Optimus - Center for Good Governance

As result of a joint initiative, the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM) and Optimus - Center for Good Governance, and with the support of Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), started the Project "Improving Environment for Businesses at Local Level through Regulatory Reform". The goal of the project is to produce better business environment and simplify business-related administrative procedures in local governments in Serbia, as reported on local television Channel M, which covers City of Paraćin and the wider area.

Since Paraćin is one of the candidates for cooperation, Sladjana Kočević Karavdić explained expected results and economic aspect of municipal involvement in this project. "Savings for the businesses can be expected in millions of dollars per year as a consequence of rationalization and simplification of procedures implemented in the municipality. In terms of the exactly determined required documents and time to prosecute the case, businesses and citizens will be able to easily get information on each procedure in electronic registry of procedures, which is the final product of the Project".

The main task of the Project is to simplify the issuance of permits, licenses and approvals for businesses in order to reduce costs and build sustainable mechanisms for the new regulations, which will provide low cost and low risk operations, increase transparency and efficiency of administration in the municipalities. After the census, analyses and obtaining the opinion of the economic sector, the Working Group would work on the recommendations that would be introduced into the legal system of the municipality, reports Channel M.

SCTM Component Manager Darko Drndić says that Paraćin is recognized as a candidate for this Project because of the remarkable efforts done in order to improve the investment climate and public administration.

"Component 1 of the Project conducted by the SCTM will have the smaller municipalities as its focus, in which they will try to develop a methodology and create a model that can be applied throughout the Republic of Serbia," conveyed Darko Drndić for Channel M.