engleski

Functional Decentralization in Croatia: Implementation Problems within the Existing Local Self-Goverment System

The purpose of this paper is to analize legislative framework of public competence distribution in Croatia. Regarding scope of competences, state supervision and level of financial autonomy of the local units, Croatia is highly centralized country. Because of that, the whole politico-administrative territorial system lacks flexibility and inovation. Although European Charter of Local Self-Government was fully ratified in 2008., it's principles and provisions are still not implemented properly. I will try to explain the discrepancies between the ECLSG and Croatian legislation, especially in regard with three crucial Charter provisions: subsidiarity principle, 'substantial share of public affairs' and 'full and exclusive powers'. Several reasons for such a situation are pointed out and interpreted, especially unwillingness of politicians to share political power. Generally, local responsibilities are mainly technical, executive and supportive. It impedes local units to develop their own public policies and to be politically responsible for local public services. Narrow scope of local public affairs makes local units unable to meet the modern role of local governments: local development. Recent social, political and economic processes (European integration at most) ask for more coordination, capacities and responsibility for the final outcome at every territorial level of public authority.

local self-government; local public affairs; distribution of competences; decentralization; local development; subsidiarity principle

nije evidentirano