PROJECT
Parliamentary Oversight of the Budget and Public Finances:
A programme in support of the Assembly of Kosovo
Objective: to strengthen the Kosovo Assembly capacity to exercise control over budget and public finances planning, through boosting the capacity of the Committee for Budget and Finance. This will lead to more transparency and greater accountability, more responsible spending, and other good practices over the long-term.
Key problems:
The Kosovo Assembly Committee for Budget and Finance currently lacks the capacity to deal effectively with the increased role and responsibilities it has been allocated under the Constitution and the Rules of Procedure of the Assembly;
Lack of capacities to review the Budget of Kosovo and review the financial implications of proposed draft laws;
Inadequate staff support/expert advice for Kosovo Assembly committees;
Lack of capacities for holding in-depth hearing sessions with government officials;
Lack of culture of cooperation with other Assembly committees for reviewing financial implications of the proposed draft laws.
Planned Activities:
Four in-country workshops/trainings on best practices for parliamentary oversight of public expenditure, with experts/MPs from The Netherlands and the Republic of Slovenia, for members and staff of the Kosovo Assembly Committee for Budget and Finance;
Two working visits, to the parliaments of The Netherlands and Slovenia;
Position paper on reforming the current Kosovo Assembly Parliamentary Committee for Budget and Finance (KIPRED)
Results:
MPs and staff of the Committee for Budget and Finance use acquired techniques (gained through workshops/trainings, study visits and in-depth consultations) to review the budget, especially the sectoral budget;
MPs and staff of the Committee for Budget and Finance broaden their network of contacts at both the local and international (Netherlands, Slovenia) level;
KIPRED knowledge base, capacity to provide expert advice to the Assembly is increased.
