This is an improvement on the first survey, conducted in 2009, when only 18 per cent of local government and self-government units worked transparently, it was said at a press conference and stressed that the transparency of local self-government work was "primarily a matter of political will."
The latest survey was conducted from September 2011 to February this year in all 576 municipalities, cities and counties.
The degree of transparency was measured through 51 indicators in five areas - open council or assembly sessions, publicity of the executive authority's work and decisions, the application of the law on access to information, cooperation with civil society organisations, and citizens' direct participation in decision-making, said Nives Miosic and Duje Prkut of GONG.
Transparency is higher in cities than in municipalities, while counties are mainly transparent, they said, adding that legislative changes did not significantly increase transparency.
GONG executive director Dragan Zelic said it was not easy to supervise the transparency of local self-government in the European Union either and that in Croatia transparency on the local level was evidently weaker than on the state level.
He said civil society was not developed on the local level and that the media were often in the service of local authorities, adding that it was important to control the transparency of local government work.
Administration Minister Arsen Bauk announced changes to regulations on local self-government, adding that next year's local elections would be the first chance to improve the state of affairs.
He announced changes to regulations on the work of municipal heads and mayors as well as changes to the referendum law, recalling that in the last three years no mayor or municipal head had been replaced by citizens at a referendum.
Bauk said voters lists would be put in order, as they could significantly impact election results in some communities.