This project strengthened the cooperation between the twin municipalities of Centar Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Reggio Emilia (Italy), funded by the Central European Initiative through its Knowledge Exchange Programme. The objectives of the project were to promote a democratic political culture through active citizen participation and the digital transformation of municipal services. Given that the Municipality of Reggio Emilia already had relevant experience in this field, staff from both municipalities jointly identified practices and policies that the Municipality of Centar Sarajevo could create and/or improve to increase citizen participation, digitize interaction between the municipality and citizens, and improve internal processes.
As part of the project, two visits were organized: one in May, during which representatives from the Municipality of Centar Sarajevo visited Reggio Emilia, and another in October, when representatives from Reggio Emilia visited the Municipality of Centar Sarajevo. These visits provided opportunities for insight into operations and in-depth learning about each other’s good practices and challenges.
Based on the best practices identified during the two visits, IREI staff published a manual titled “Digitalization for Citizens: Good Practices for Municipalities and Cities” in English and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian.
