The inaugural round table of the EU funded project Implementing One Stop Access to Budget Data was held today at the EU Delegation to BiH in Sarajevo with the aim of encouraging continuous dialogue regarding budgetary issues between the various levels of government, NGOs and media representatives. Topics such as budget preparation, execution, outcomes and link between budget transparency and corruption in the public sector were some of the topics discussed.
The event was opened by Dr. Renzo Daviddi, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the EU to BiH as well asw representatives of the State and Entity Ministries of Finance. The event brought together representatives of various government levels in BiH, NGOs and the media. The event presented and discussed topics regarding budget preparation, execution, outcomes and the link between budget transparency and corruption in the public sector.
Having begun in January 2013, the total value of the two-year project is 127,722 Euros out of which the EU is providing 99,000 Euros from the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) Programme 2011.
The project aims to initiate the broadest possible debate on the efficiency, the priorities, and especially the effects of the budgeting process in BiH; to educate and inform citizens on budgeting processes, how to use the information about respective budgets and to raise public awareness on the right to freedom of information access to public finance information. Specifically, the project has the objective of strengthening public participation in the democratic process and to stimulate their interest and motivation on issues of public finance, distribution of national income and social development.
The project will consist of three work packages:
1. BUDGET DATA MANAGEMENT
The initial phase will cover the acquisition, coding, cleansing and upload of budgetary information. The aim is to cover the national budget, two entities, ten cantons and the Brcko District budget. Eventually, the database will also include municipal level budgets, each with three years of past activity to allow for historic comparisons to be made.
2. BUDGET VISUALIZATION
A budget information website will be created under the project. Visitors of the website will be presented with a map view of BiH where those regions for which financial information has been prepared will be highlighted and available for selection. Visualizations will be set up to best display the specific structure and distribution of funds in the respective budgets.
3. MUNICIPAL BUDGET OUTREACH
As a part of the project, 30 municipalities will be visited, and in each municipality a “Municipal Budget Outreach” will be organized; during these events a presentation on the most important facts and information about budget spending in all 137 municipalities will be made.
THE EXPECTED RESULTS OF THE PROJECTS ARE:
- Raised level of transparency in spending of budget funds in BiH.
- Citizens informed on public expenditures at the local level. Greater public awareness that government is not “for free,” that every citizen pays for the services they get.
- Database directly presented to the public in 30 municipalities, the media interested in co-operation.
- Greater traffic to a database website and the building of a grassroots network of interested, motivated members.
- Improved functioning of the BiH Government. A more effective allocation of budgetary funds.
