The association of Municipalities of the Republic of Croatia : Calendar

Workshops on public procurement and integrity audit in Vrpolje and Promina

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:30:43 +0100

Munir Podumljak from the PSD has warned municipalities as beneficiaries of public procurement that the new Croatian law presumably is most rigorous in Europe and that it will not be easy to implement it if it is not understood completely. He drew attention to the fact that public procurement in the EU amounted to 2300 billion euros and Croatian companies who entry EU can compete equally for the part of that business. Obeying the law actually empowers the more ambitious market factors who intend to expand business beyond national borders. The need of centralized procurement for municipalities was analyzed, at least when it comes to regular and standard purchasing goods and services, and it was established that it would greatly relieve the budget if more municipalities would work together and thereby transfer the responsibility on other subjects. Association of Municipalities appears to be one of the legitimate logical centralized point for the costly and demanding procurement process. Harrie van Boxmeer, senior consultant in Nicolaas Witsen Foundation, explained the content of the concept of integrity which includes honesty, truthfulness, consistency and accountability, and Reijer Gaasterland, senior consultant in the same Foundation, dealt with an interesting dilemma and universally applicable model, method of making the right decisions. They admitted that in Netherlands atmosphere towards corruption and integrity protection is not good enough, but is still not so open for abuse like in Croatia. Great contribution to the debate gave Mayor of Promina Paul Cota, deputy Mayor of Vrpolje Željko Lukačević, Mayor of Oprisavci Antun Jovičić, members of LAG Krka and Deputy Mayor of Drniš Vlatka Duilo. The project leader is Partnership for Social Development (PSD) with the help of the Dutch Foundation Nicolaas Witsen, and Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Croatia is the project partner. Problem that remains constant since the first round of four workshops is the issue of response - again, it was relatively low in spite of all the benefits that members could receive: the practical advices, interpretation of law provisions, a pleasant and useful meeting and meal.

Four workshops on public procurement and integrity audit completed

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 11:58:03 +0100

However, it remains a great mystery why the elected officials and civil servants (in this case mayors, presidents of the boards and heads of financial departments and representatives of LAG municipalities were invited) are so unwilling to come to meetings where they can gain useful knowledge. The workshops lasted for only one day, dealt with interesting and life-important issues like public procurement, system faults and corruption, no fee was charged and all participants were offered refreshments. Why, then, despite promises, only one third of potential participants responded to the invitation? Munir Podumljak from PSD has warned municipalities as beneficiaries of public procurement that the new Croatian law is presumably most rigorous in Europe and that it will niether easy nor cheap to implement it. Explaining the details of the act he drew attention to the need for centralized procurement for municipalities, at least when it comes to regular and standard purchasing goods and services. Centralized procurement would greatly relieve the budget if more municipalities could transfer the job and eliminate the risk of making mistakes. The Association of Municipalities is emerging as one of the legitimate logical place for organizining the expensive and demanding process of procurement for its members, especially in thecontext of EU membership. Dutch experts gave professional and enthusiastic presentations at workshops so participants responded in the same wy asking questions, demanding explanations. Harrie van Boxmeer, a senior consultant in the Nicolaas Witsen Foundation was dealing with the integrity audit and Reijer Gaasterland, senior consultant in the Nicolaas Witsen Foundation explained how to solve a dilemma by dilemma-model- They also acknowledged that the situation in their country regarding corruption and integrity is far from perfect, but the difference is that those illegal activities are more subtle and nontransparent in Netherlands, while in Croatia they are performed more shamelessly. A great contribution to the debate was given by the Mayors Joseph Tomačić of Draganić, Rade Kosanović of Krnjak, Stjepan Muhek of Marija Bistrica and Ivan Kranjčić of Sveti Križ Začretje, heads of administrative departments Marija Šestak, Mirko Martinović, Suzana Herceg and Anamarija Borošak, Milan Medić from LAG Vallis Colapis and representatives of municipalities Gvozd, Bedekovčina, Lobor, Gornja Stubica, Kraljevec na Sutli and from cities Ozalj and Zlatar. In January 2012 two more workshops in municipalities of Vrpolje and Promina will be held.

