The last meeting on thematic tables, where the main achievements of the Performance Measurement and Performance-Based Grant Mechanism were presented, took place in the municipality of Berat. The main focus of this table was human resources, transparency, gender representation and projects with relevant findings.

One of the main challenges facing municipalities is related to the recruitment of specialized staff and the provision of training opportunities in relevant fields. This is a consequence of demographic changes and the high level of internal migration. In this context, the Ministry of Local Government and Local Government has taken the initiative to increase salaries with government support, as well as to establish the Academy for Local Government, which will assess the training needs of local government staff.

Transparency remains a strong point, guaranteeing high citizen involvement in decision-making processes and creating better opportunities for their engagement in the development of the city. Regarding gender representation, a satisfactory level of 44% of women in leadership positions in the municipality is noted, contributing to strengthening gender equality.

One area with potential for expansion is the benefit from donor-funded projects, taking the Municipality of Berat as a good practice. This aspect could be further strengthened by giving an increased focus on European integration and training for application in these projects.

Within the framework of the Performance-Based Grant Mechanism in the field of good governance, the benefit of municipalities is conditional on the fulfillment of two main criteria: the drafting and implementation of the Gender Plan and the Integrity Plan. In this context, each municipality has the opportunity to be equipped with these plans, which constitute necessary conditions for the benefit of the grant and which are currently missing. The fulfillment of these conditions will be rewarded in accordance with the established criteria. At the end of the meeting, an open discussion was held regarding the improvement of indicators in the next round of the SMP, focusing on the needs and concrete problems faced by municipalities.