Serbia’s Citizen Centers Offer Fast-Track to Bureaucracy
The process of going to municipality offices for birth or marriage certificates, notary services, construction permits or other municipal services is generally a tedious undertaking. In the past, hours and even days could be lost going from building to building and office to office. Now, however, in 10 municipalities of Belgrade and 21 other municipalities throughout Serbia, citizens can go to just one place and be assisted by professional and efficient municipal staff working in customer-friendly Citizen Assistance Centers (CACs).
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| "I like the new space, working here is more pleasant than before. Citizens
are glad that they are served in a nice atmosphere and they often tell us
that," says an employee in the Palilula CAC. |
With the support of the City of Belgrade and the USAID-funded Serbia Local Government Reform Program (SLGRP), citizens in the municipalities of Savski Venac, Lazarevac, Mladenovac, Rakovica, Palilula, Obrenovac, Barajevo, Surcin, Cukarica and Novi Beograd, are now treated like valued customers in the open and transparent environs of these Citizen Assistance Centers (CACs).
CACs deliver the most sought after municipal services in one place – commonly known as one-stop-shopping – including registry office services (birth, death, marriage, citizenship certificates), social welfare and notary services, local economic development services (small business permits), and urban planning services (construction permit issuance). Locating these services
under one roof leads to greater efficiency with the result that citizens receive services in a fraction of the time it took before. CACs also provide citizens with up-to-date information on municipal services and events and are a place to gather feedback from citizens on municipal performance. Ramps and/or elevators at each center ensure easy access for the elderly or disabled.
SLGRP began working with metropolitan Belgrade municipalities in 2004 and provided approximately $3 million in assistance to the City and selected constituent municipalities. Support to the Citizen Assistance Centers was provided in the form of computer equipment and software, as well as training for CAC staff members in customer relations and in providing services to persons with special needs. Approximately 30 more CACs have been established in Serbian municipalities based on the SLGRP model. Both citizens and municipal employees have expressed their satisfaction with this new way of communicating and doing business.
Funded by the American people through USAID, CACs are just one way SLGRP has assisted 83 cities and municipalities throughout Serbia since 2001 to become more effective, efficient, transparent, and accountable to their citizens.
"After I had a copy of my taxi license notarized in just a few minutes at CAC Palilula, I went and bought a couple of bottles of Coke for the employees. I was pleasantly surprised by the good service and nice environment," says one customer, a taxi driver from Belgrade.
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