VIENNA – Inclusive decision-making processes that prioritize citizens and their needs, allowing their voices to shape decisions that affect them, are at the heart of democratization from below, the report concludes. Policy brief “Kosovo: Democratizing democracy”published within the WB2EU network.
The authors recommend that the government ensures the full implementation of the legal framework allowing citizen participation in public affairs. It is added that there is a need to strengthen the capacities of decision-makers at all levels to comply with legal requirements for the development of inclusive policies. Policy Brief also recommends developing public spaces and financing instruments for citizen participation in decision-making through civil society.
The authors explain that when Kosovo was preparing to declare its independence in 2008, it faced a unique challenge and opportunity: pursuing internal reforms for national state building while simultaneously embarking on the path to Europeanization.
“With this ambitious effort in mind, Kosovo today, 15 years later, still remains a work in progress. However, internal reforms aimed at transforming the country into a future member state of the European Union have borne fruit. Kosovo is among the few countries in the Western Balkans where democracy continues to be reaffirmed through exemplary elections and a smooth transition of power, even when the entire political spectrum was outvoted in the 2021 elections », Indicates the Policy Brief.
However, despite notable progress on the ground and international assessments that Kosovo today is freer and more democratic than ever, there remains a large gap to close before fully realizing democratic potential. This is said to contribute to the concentration of public policymaking within formal systems.
“With the exception of generally relatively high voter turnout, the majority of Kosovo’s population refrains from participating in formal decision-making processes or civic actions in their own interest. A small percentage of citizens participate in public hearings at the local level, and a similar trend is observed in public consultations at the central level,” the authors state.
They stressed that in formal policy-making processes it is necessary to provide specific mechanisms to ensure that the space for participation does not depend on the discretionary will of a single politician or civil servant, but that it rather be sustainable, predictable and transparent.
Policy Brief recalls that Kosovo has developed a comprehensive set of legal requirements for public participation at all levels of governance, generally in line with the best international standards.
They emphasize, however, that the implementation of the formal requirements is partial and only gives rise to effective participation opportunities for a very limited number of well-established civil society organizations and experts.
“There are even fewer public consultations at the local level. Despite similar standards, there are no functional tools or capabilities comparable to those of central government. The legally required biannual meetings between mayors and citizens are largely about ticking a box, both in terms of content and awareness,” it is claimed.
The authors emphasized that civil society is an effective tool for channeling the needs and voices of citizens. Yet it became increasingly clear that a gap existed between NGOs and the citizens they sought to serve and represent.
“The fact that formal participation mechanisms mainly favored high-capacity NGOs meant that even when decisions made by public institutions resulted from participatory processes, participation was mainly confined to a small number of NGOs who sometimes lacked effective linkages with the groups of citizens for whom they were intended. represent or serve. Even if participatory democracy was supported in the formal sense, it failed to emerge,” the authors emphasize.
The guidance note highlights that in a participatory democracy, the state has an obligation to provide timely information and formal, effective opportunities for public participation and regular dialogue.
“The recent trend toward alternative forms of civil society organizations and civic initiatives built around inclusive practices has greater potential to mobilize diverse groups of citizens around issues that matter to them. With more citizens involved in civil society work, their needs and concerns become more central to the agenda and activities of these civic initiatives, leading to increased demand that these needs and concerns be addressed within the framework. of the formal decision-making process,” it says. in a guidance note.
For this to happen, the authors believe the state must also follow the positive practice of creating community-based public spaces and design adequate funding practices that enable civic engagement.
The Policy Brief is published as part of the WB2EU project. The project aims to establish a network of renowned think tanks, do-tanks, universities, higher education institutes and policy centers from the Western Balkans, neighboring countries and EU Member States that will be the most decisive for the process of enlargement and Europeanization of the European Union. the region in the years to come. The WB2EU project is co-financed by the European Commission as part of its Erasmus+ Jean Monnet programme.