a water company set up by the Government will not accept to take over the management of communal wastewater and atmospheric water management, which are now operated by water utilities, the municipalities remain obliged to continue to have the enterprise, which means that they remain financially burdened by staff and infrastructure maintenance. In cumulative terms, this could not lead to rationalization of water services business, but on the contrary can only lead to an increase in the price of services to citizens. The Governing Board considered that it was very important to invest in infrastructure in this sector, and the proposed concept of financing from the construction land development fee should be determined in a way that is in accordance with the legal system of Montenegro, bearing in mind the legal commitment that the fee in question is its own local government revenue, and that systemic laws (the Law on Budget and Fiscal Responsibility and the Law on Financing of Local Self-Government) do not know the mechanism of transferring transfers from local budgets to the State Budget.
Bearing all of the above in mind, the Executive Board proposed to the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Tourism, as a draftsman of the Law, to:

• Stop further activities on the drafting of the Law until a detailed analysis of the state and techno-economic justification of the establishment of the service areas;
• Include representatives of local governments and water utilities in the process of techno-economic analysis, and
• Create sustainable solutions in partnership with representatives of local governments, water utilities and their associations (Community of Municipalities and Water Supply Associations), based on the balance between cost-effectiveness and rationality, on the one hand, and the principle of affordability of services, on the other.

Additionally, Governing Board expressed the willingness to accept solution if the techno-economic analysis proposed the establishment of the Service Areas consisting of 2 or more LG’s territories, the service shall be delivered by regional service provider founded by the participating municipalities. In that concept, it is acceptable that the Government of Montenegro founds the regional service provider if and only if participating LG’s failed to do it by themselves.

At the beginning of the March 2020 the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro received the written guarantees from the Ministry that above-mentioned request (except from the request from bullet 1) has been accepted and asked from the Union to allow its representatives to continue to work in the Working Group. Instead of the stopping further activities on the drafting of the Law until a detailed analysis of the state and techno-economic justification of the establishment of the service areas, the Ministry proposed the Bill Law prepared these days and to postpone its implementation till the effectuation of the results from the techno-economic analyses.

It is worthy to mention that the Union of Montenegro used the NALAS and RCDN’s Quick Response Request Programs, and the received info used during the negotiation process.

Consultations of the Montenegrin Government with UoM in drafting the Work Program of the Government for 2020
At the meeting of the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro and the Prime Minister of Montenegro that was held in December last year, the Prime Minister announced that, in drafting the Program of the Government of Montenegro for 2020, the draft work program will be sent to the Union of Municipalities of Montenegro to provide feedback on legal projects for which local government association deems necessary to give an opinion before the documents are considered and approved at the Government sessions.

Upon the reception of the Draft Work Program, the Union of Municipalities provided its feedback to the Government on all legal projects for which a prior opinion of the UoM has to be obtained or for which preparation it is necessary to include representatives of the Union.

Almost all of the proposals have been accepted by the Government and in the adopted Work Program of the Government of Montenegro in the description of the activities related to these proposals it is stated that the opinion/participation of the Union of Montenegro must be provided.

Some of the main activities include preparation of the Strategy for Public Administration Reform 2021-2025, Economic Reform Program 2020-2022, I and II Contribution to the EC Country Report, Montenegrin Housing Policy, Strategy for the improvement of Public Procurement Policy and Public-Private Partnership 2021-2024, Proposal of the Spatial Plan of Montenegro until 2040, Action Plan for fulfillment of final benchmarks for Negotiation Chapter 27 -Environment and climate change, the Bill Law on Water Services, the Bill Law on Communal Services, etc.
 

 

 Association of Kosovo Municipalities


Notification of AKM
Dear Mayors, Directors and Municipal Officials,
Dear colleagues and partners,
 
Starting Monday, March 16, 2020, the offices of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities will be temporarily closed while the work will continue online until March 27, 2020. All public activities of the organization have been cancelled until further decision.

This cancellation comes after the confirmation of the first cases of CoronaVirus (Covid-19) in our country and respect for our institutions' measures to reduce public activities.  On this occasion, we urge colleagues to follow the guidelines and advice for protection against Covid-19.

Good health!
 
Municipal Association Board has decided to postpone the General Assembly Meeting
At the meeting of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities (AKM) Board, under the leadership of AKM Vice President Mr. Xhafer Gashi, various issues were discussed in the field of its activity and those of local government in Kosovo.

The Board at this meeting has reviewed and approved the AKM Annual Reports for 2019 as well as the Work Plan and Budget for 2020. Also, at this meeting, Board members debated on the situation created and measures being taken by municipalities with emphasis on interacting with central government institutions in order to better manage this situation regarding protection preventive measures against Corona Virus.

Regarding the holding of the General Assembly Meeting of the Association of Kosovo Municipalities that was scheduled to be held in April, the AKM Board has decided to postpone the meeting due to the created situation.

Health and Education Collegiums' discuss measures taken by Municipalities to prevent corona virus diffusion in Kosovo
The issue of preventing the spread of Covid-19 virus was discussed at the meeting of the Collegium for Health as the first topic on the agenda. Mr. Albana Morina, from the Primary Health Division at the Ministry of Health (MoH) informed the participants about the undertaken activities and tasks that are expected from the municipalities. The municipalities were informed that the Government of Kosovo has allocated an additional 400,000 Euros to cover the costs resulting from the situation.

The municipal directors stated that they have fulfilled the requirements and obligations foreseen for the situation, and each municipality according to the plan foreseen by the MoH has sent medical staff to the border checkpoints for persons entering Kosovo. On the other hand, all directors complained about the lack of the necessary protective materials and equipment for their staff, who are the first to encounter persons visiting Kosovo from different countries.

