ECNL Comments to the Draft Decision on Approving the Percentage Mechanism and the draft Law on Amending and Completing Certain Legal Acts

The main purpose of monitoring is to track progress in achieving the objectives outlined in the policy document, provide a reality check on the current state of implementation, and hold stakeholders accountable for their commitments. Monitoring also serves to promote examples of successful implementation, establish the cause for delay of activity, and suggest feasible solutions to address these delays. Monitoring is typically vested within the body designated for cooperation/implementation and is conducted in collaboration with other state offices, parliament, and/or civil society organizations (CSOs). The government can support the monitoring process by structuring it together with CSOs and allocating specific budget allocations for it. Public authorities establish a formal monitoring mechanism to follow and report on the implementation of policy documents for cooperation, with the main reasons being to show progress in achieving objectives, promote examples of successful implementation, establish the cause for delay of activity, and give feedback on the monitoring process. The stakeholders involved in the monitoring process include parliament, government offices, joint committees, ministry offices, ministries, and CSOs. Parliament plays a key role in initiating annual or biannual hearings on the status of implementation, while government offices facilitate coordination of ministries' work on implementation and serve as secretariat for government-CSO relationships. Joint committees are composite bodies of government, parliament representatives, and CSOs that are involved in the monitoring process. Ministries are responsible for implementing the objectives of the policy document and are closely involved in the monitoring process. Possible methods of monitoring the implementation by public authorities include regular internal reports, annual or biannual composite reports, parallel reporting by CSOs, real-time online monitoring, regular joint committee meetings, and public hearings at the Parliament. Some countries, such as Estonia and Macedonia, have developed internal monitoring mechanisms with guidance for implementers, which ensures clarity about the division of tasks and specific responsibilities assigned to the Ministry. The involvement of CSOs is essential in the monitoring process, as they hold an essential role in the monitoring process. The modality of their involvement may include public consultations before preparing the report on implementation, ongoing complaint procedures to the responsible government body, and parallel shadow reports by CSOs. It is beneficial to provide opportunities for CSOs to give feedback and facilitate their input to the monitoring process by public officials. Country examples of monitoring policy documents for cooperation include Estonia, Croatia, and Macedonia. In Estonia, the Estonian Civil Society Development Concept (EKAK) was adopted by the Estonian Parliament in 2002 and sets the goals for cooperation between the sectors, promoting civic initiative and supporting democratic development. The monitoring process in Estonia involves regular internal reports, annual or biannual composite reports, and parallel reporting by CSOs. In Croatia, the government office facilitates coordination of ministries' work on implementation and serves as secretariat for government-CSO relationships. In Macedonia, the monitoring process involves public consultations before preparing the report on implementation and ongoing complaint procedures to the responsible government body. Overall, monitoring the implementation of policy documents for cooperation is a crucial aspect of ensuring the effective implementation of these documents. It involves a range of stakeholders, including parliament, government offices, joint committees, ministries, and CSOs, and employs various methods of monitoring, including regular internal reports, annual or biannual composite reports, parallel reporting by CSOs, and real-time online monitoring.