The Programme implements a range of activities in order to enhance local governance and strengthen planning and management capacities of 34 beneficiary local self governments.

Within efforts to enhance management of public finances European PROGRES will support projects improving work of local tax payers’ offices and provide assistance for development of capital investment plans and programme budgets.

European PROGRES provides particularly intensive support to enhancement of LSG capacities to manage infrastructure projects. Modalities of this support vary - from provision of grants for development of planning documentation to provision of training on preferred contract modality for implementation of the construction projects established by The International Federation of Consulting Engineers better known as FIDIC. The efforts will include provision of training on Practical Guide to Contract Procedures (PRAG) - the contracting procedures applying to all EU external actions. This combined approach is expected to result in more efficient implementation and effective use of available funds for the infrastructure projects.

The Programme’s efforts to enhance gender equality will include provision of tailor made technical support to Gender Equality Mechanisms, introduction of gender sensitive budgeting, and funding of projects that will improve position of women in society.   The underlining action within this result will be to support implementation of institutional reforms in the selected local self-governments that will enhance operational levels of the five good governance principles - accountability, transparency, efficiency, non-discrimination and inclusiveness of local self-governments. 

The reform of the public administration at the local level - one of the crucial prerequisites for Serbia’s accession to the European Union - thus remains the main focus of European PROGRES.