Working meeting with the Minister Ruzic

Minister of State Administration and Local Self-Government of the Republic of Serbia, Branko Ruzic, spoke today with the representatives of 18 cities and municipalities who have obtained a BFC SEE certificate or are in the certification process and stated the ministry's support for the certification program as it facilitates and advances the work of local self-governments.

"The ministry wants to support the cities and municipalities that are working on themselves and set an example to others. That is why last year, at the competition for the allocation of funds for the development of infrastructure projects, which are defined in the Budget Fund for local government programs, we highlighted the BFC SEE certificate as an additional plus on the way to receiving this valuable support", said the Minister.

"The BFC SEE certificate should remain one of the standards important for participation in the competition and be further recognized as it is one of the good ways to show that we truly value the improvement you have achieved through your own initiative and commitment",  the Minister said.

In the past 10 years, more than 50 local governments have participated in the certification program, which have attempted to meet the requirements of national or regional certification and thus improve their business environment. He added that by going through the BFC SEE Certification Program, local governments have elevated their administration to a higher level and introduced the highest international standards in this area.

Representatives of cities and municipalities Novi Sad, Sabac, Cuprija, Stara Pazova, Pancevo, Sombor, Leskovac, Cacak, Nis, Raska, Ruma, Pozarevac, Subotica, Velika Plana, Bor, Uzice, Gornji Milanovac and Pecinci attended today's working meeting with Minister Ruzic.

In Serbia, Business Friendly Certification (BFC) programme was launched in 2008 as a unique initiative to improve the quality of services and information provided by local governments to the economy. The quality of the program was also recognized by the partners in the region of South East Europe, with whom the first common regional standard of a business friendly environment (BFC SEE) was developed in 2012. So far, 54 local governments from Croatia, Northern Macedonia, BiH, Montenegro and Serbia have passed the certification process and another 33 are currently in the process.