BiH Justice Minister Barisa Colak, Acting Resident Representative of UN Development Program (UNDP), Peter van Ruyssevald and Charge d'Affaires of the Delegation of the European Union in Bosnia-Herzegovina Boris Iarochevitch signed today in Sarajevo memorandums of understanding with 15 partner municipalities participating in the second phase of the project "Strengthening Local democracy - LOD II”.

The project is funded by the European Union in the amount of 1.5 million euro, and municipalities that were selected through a competitive process are Bijeljina, Derventa, Foca, Sarajevo, Gradiska, Jablanica, Kljuc, Ljubuski, Prijedor, Tesanj, Trebinje, Tuzla, Srebrenik, Zvornik and Zavidovici.

The project will run until March 2012, when it is expected for partner municipalities to adopt the project methodology for transparent allocation of budget funds to civil society organizations, which implies that budgetary resources are allocated on project basis in accordance with the actual needs of citizens in local communities.

Minister Colak expects of this project is far better collaboration primarily between the institutions of civil society and local communities.

“I expect a more transparent relationship and far more order. This approach helps to avoid non-transparent financing of civil society”, Colak said.

“Municipalities have a key role in the process of accession to the European Union”, said Iarochevitch.

Iarochevitch also stressed the importance of civil society organizations, which the European Union largely consults in the process of assistance programs development.