On 29 June 2022, the Institute of Public Finance presented the results of the eight cycle of budget transparency research of all 576 Croatian regional/local units. The overall average level of budget transparency – measured by the number of budget documents published on regional/local government unit's websites – year after year keeps improving, and in this cycle stands at 4.5 (out of a maximum 5). This is a significant improvement from 2015 when the average stood at 1.8. It was emphasised that although the publishing of documents does not, in itself, guarantee absolute transparency, it is considered the initial step toward higher transparency levels necessary for citizens’ participation in the budgetary process and control over the collection and spending of public funds.

 

 

In order to make the results as accessible and clear as possible, the Institute published an interactive map showing the situation in all counties, cities and municipalities. More detailed analysis of the research is published in the IPF Notes Budget Transparency in Croatian Counties, Cities and Municipalities: November 2020 – April 2021.