Mr. Mentor Morina, Director of Department for Social Policy and Family (DSFP) briefed Municipal Directors on new developments in the field of social services, as well as on the commitments and sharing of new responsibilities for municipalities based on the current changes in this field in Kosovo. The need for municipalities to develop an action plan by municipalities in the area of ​​social service delivery was also mentioned. Mr. Morina expressed his willingness to assist municipalities in successfully fulfilling their obligations regarding the provision of these services.

At this meeting, the Head of the Collegium for Health Dr. Bujar Gashi was elected as Director of the Directorate for Health in the Municipality of Prishtina and the Collegium has also adopted the Collegium Work Plan for 2020.

With AKM lobbying, Government approves additional 1.3 million Euros for Municipalities in implementation of the Collective Contract in Education
The Ministry of Finance in response to the request and concerns raised by the Association of Kosovo Municipalities has allocated 1.3 million Euros to Kosovo Municipalities as additional funds under the Education Grant. These funds may be dedicated by municipalities to the implementation of the Collective Agreement for education workers at the local level.

A few days ago, the Association of Kosovo Municipalities through the mechanism of the Council of Mayors held a meeting with the Mayors of Kosovo and with Mr. Besnik Bislimi - Minister of Finance and Transfers in the Government of Kosovo. This meeting discussed the final preparations for the drafting of the 2020 Budget Law and some urgent budgetary issues pertaining to Kosovo municipalities, emphasizing the obligations of the Collective Contract.

In the AKM request, which came out of this meeting, it is stated decisively that “Municipalities require that obligations arising from the Central Level Agreements on Collective Contracts should not remain a burden on municipal budgets but that an acceptable solution be found ".

And the reaction of the Ministry of Finance and Transfers was immediate with confirmation that the Grants Commission, during its budget planning for 2020, approved over 1.3m Euros for these payments.

“Municipalities can make payments to teachers within their approved budget for 2020. The Grants Commission, during the planning of the 2020 budget, has approved funds for this purpose under the education grant. The approved amount is 1.375.106 €” says the response from the Ministry of Finance and Transfers.



Association of Cities in the Republic of Croatia

 

The Executive President of ACoR has been elected as President of the National Integrity Council
The National Integrity Council (C.N.I.) met on March 9, 2020 in its first meeting, which took place at the headquarters of the Senate of Romania, based on the Senate Decision on the convening of the National Integrity Council no. 10 of March 2, 2020.

The composition of C.N.I. was established for a term of 4 years, by the Senate Decision no. 9 of March 2, 2020, published in the Official Gazette of Romania, Part I, No. 176/03.03.2020, as follows: 4 representatives of the most important political parties in the Romanian Parliament, 1 representative of the Parliamentary Group of National minorities in the Chamber of Deputies; 2 representatives of non-governmental associations (NGOs): Association of Communes of Romania and Association of Cities of Romania, 2 representatives of the National Agency of Civil Servants and one representative of Civil Society Organizations.

During the constitution meeting, Mr. Sergiu ȚÂRA, the representative of the Association of Communes of Romania, was elected as President of the Council. According to the provisions of Law no. 144/2007 regarding the establishment, organization and functioning of the National Integrity Agency, republished, as subsequently amended and supplemented, the National Integrity Council is the representative body, under parliamentary control exercised by the Senate, with non-permanent activity.

Don't let the country school perish!
“Don't let the country school perish!” is the title of the National Conference held on March 10, in Ciugud commune, Alba County, ACoR member. On this occasion the first Smart school in Romania was presented, in which about 130 children are learning applying the highest standards. Thus, the children who until now were studying in the villages of Ciugud, are now studying in the new school that has 9 classes, starting with the preparatory one (0) and up to the eighth grade. They have virtual textbooks, and lessons can be tracked from home, in the online environment.

The intelligent system implemented in the school allows the lighting and air conditioning in each class to be adjusted according to preset scenarios or with the help of sensors. In the case of lighting, the sensors turn on or off the light when they notice the presence in the classroom and then adjust it according to the daylight so as not to affect the eyes of the children. Even the bathrooms have flood sensors that stop the water network if a large amount of water is detected on the floor.

 “The most important investment to be made in a community is in children because they represent the future. We have noticed in recent years that more and more parents are choosing to take their children to school in Alba Iulia city. As a result of the discussions with them, I understood that in Ciugud commune there is a need for a modern, friendly school in which we must use the most modern teaching methods. This is how the idea of a smart school was born, in which teachers will use technology in the teaching process so that lessons become more attractive to children. These are things that we did not invent, but are used in many schools in Romania. We visited some of these schools where we gathered good ideas to which we added our ideas so that this school was finally born. I hope that the teachers and students will enjoy the new school and I would like it to be the normality for any village in Romania. We believe that the village school should be supported and should not be allowed to die because all children in rural areas have the right to education. We thank all those who supported us in this project”, Gheorghe DĂMIAN, mayor of Ciugud commune, Alba County, told to the newspaper Unirea.

Present at the event, the Mayor of Vălișoara commune and the President of the Hunedoara County Branch of ACoR, Mr. Mircea-Ion ROVINAR, specified that the use of technology in the educational process stimulates the learning process, makes it more attractive for the students and will help them more in their future activity.

The event brought together, at the invitation of the President of Alba County Branch of ACoR, Mr. Gheorghe DĂMIAN, Mayors of the communes’ members of ACoR, personnel from the national education system and suppliers of software and technologies used in schools.
 

Upcoming Events

• 23 March 2020, NALAS e-Academy: Disaster Risk Management e-Course
• 06 April 2020, NALAS e-Academy: Introduction to Asset Management in the Water Sector
• 11 May 2020, NALAS e-Academy: Introduction to Gender Mainstreaming at Local Level