KDI publishes Municipal Transparency Index 2024 – access to public documents of municipalities remains a challenge

The Kosovo Democratic Institute has published the Municipal Transparometry 2024 report, which assesses the level of transparency in 38 municipalities in Kosovo for the period January-December 2024.

At the opening of the conference, Selvije Kurti, project manager at KDI, emphasized the importance of transparency and accountability at the local level.

She emphasized that "the concept of open municipalities empowers citizens and increases the level of accountability of local authorities."

According to her, transparency is not simply a matter of will, but "a legal obligation and a form of accountability for how public resources are being managed."

This year's Transparometer has marked an overall improvement compared to 2023.

Besnik Ramadanaj from KDI announced that the average rating for the 38 municipalities is 68.34 points, compared to 62.42 points last year – an increase of about 5 percent.

"According to the Municipal Transparometer 2024, the municipalities that have emerged with the best performance in transparency are: Ferizaj, Gjakova, Lipjan and Prizren, followed by Drenas, Klina, Obiliq and Rahovec," said Ramadanaj.

The report separately analyzed transparency in Municipal Assemblies and Mayors' Offices, with the latter showing a slight advantage. Mayors' Offices performed with 71.56%, while Municipal Assemblies with 71.03%.

Another element highlighted in the report is the migration to new official municipal websites, which, although seen as a positive step in technical terms, has resulted in problems with content.

Kurti emphasized that “a standardized and unified structure for the publication of documents is lacking,” adding that “transparency goes beyond the technical aspect – it means real and fair access to public documents, citizen involvement in decision-making, open communication with the public, and continuous accountability.”

According to the findings, municipalities continue to face challenges such as the lack of notifications to citizens about the launch of new websites, lack of clear addresses (domains), unique website structure, and full access to documents in both official languages.

KDI recalls that 2025 is a municipal election year, and for this reason "municipalities are encouraged to strengthen and not neglect transparency during this period," as well as candidates to "begin drafting and publishing their programs, giving importance to transparency and accountability."

The Transparometer was carried out in partnership with 12 local organizations and with the support of the Olof Palme International Center. /Telegrafi/