EU PROGRES

Twenty representatives of eight South West Serbian municipalities involved in the implementation of the European Partnership with Municipalities Programme EU PROGRES attended a three-day workshop “Relationship Between the Local Self Government Units and Government Administration Authorities“. This was the first of the three events devoted to the vertical dimension of good governance, held with the support of the European Union and the Government of Switzerland with the aim of collecting information on obstacles to improving the efficiency and the effectiveness of the functioning of the cities and municipalities and preparing recommendations on how to advance their work.

The workshop covered three structural topics providing insight in the state administration authorities’ attitude towards local self-governments (LSGs) and the impact of the general regulations on the structure, organisation and jurisdictions of cities and municipalities, the delegated duties and the financial aspects affecting the fulfilment of specific tasks and the state authorities' attitude towards the original and delegated duties of the LSGs and their autonomy.  

The workshop participants were split up into groups and identified a number of problems the local self-governments faced in their everyday work with the state administration authorities and institutions, public companies, state directorates and other authorities charged with various activities of relevance to the functioning of LSGs. Such problems undermine the LSGs' efficiency and adversely affect the development of local communities and the quality of life of their citizens.

In the view of the workshop participants, the process of obtaining information on land, property relations, regulations, procedures, the requisite documentation and consent needed to fulfil the citizens request to the LSGs is non-transparent, difficult, expensive, inefficient, slow and leaves ample room for corruption.

One of the numerous issues discussed at the workshop regarded the involvement of the LSG authorities in the adoption of the Spatial Plans and the problems in obtaining construction licences. Although LSG authorities have actively participated in the development of the Spatial Plans (rendering opinions on the territory within their jurisdiction), experience has shown that the authorities adopting the Spatial Plans at the central level mostly disregard the LSGs’ objections and suggestions.

After the other two workshops for the representatives of 17 cities and municipalities in South Serbia are held in early 2013, EU PROGRES will prepare a document with an overview of all the presentations and constructive suggestions and present it to institutions that can help improve the work of local self-governments, such as the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities and the relevant ministries.