Supported by the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, the presidencies of the Associations of Municipalities and Cities of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and of Republika Srpska came together on 10 September 2025 in Višegrad for their second joint session, following the first-ever such event organised in 2023.
The meeting, which provided space for joint discussion between mayors, marked a further step in the collaboration between the two associations. The participants agreed that it was crucial to strengthen co-operation not only between municipalities and cities themselves, but also with higher levels of government. They also put forward concrete suggestions for improving the new public procurement law from the perspective of local authorities.
“No city, no town, no region stands alone. The challenges we face, from climate change to social inclusion, are shared, and so too the solutions must be. The Congress believes deeply that when local authorities come together, they multiply their strength, their creativity, and their resilience,” stated Congress Vice-President Gunn Marit Helgesen addressing the meeting.
Two associations of local authorities currently operate in the country: one representing local authorities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and one representing local authorities in Republika Srpska. Through joint meetings, the associations ensure that local authorities speak to the central government with one unified and more powerful voice.
The meeting was organised in the framework of the project “Strengthening democratic innovations and promoting human rights at local level in Bosnia and Herzegovina”, implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Multilevel Governance at the Council of Europe Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the Council of Europe Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina 2022-2025.
