engleski

Scope of Competences of Local Self Government Units in Croatia

First chapter of the paper analyses contemporary societal and political trends that, each in its own way, influence the position and the role of the units of local self-government: globalization, Europeanization and market-orientation of public sector. Local scope of competences, as main indicator of local autonomy and level of self-government, is not excluded from the impact of such changes. These processes, along with existing administrative doctrines (new public management and good governance at most) are reflected in the reorientation of local units across the Europe: from providers of local public services to coordinative role of interconnecting various local and non-local actors on projects concerning local societal and economic development. Second chapter reviews and analyzes different theoretical criteria for distribution of public competences among different territorial levels, some of them being embedded in relevant international documents, most important being European Charter of Local Self-Government. Next chapter is dedicated to the elaboration and the analysis of the subsidiarity principle which represents primary criterion of legislative regulation of local scope of competences. This chapter also contains critical analyses of main methods for local scope's regulation: general clause and enumeration method. Fourth chapter of the paper comprises comprehensive analysis of general position of local self-government in Croatia regarding its scope of public competences. General legislation and sectoral laws and bylaws are interpreted ; this interpretation being basis for identification of main problems and shortcomings in defining local scope of competences in Croatian local units. Not only legal, but also administrative, economic and socio-cultural difficulties which prevent local units to take over the modern developmental role are identified and explained. Conclusion contains the reasons for such a condition and possible reform choices and propositions which are necessary if Croatian local self-government system is to follow European trends of decentralization and subsidiarity. Greater scope for LSG should lead to the greater local autonomy and thus to the deconcentration of political power, which is, in Croatia predominantly centrally located.

local competences; alocation of public competences; subsidiarity principle; local public services

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