On 15 April, 2025, participants of the second stream of the training programme aimed at developing the budgetary capacity of CSOs/Media organizations within the framework of the “Budgets for Citizens” project met with the Czech expert of the project Ms Jana Stehnová.

The main objective of the meeting was to get acquainted with the successful experience of the European Union (EU) and especially the Czech Republic in the field of budget transparency and participatory budgeting, as well as to discuss its applicability in Armenia.

The participants of the training programme paid special attention to the main challenges in the process of fiscal communication. Jana Stehnová presented in detail how the Czech Republic had overcome the difficulties in understanding budget information by citizens by introducing simplified and visible communication mechanisms and tools. She emphasized the importance of accessible and understandable budget information in promoting public participation.

The main lessons that Armenia can learn from the best practices of the EU, including the Czech Republic, were discussed at the meeting as well. The expert shared specific approaches that have been effective and can be implemented in Armenia, taking into account the local context and specificities. In particular, she touched upon the mechanisms for involving citizens in the budgetary decision-making process in local communities and the importance of their institutionalization.

Media representatives were particularly interested in the role of the media in the budget transparency process in the Czech Republic. Jana Stehnová emphasized that media is a key tool for disseminating budget information and raising public awareness in the Czech Republic.

At the end of the meeting the participants expressed their gratitude to the Czech expert for her detailed explanations and valuable advice, which can significantly contribute to improving budget transparency and participation in Armenia.

The “Budgets 4 Citizens” (B4C) action (8 December, 2022 – 7 December, 2026) is being implemented with the financial support of the European Union by the Armenian Lawyers’ Association, in cooperation with partners “Economic Development and Research Center” (EDRC) NGO and “Agora Central Europe” NGO (Czech Republic).