The conference entitled “Opportunity or Threat? Local and Regional Self-Government Reform in Croatia”, organised by the Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung and the Institute of Economics, under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration, took place at the Sheraton Zagreb Hotel today.
Addressing the participats, Minister Malenica said that changes in the local and regional self-government were necessary beyond a doubt and stressed the awareness of the fact on the part of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration.
The first step was made by the latest amendments of the City of Zagreb Act and the Local Elections Act, whereby the number of local appointed officials was reduced by 1,438, so that the local elections held in May this year saw a reduction by 568 deputy county heads and mayors and 870 members of the representative bodies. The goal of said changes is to optimise and rationalise the local self-government system and facilitate quality management in local and regional self-government units.
In the next stage of reform, the Government of Croatia intends to develop mechanisms for the functional and physical integration of local and regional self-government units under the project “Optimisation of Local and Regional Self-Government”, which will include a systematic analysis of the territorial organisation of Croatia and a database of financial and administrative capacities and functions. Clear mechanisms of cooperation between local and regional self-government units will be developed, including the assessment of the potential for cooperation and integration (aggregation) in the performance of functions from their remit.
Furthermore, a measure from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan - "Further optimisation and decentralisation of local and regional self-government units through support for functional integration” – for the implementation of which over 21,6 million Kuna have been earmarked, is aimed at strengthening the resilience and capacities of local and regional governments, creating a system for financing joint performance of functions, laying down the criteria for co-financing joint projects, and development of a system for monitoring functional integration.
Minister Malenica highlighted that the discussion on the reforms must never lose sight of the constitutional right to local self-government and the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and that changes in the local and regional self-government cannot happen overnight, but must be preceded by a professional analysis and informed discussion.
In the coming period, the Ministry would intensify the activities regarding changes to local and regional self-government, he concluded.
Image source: HINA
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