Monitoring Development and Reporting for the Open Regional Fund – Modernisation of Municipal Services (ORF-MMS): Baseline study for determination of baseline and target values for two indicators

In the course of the transformation process in South-East Europe (SEE), municipal public utility companies were given back into the responsibility of the municipalities. The operation and management are still implemented in accordance with old standards. This has resulted in a high environmental pollution, waste of resources, economic inefficiencies, investment arrears and democratic deficiencies in the form of a lack of participation. Also, the conflict-ridden past and the week culture of co-operation prevent the exchange between relevant actors – the large potential of a regional cooperation with the purpose of exchanging experiences and development of joint solutions for the modernization of municipal services are not yet sufficiently exploited.

The ORF Modernization of Municipal Services (MMS) is a mechanism for the promotion of innovative ideas on partial measures (PM) which, together with at least three partners from 3 counties in the region are identified, developed, steered and implemented on a partnership basis. The PM focus on developing solutions for challenges in the area of municipal services which can either be managed together or which require similar problem-solving approach in the entire region. The project pursues a multi-level and multi-stakeholder approach. The ORF MMS is accessible to all seven partner countries in South-East Europe (Albania, BiH, Kosovo, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia) and the EU member states Bulgaria and Rumania may also participate). The project strengthens the institutional capacities of networks and their members in order to facilitate and intensify exchange through regional cooperation.

In 2013, the ORF MMS successfully closed its first phase and launched the second phase (2013-2016). In order to enable efficient monitoring of the Phase 2, and as per the Logical Framework of ORF MMS Project, CEP was contracted to perform a baseline study/survey for two (2) project objective level indicators in the ORF MMS Phase 2 Logframe in order to define initial data (baseline values) and attribute them to the two ORF MMS indicators. More specifically, CEP conducted a baseline study and defined baseline values for the following indicators:

• Indicator 1: Increase in the percentage of potential users of the services of the supported networks who confirm that regional cooperation plays an increasing role in overcoming their municipal problems;
• Indicator 2: Increase in the percentage of potential users of the services of the supported networks who confirm that they increasingly use the services of regional associations.

The users of services of the supported networks are associations of municipalities in SEE or pilot municipalities benefiting from the project measures (sub-projects).