Two projects concluded at NALAS conference in Bursa

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 11:33:12 +0100

The "Guide for local borrowing" is a part of the NALAS's Task Force for fiscal decentralization activities in which Mirko Martinovic, Head of the Administrative Department of the Krnjak Municipality, is an active Croatian representative. In this guide the project team analyzed recent trends concerning the local borrowing in Albania, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Republic of Srpska (BiH), Romania, Serbia and Turkey. Professional contribution came from the Croatian expert Vladimir Šešet. The guide as a concrete result of the project (which was led by the Romanian Association of Municipalities ACoR) could be of great use to local governments of South East Europe, which are, in time of recession, facing shortages of financial resources. In thesame time there is not enough knowledge about how and under what conditions LGs can achieve better lending arrangements within banks. The guide contains the basic principles of borrowing of local governments, ways of finding a suitable instrument for borrowing, details about credit ratings etc. Municipal Solid Waste Information System (SWIS) with the User's Guide was the second completed project offered to local governments in the SEE region. In this case the idea was to explain why the information system for managing municipal waste (Solid Waste Management Information System - SWIS) is needed as a tool designed to collect and analyze data on waste management, which helps local governments to collect and process relevant information about the most important issues in waste management such as: how much waste is produced and collected, what is the composition of mixed municipal waste, what is the achieved level of separation, the level of disposal and cost efficiency of existing system. The project, which is based on carefully gathered experience and practice models in the region, was led by Kosovo association (AKM), and the closure in Bursa was moderated by expert from Pula Ms. Milena Radošević. After the panel discussion NALAS's working groups on fiscal decentralization and solid waste management gathered and defined further steps and scope of existing projects and talked about possible new ones. The meeting of the liaison officers, executive directors of national associations, (CLO), was also held in Bursa. In this format a new rotational system of electing the president and vice-president of NALAS was disscused. The Union of Turkish World Municipalities (TDBB) was accepted as associate member. Association of cities in Croatia has proposed that the next NALAS's fair of local governments NEXPO could be held in Rijeka (Croatia) in the autumn 2013. Apart from visiting cultural and historical sights, during the conference a rich cultural program with folk dances was organized for the guests from the region.

How to represent local interests in the European Union under the new or different accession status

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:33:47 +0100

Special attention was paid to non-institutional activities and consultative process, primarily to lobbying in Bruxelles, considering the fact that about 5000 lobbying offices with ten times more employees work there. It was emphasized that the functioning of the EU is unthinkable without lobbying activities. So, UORH and NALAS, each in its own way, should be prepared for new ways of engagement and struggle for the interests of its members - local governments’ units. That will soon be important also due to the adoption of European policy and existing potential sources of financing of projects in all areas of life, from the economy and the CBC to the culture, whose implementation will require better knowledge and excellent sources of information.

Workshop on UORH Strategic Planning

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:42:40 +0100

On these and all other parameters essential for the functioning of the system like the members’ needs, financial and human resources and external circumstances, the directives and possible lines of action were set for the next five years period. As a very important factor taken into account was the fact of Croatian accession to the European Union in mid-2013 and changes in the system that will introduce new sources of funding and project financing that Croatian municipality should use more effectively. The need of solid organizational structure, the importance of training as well as increasing the number of member municipalities were also stressed.

