Name of Evaluation Report:

Evaluation of the deliberative process within the project “Building democratic participation in the City of Mostar”

Date of Evaluation Report:

December 2021

Revised: April 2022

Date of Action Plan:

 May 2022

Overall management response to the evaluation:

The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities is an institution of the Council of Europe, responsible for strengthening local and regional democracy in the 46 member states and assessing the application of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. As part of its mandate, the Congress implements co-operation activities in member states in the framework of Council of Europe action plans and in line with the Congress priorities and recommendations.

The Congress Secretariat recognises the utility of recommendations issued as a result of the present evaluation, with a view to ensuring and enhancing the relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of the project intervention, in particular the tailored deliberative process implemented in the City of Mostar (Bosnia and Herzegovina). All the recommendations have been accepted by the management. The actions for their implementation are set out in the Action Plan below.

[FOR DECENTRALISED EVALUATIONS] Dissemination plan for the evaluation: please briefly explain how the report will be shared (internally, other CoE entities, donors, beneficiaries etc.), methods (email, events, website etc.), resources, timeframe and person responsible.

The initial findings of the evaluation report were presented to the main project stakeholders at a dedicated online event in December 2021. The report will be shared with all the project stakeholders and beneficiaries via email in September 2022. It will be uploaded into the PMM tool and to the dedicated project webpages (Congress/Field Office in Sarajevo). The team in charge of the project is responsible for the dissemination of the report.

Together with the Management Response and the Action Plan, the report will be published on the website of the Directorate for Internal Oversight.

☒Accepted

☐ Rejected

☐Under consideration

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

1. Within the project “Innovating democratic participation at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the case of the Mostar Citizens’ Assembly will be presented in a form of a practical manual/study, which may serve as an institutional guide for similar examples to be implemented as part of the project or within other Congress co-operation activities.

2.  This publication will be disseminated as part of peer-to-peer exchanges and activities at local, regional and European level organised by the Congress.

3. This publication will be widely promoted through the websites of the Congress and Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo.

NB:  The Congress adopted in March 2022, a Report and Recommendation on the use of deliberative methods in European municipalities and regions, which features the deliberative process implemented in Mostar as part of four European case studies.

n/a

30.06.2024.

Head of Unit, Congress co-operation Activities

Management Decision

Entity in Charge

Planned Actions

(determined by Entity)

Justification for Non-Acceptance

Target Date for Action

Person Responsible for Action

Recommendation 2:

In the second Citizens Assembly that is foreseen by the new Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022-2025 to be organised in the City of Mostar, more emphasis should be given in empowering women and youth to take more active role in the work of the Citizens Assembly and especially in presenting the results of the deliberation in front of the City Council.

☒Accepted

☐ Rejected

☐Under consideration

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

The City of Mostar has confirmed that they will commission a 2^nd Citizens’ Assembly in 2023. Within the project, support to be provided to the city authorities for the development of a tailored process, emphasis will be put on further empowering of women and youth for more active participation and contributions to discussions and follow up to the  Citizens recommendations.

n/a

30.06.2024.

Head of Unit, Congress co-operation activities

Management Decision

Entity in Charge

Planned Actions

(determined by Entity)

Justification for Non-Acceptance

Target Date for Action

Person Responsible for Action

Recommendation 3:

The Council of Europe / Congress should use methodology and experience of deliberative model of democracy through the Citizens Assembly that was developed in the City of Mostar project for fundraising extrabudgetary support from international and bilateral agencies.

☒Accepted

☐ Rejected

☐Under consideration

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities  

Office of the Directorate General of the Programmes of the Council of Europe

Funding was ensured for a new project to be implemented by the Congress on “Innovating democratic participation at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, which will further promote deliberative democracy in Bosnia and Herzegovina and will support another city in the implementation of the methodology. The Congress will also seek financing to replicate this approach in other European countries where the Congress will implement projects in view of bolstering innovation in participatory methods at local and regional levels.

Quality implementation and good results of projects will be promoted to attract further funding from donors.

n/a

Continuously

·         Head of Unit, Congress co-operation activities

·         Secretariat of the Congress, Co-operation and External Relations;

·         ODGP country programme managers

Management Decision

Entity in Charge

Planned Actions

(determined by Entity)

Justification for Non-Acceptance

Target Date for Action

Person Responsible for Action

Recommendation 4:

The CoE/Congress should continue their presence in Mostar, either through the follow-up intervention or by frequent observation missions

☒Accepted

☐ Rejected

☐Under consideration

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

1. Through the follow-up project in Bosnia and Herzegovina (January 2022 – June 2024) approved during the finalisation of the evaluation report, the Congress continues its support to the City of Mostar in following up to the citizens recommendations and in the organisation of a second Citizens’ Assembly.

2. The Congress will also continue its presence in Mostar and in the country, in particular through recommendations and reports, following monitoring visits of the implementation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government and observation of local and regional elections.

n/a

31.12.2024.

·         Head of Unit, Congress co-operation activities

·         Secretariat of the Congress, Co-operation and External Relations and Statutory Activities

Management Decision

Entity in Charge

Planned Actions

(determined by Entity)

Justification for Non-Acceptance

Target Date for Action

Person Responsible for Action

Recommendation 5:

Best practices on modality of the project implementation in complex political circumstances, challenged by the COVID‑19 pandemic should be prepared and promoted internally within the Council of Europe and the Congress, and be secured as the institutional knowledge.

☒Accepted

☐ Rejected

☐Under consideration

Congress of Local and Regional Authorities

Office of the Directorate General of the Programmes of the Council of Europe and other MAEs

Lessons learned were systematically drawn by Council of Europe major entities on the implementation of activities challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Best practices were discussed with beneficiary institutions within steering committees of respective projects and Council of Europe Action Plans (including the one for Bosnia and Herzegovina).

Best practices were also taken into account when drafting individual projects, country action plans and other co-operation documents and reporting, as well as within Facilities, such as the Horizontal Facility,

·         Secretariat of the Congress, Co-operation and External Relations ODGP and other Council of Europe MAEs