The monitoring conducted by NGO Info-centre and its partner organisations covered 31 citizens’ priorities in six municipalities: Shtip, Struga, Kriva Palanka, Sveti Nikole, Krushevo and Demir Hisar. Out of those, twenty-six (26) are underway and currently at different phases of execution (early, intermediate and advanced), whereas five (5) priorities have yet to begin implementation.
NGO Info-centre, together with its partner organisations that are members of the Forum for Civic Dialogue (FCD) – Glasen Tekstilec from Shtip, the Youth Cultural Centre – Bitola, Spektar from Kriva Palanka, the Women’s Civic Initiative from Sveti Nikole, and the Struga Community Centre – continuously monitors the implementation of citizens’ priorities identified in the six municipalities. The citizens’ priorities being monitored emerged from a broad consultation process with citizens in 2025. The monitoring focuses on the fulfilment of commitments set out in memorandums signed by the municipalities and FCD member organisations following the 2025 local elections.
Most priorities involve capital investment and, according to the municipalities, their implementation depends largely on securing funding beyond municipal budgets (from the Government, international financial institutions, and other donors). This is particularly evident in infrastructure: In Demir Hisar, more than MKD 90 million has been invested in streets and roads through two public calls by the Government and the World Bank; in Kriva Palanka, around EUR 1 million has been secured for water supply through the Ministry of Environment and Physical Planning and a loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB); and in Krushevo, a grant of MKD 62 million for the bypass has been secured from the Ministry of Transport.
There are various reasons why implementation of five citizens’ priorities has not yet started. For example, introducing public transport in Kriva Palanka depends on an inspection procedure at national level, while the construction of a chapel at the old cemetery is obstructed by the fact that the existing building has not been legalised. The monitoring found that youth-related priorities are progressing slowly. In Demir Hisar, for example, the initiative committee for a local youth assembly had not been convened seven months after the public call; in Krushevo, the youth centre had still not opened nine months after the decision to establish it.
Progress is uneven, and most priorities involve capital investment (water supply, sewerage, wastewater treatment plants, road infrastructure, etc.). These types of priorities require substantial funding from different sources, coordination and cooperation among multiple institutions at several levels, and longer, more complex procedures.
Municipalities show a willingness to communicate and be transparent: they respond to requests for public information and update their websites. However, the information often remains general and does not include specific amounts, deadlines or completion levels, making it difficult to verify implementation. At the same time, examples of good practice show that sustained cooperation between local authorities and civil society, together with ongoing dialogue, can produce concrete and visible results.
The monitoring also showed that secured funding or completed project documentation does not automatically lead to timely implementation. Funding has been secured for some priorities, but procedures are delayed; other projects have completed documentation but still lack implementation funds. For some priorities, such as youth-related ones, decisions have been adopted and calls published, yet the situation remains unchanged for months.
Read the fill report at https://nvoinfocentar.mk/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Prioriteti_2026_ENG.pdf
The Forum for Civil Dialog (FCD) is a network of civil society organizations coordinated by NGO Info-centre. Active members of the network are: Glasen Tekstilec – Shtip, Youth Cultural Center – Bitola, RCS Spektar – Kriva Palanka, Women’s Civic Initiative – Sveti Nikole, and the Community Center of the Municipality of Struga. The consultative process of the Forum for Civic Dialogue was carried out within the project “Active Citizens and Participatory Democracy at Local Level,” supported by the International Center Olof Palme from Sweden.