Sarajevo Conference on Urban Planning in South East Europe

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:21:48 +0200

Welcoming the participants, Jelica Minic, Deputy RCC Secretary General said that the development of sustainable communities, strategic urban management and access to affordable housing play a key role in the context of a broader socio-economic development of South East Europe. “Top priority should be given to strengthening networks of governmental agencies, national municipal associations, civil society and academic institutions, expected to serve as sustainable structures for regional cooperation.” Introductory remarks were delivered by the organizers’ representatives. The conference presented and discussed results of the SCTM-lead project “Comparative Analysis of Legal Frameworks Relevant for Urban Planning in South-East European Region”. The project’s objective was to compare and assess relevant legislation in South East Europe, and make recommendations for preventing further development of informal settlements while regulating the existing ones. It involved 13 urban planning experts from NALAS members in South East Europe, and was implemented by the SCTM over the past 11 months, with support of the GIZ-Open Regional Fund for South East Europe. The meeting brought together urban planning experts, representatives of municipalities, associations of local self-governments and relevant ministries from South East Europe, as well as international organizations. The Network of Associations of Local Authorities represents more than 4,000 local authorities from South East Europe. It is recognized by the RCC Strategy and Work Programme 2011-2013 as the most relevant partner in promoting cooperation at this level. The RCC Secretariat and the NALAS work to improve links between local authorities, governmental bodies and EU institutions. ________________________ As the successor of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, the RCC fosters regional cooperation and supports European and Euro-Atlantic integration in South East Europe. Its work focuses on economic and social development, infrastructure and energy, justice and home affairs, security cooperation, building human capital, and parliamentary cooperation. The RCC is based in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its membership comprises 46 countries, organizations and international financial institutions.

Panel on local borrowing: income of cities and municipalities highly reduced, the local governments in debt and unable to borrow

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 12:34:07 +0200

Representatives from local governments have complained that it is hardly possible to mend the current expenditures not to make capital investments. Laws and regulations take the potential for growth in the budget rather than give a share of income to local governments. It was suggested that local units should base the financing of the projects on long term policy documents and use different sources of funding, and need to cooperate with central government. It was emphasized that a registry of existing development projects and plans for implementation of these projects for a longer period should be created, as well as a framework for annual approval for a fiscally responsible borrowing. Association of Municipalities addressed the topic of local borrowing under the project entitled "Local Borrowing" funded by GIZ, Open Regional Fund for the Modernization of Municipal Services in South East Europe which was implemented under the auspices of NALAS (Network of Associations of Local Authorities from South-East Europe). Very useful Guide to the Local Borrowing in the countries of Southeast Europe was printed and diseminated by UORH to all local governments in Croatia. Media sponsor was the Business Journal. All presentations can be found on the website of the Association of Municipalities. Reports about the conference are available through the following links: http://www.vjesnik.hr/ArticlePrint.aspx?ID=4CA3B270-E4A2-4881-894F-6D1216E51243 http://www.tportal.hr/biznis/gospodarstvo/155219/Gradovi-opcine-i-zupanije-nemaju-novca-za-investicije.html http://www.poslovni.hr/Content/PrintArticle.aspx?Id=188940# http://www.poslovni.hr/vijesti/opcine-i-gradovi-odlucuju-samo-o-20-prihoda-188821.aspx http://www.business.hr/hr/Naslovnica/Ekonomija/Dug-lokalnih-jedinica-1-6-posto-BDP-a

The elections for council members and representatives of national minorities with low turnout

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:04:09 +0200

Every Council of national minorities has defined number of members: in the counties 25, in cities 15, in municipalities 10. The right to have the minority representatives is carried out in local governments where minorities make more than 1,5 percent of the total population, or have more than 200 members, while at the county level there must be more than 500 minority members. A small number of polling places (one in every constituency), an unfavorable date of the election (in the midst of summer holiday), the lack of media support, the disregard of cost-issues of election campaigns (a small number of local governments and only a few regional self-governments planned funds in the budget) are the main reasons for low turnout for the third elections for the minority councils, representatives of minorities say.

