SCTM experiences presented at the conference on EU integration in BiH

On September 16, 2025, the Secretary General of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities (SCTM), Nikola Tarbuk, participated in the conference "Strengthening the Association of Municipalities and Cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina - Involving Municipalities and Cities in the EU Accession Process" in Sarajevo, organized by the Association of Municipalities and Cities of the Federation of BiH, the Association of Municipalities and Cities of Republika Srpska and the Directorate for European Integration of BiH. 

At a panel discussion dedicated to the role of local self-government in the EU accession process, Tarbuk presented the experiences of SCTM as an example of good practice from the region. He emphasized the importance of involving local authorities in the EU negotiation process, particularly emphasizing the key role of local self-government in the implementation and application of the adopted legal framework and EU acquis, which is largely implemented at the local level. On this occasion, he also presented the concrete support that SCTM provides to cities and municipalities in areas that are important for the EU integration process, such as environmental protection, local social services and social inclusion, as well as support in the implementation of the EU model for sustainable integrated urban development. 

In addition to the Secretary General of the SCTM, the following also participated in the discussion: Čaba Borboj, Chair of the Working Group for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the European Committee of the Regions of the EU, Markus Holmberg, Head of the Department for EU and International Cooperation in the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), Mudite Juhna, Secretary General of the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Authorities, and Kelmend Zajazi, Executive Director of the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS). 

The conference brought together a large number of domestic and international participants, including representatives of local governments, institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Union, international organizations and local authority networks from the region and Europe. The aim of the event was to emphasize the importance of the local level of government in the process of European integration and to find ways for its stronger inclusion in the upcoming reform processes.