Pregledni rad
Regional Self-Government and Comprehensive Administrative Reforms in the Visegrad Group of Countries
Ivan Halasz
; Mađarska akademija znanosti, Institut za pravne znanost
Sažetak
The establishment ofthe intermediate (regional) level o f the territorial
administrative System in the Czech Republic, Roland and Slovakia
represents one o f the components o f the administrative reforms in
them after the collapse o f socialism and the beginning o f transition.
For each o f these countries, the institutional development o f the
Intermediate level in the pre-socialist and socialist periods as well as
efforts for establishment o f regional units in the post-socialist period
are analysed.
In the Czech Republic, thè intermediate level was established as late
as in 1997, when the division into 14 counties was made. Simulta
neously, 8 “EU régions’’ were established in 1998 in accordance
with the provisions o f NUTS-2, but they hâve remained only
territorial Statistical units without any self-government or admini
strative powers and tasks. Counties, which should according to the
decision o f Parlam ent jóin self-government and state administration
and enable the formation o f a single public administration office,
started functioning after the élections held in the autumn o f 2000.
The scope o f thè state administrative activities is wider than thè scope
o f self-government activities, but widening o f the self-government scopeis expected in 2003. Counties perform only those self-government
activities which are expressly delegated to them, because general
compétence in performing the activities o f local self-government
belongs to the self-government units at the first level (towns and village
communes). Their bodies are the representative assembly, the executive council and the head official (hejtman) and his office.
In Poland, since 1998 there has been territorial organization
consisting of units at three tiers.
At the first tier there are communes, at the second districts, and at
the third counties (wojewodztwo). There are 16 counties which perform a relatively widely determined activities o f regional self
government. The bodies o f counties are thè assembly (sejmik) and
thè executive body (zarzad) headed by the county governor
(maršalek). Performance o f the state administrative activities is
separated, and the main person at the level o f counties in this respect
is the head o f the county (wojewoda).
In Slovakia there has been a long debate on the Organization o f the
intermediate level, before and after gaining íts independence ( 1
January 1993). The nationalist and etatist government obstructed
the reform processes until the parliamentary élections in 1998. When
in 1996, 8 counties and 79 districts were formed, it was only a division
for the purposes o f thè state administration, while regional self-
-government was not introduced. New administrative reforms started
as late as in July 2001, on the principle o f séparation o f self
government from state administration. At the first self-government
level are communes, and at the second level are counties. The number
o f counties has not been changed, but they have become self-
-government units headed by directly elected presidents and county
représentative assemblies. The state administration at the level o f
county is headed by the head ofthe county. Due to complex politicai
circumstances, the manner and speed o f decentralization does not
develop as planned.
Ključne riječi
regional self-government; administrative reforms; Visegrad group of countries
Hrčak ID:
197649
URI
Datum izdavanja:
9.4.2002.
Posjeta: 1.048 *