Anti-Corruption Response to Implementation of the Procurement Policies (ACRIP) started with the workshop

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 12:16:56 +0200

We should addressed firstly and foremostly to the causes of corrupt behavior among people, and then deal with consequences, Bukvic stressed adding that he supports the evaluation of corruption in public procurement in the municipalities and cities together with disemination of knowledge about what needs to be taken in performing public duties in order to in time to prevent corrupt behavior. He recalled that for the Association of Municipalities this is not the first time to deal with the problem of corruption at the local level becauseproject ACRIP is complementary to the completed project SPEKULAS. The project is funded under the IPA program and is designed to allow users to implement appropriate public procurement policies and systems with the simultaneous application of European principles of good governance (integrity, transparency and accountability). Project began in April 2011. and will last 18 months. Instructors at the workshop were the Dutch project partners Harrie Van Boxmeer and Reijer Sytse Gaasterland from the Nicolas Witsen Foundation and John Lammerding and Suzanne Verheij from the National Office for the promotion of ethics and integrity in the public sector. Municipal officials, members of governmental and civil sector were present. More about the project on the website UORH under "projects" (http://udruga-opcina.hr/hrv/projekti/)

Croatian delegation at the International Workshop in Bulgaria

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 11:51:51 +0200

During the three days, the participants had the opportunity to participate in discussions on various topics: local government system in partner countries; the role of local government associations in the process of twinning; the interaction between local authorities; youth organizations and civil society organizations; opportunities for cooperation and financing of twinning projects and youth exchanges; and project preparation. Also, a two shorter visits were organized: Veliko Tarnovo and Gabrovo city administration. The conference is organized within the framework of international project ''Twinning European cities - most among young people'' in which the Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Croatia is included as a partner organization. The project continues in September with a short study trip to Croatia with the intention of introducing the practice of local youth policy. Find more info about the project on our ***http://www.udruga-opcina.hr/eng/projects/project.php?ID=1292*website***, a ***http://www.flickr.com/photos/uorh/sets/72157626980930868/with/5841940810/*photo*** gallery has been updated with new entries from Bulgaria.

40 years of organized local self-government in Croatia

Fri, 27 May 2011 13:46:41 +0200

The founding assembly was held in the building of Technical museum and was made up of representatives of the then municipalities: Bjelovar, Crikvenica, Čakovec, Karlovac, Zagreb, Koprivnica, Opatija, Osijek, Pula, Rijeka, Rovinj, Slavonska Pozega, Slavonski Brod, Sisak, Split, Sibenik, Varazdin, Vukovar, Zadar and Zagreb. As the first president of the Union of Cities Josip Kolar, a mayor of Zagreb, was elected. In its statute the Union was defined as "self-governing organization of voluntarily united cities" and its main tasks were: monitoring the exercise of cities' constitutional rights, cooperation with the Croatian Parliament and other government organizations, addressing issues of local interest for the development of towns, promotion of inter-municipal cooperation and solidarity, etc. Even now the same advocacy activities are also important for the functioning of a stable system of local self-government. In year 1975 the Union had grown into a new organisation called The Union of Cities and Municipalities in Socialist Republic of Croatia, a name to which it held until the independence of Republic of Croatia. We wish to all local executive and representative officials as well as local employees a happy anniversary and a successful future work. We hope to continue building together a better and stronger system of local self-government! In the meanwhile you can take a look at our photo ***http://www.flickr.com/photos/uorh/sets/72157626691138143/*gallery*** holding some of the old photos from Union's past.

President of the Committee of the Regions President Mercedes Bresso with leaders of the Croatian local and regional governments

Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:46:53 +0200

Representatives of the Croatian local and regional government explained to the guests the current situation in the local government in Croatia, thereby defining three key problems: excessive centralization, lack of human resources and inadequate funding. Bresso stressed the importance of the principles of subsidiarity and the importance of good preparation of local and regional authorities in Croatia to work within the CoR in which Croatia will soon, after the country's accession to the EU, have its own representatives. The CoR is an advisory body of the European Union whose main task is to give opinions when making proposals which have implications for local and regional level, especially in the field of economic and social cohesion, culture, health, transnational infrastructure networks, education, employment policy, social policy, environment, vocational education and transportation. The European Commission and European Council need to to consult local and regional authorities in implementing the EU legislative process, since 60% of the EU acquis is directly applicable to the local level. The role of CoR is also to reduce the gap between the public and the EU institutions.

