At the next meeting, the councilors of the Municipal Assembly (MA) of Kolašin will decide on the initiative to broadcast their work live via the YouTube streaming service, on the official channel of the Municipality.
The initiative was agreed upon by the Assembly collegium, ahead of the session scheduled for May 20th.
The opposition movement "We Build Kolašin Together", which has proposed it several times, says it will vote for the initiative.
As Balša Cvetković, a councilor of the Together We Build Kolašin Movement, said, broadcasting sessions enables transparency in the work of the local legislative authority, because citizens have the right to be informed about the work of their elected representatives.
"Public broadcasting of sessions allows for direct insight into the course of discussions and decision-making, which strengthens trust in the work of the Assembly. At the same time, it improves citizen participation in decision-making. The availability of online broadcasting of sessions allows a larger number of citizens, including those who are unable to attend physically, to become familiar with topics of public interest and to actively follow the work of their councilors," says Cvetković.
He explains that the YouTube platform allows sessions to be not only broadcast live, but also archived, giving citizens the opportunity to watch previous sessions at any time. He reminds that the working conditions of local media often do not allow for full and continuous coverage of all parliamentary debates.
"Public broadcasting via YouTube service allows equal access to all interested media, as well as more transparent communication with the public. Numerous municipalities in Montenegro and the region have already implemented this practice, as a form of modernization and alignment with modern standards of good governance. We note that the technical capabilities for such broadcasts are not demanding, neither financially nor organizationally. Basic equipment is required (camera, computer and internet connection), while the YouTube platform itself is free to use," explains Cvetković.
He claims that the initiative, agreed upon by the Assembly collegium, represents a concrete step towards strengthening democratic processes at the local level and opens up additional space for responsible and inclusive local self-government.
Two years ago, Kolašin opposition councilors repeatedly tried to secure the broadcast of the municipal council sessions, and later to independently ensure the broadcast of the assembly sessions, which they were not allowed to do.
Kolašin has no electronic local media, and from time to time and depending on the agenda, accredited journalists from only a few media outlets report on the municipal council sessions.
However, the opposition claims that this is not enough to gain full insight into the way councilors represent citizens, nor to ensure the necessary transparency.
The practice of live broadcasting lasted for a short time, towards the end of the mandate of the former government (DPS, Social Democrats and GB), after Marta Šćepanović took office as the Mayor of the Municipality, and Milan Đukić was the head of the Kolašin Municipal Assembly.
Thus, in the summer of 2022, transmission equipment was provided "with the aim of increasing transparency and openness in the work of the local parliament."
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