SESSION III-B: Sub-National Competitiveness – Issues and Challenges

Regional Conference in South East Europe

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SESSION III-B: Sub-National Competitiveness – Issues and Challenges

The Sub-National Competitiveness project aims to improve administrative capacity of municipalities to provide services to business, by increasing transparency, simplifying procedures, and creating sustainable administrative systems such as business registries. In this session, representatives from cities and municipalities which implemented the administrative simplification projects known as the regulatory guillotine shared their views and experiences. The municipality of Bar signed the cooperation agreement to begin implementation of the regulatory guillotine project during the conference.
One of the most important challenges which emerged from the presentations and discussions was the need to manage change effectively when introducing projects in municipalities, in order to overcome resistance to reform. To ensure success of the project, panelists recommended securing political support and leadership on a high level, effectively involving the business community into the process, and engaging a number of municipal departments in order to ensure momentum for reforms.

Implementing reforms to improve the business environment on the sub-national level: cleaning up the stock of regulations and streamlining administrative procedures

Tarik Šahović, Private Sector Development Specialist, FIAS (view presentation)

Petar Vujadinović, Chief Administrator, City of Užice, Serbia (view presentation)

Maid Ljubović, Former Trade Minister, Federation of BiH

Žarko Pavićević, President, Municipality of Bar, Montenegro

Markus Maurer, Deputy Director General, Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, Germany

Discussants:
Zoran Kovački
Head of Investment, City of Zrenjanin, Serbia
Ivana Jager
Secretary, Municipal Assembly, City of Zrenjanin, Serbia
Ljiljana V. Radovanović
Head of IT Department and Head of the Task Force, City of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Biljana Birač
Head of General Administration and President of Regulatory Reform Council, City of Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Edina Habibija
Deputy Mayor, Head of Economy and Finance Department and Head of the Task Force, City of Novo Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Moderator
Margo Thomas
BEE Manager, IFC Advisory Services