Representativees of the Association of Municipalities at the meeting of the JCC of Committee of the Regions and Croatia in City of Vukovar

Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:58:09 +0200

Leading topic of the meeting was the involvement of Croatian local and regional authorities in the European Structural Policy and use of EU Structural Funds. Good practice on use of Structural Funds in Italy was presented as well as use of Pre-accession Funds in Krapinsko-zagorska County. The participants concluded that Croatian experience gained in pre-accession period is of utmost importance for later use of Structural Funds. However, it is necessary to keep continuous training in order to increase absorption capacity. Member of the JCC discussed the draft of the final document which contains recommendations for involvement of Croatian regional and local authorities in European Structural Policy. After additional time for discussion the document will be adopted at the next meeting.

Association of Municipalities joined the Covenant of Mayors

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:12:21 +0100

The Covenant of Mayors is the first and most ambitious European Commission initiative directly targeting the local authorities and their citizens to take the lead in the fight against the global warming. All Covenant of Mayors signatories make a voluntary and unilateral commitment to go beyond EU objectives and aim to reduce their CO2 emissions by more than 20% by 2020 through energy efficiency and renewable energy actions (More about the goals on following ***http://www.eumayors.eu/about_the_covenant/key_role_for_local_authorities_en.htm*link***). The European Commission has committed to supporting local authorites involved in the Covenant of Mayors and providing public visibility for them. The Covenant of Mayors is open to all local authorities democratically constituted with/by elected representatives, whatever their size and whatever the stage of implementation of their energy/climate policies. As the initiative requires the design and implementation of a comprehensive Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP), the signatory governing bodies should have adequate competences in various fields, such as transport, buildings, land use planning etc. If an interested local authority lacks competences or resources to prepare its action plan, it should be supported by administrations with such capacities, i.e. Supporting Structures or local and regional energy agencies. Local authorities willing to sign up to the Covenant of Mayors must present and discuss it in their municipal Council (or equivalent decision-making body democratically constituted with/by elected representatives). Once a decision to sign up is formally made, local authorities must inform EC and ask to be included in the Covenant of Mayors.

General Assembly held

Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:52:34 +0100

The Assembly carried out regular procedural activities: the report of the last year`s activities and the financial report were adopted as well as the plan for 2011, everything with only one vote against. In his introductory speech the President of the Association of Municipalities Đuro Bukvić explained the main activities of the Association in the previous period, adding that they were in the function of strengthening of the local self-governments, improving the quality of services that Association is providing to its members and thereby benefiting the general public. For instance, on the basis of held discussions the Association formulated the position on the territorial reform in which it advocates comprehensive reform of local self-government in all aspects (financing, the system of jurisdiction), not only territorial redrawing. The Association believes that polytype system with local units performing certain tasks depending on their capacity, is the response to claims that there is too many municipalities and that some should be abolished. The Association requires the change in local government funding so that local governments finally could begin spending much more than 10 % of public money which is now the case. Bukvić stressed that the Association held five meetings during 2010 when mayors of member and non-member municipalities met, discussed and defined position on the announced territorial reorganization. Legal advice is still one of the most used service provided by the Association to the members, where the dominant subject in 2010 was planning of a salary system and implementation of the new regulations in this regard. Association of Municipalities continuously provided data on various topics and significant improvement was registered in the internal information system and in intensification of international cooperation. Twenty municipality representatives took part in the discussion during the Assembly and talked about many topics that bother local governments. The State Secretaries gave exposures and concrete explanations and answers to questions. Mr Zdravko Krmek gave a lecture on implementation of EU directives and the role of local government units in the area of water utility, while Pavle Matičić spoke about plans on territorial and functional reform. The conclusions of the Assembly advocated the need for a wider gathering of municipalities in the Association and emphasized the need of strengthening advocacy activities within the Association, better participation in the consultative procedures and the continuation of fiscal and functional decentralization in Croatia.

Association of Municipalities has Finalized the Research on Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Croatia

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:32:58 +0100

The research involves legal, institutional and financial framework for IMC. It was established that IMC in Croatia exists, but not as intensive as it could be due to the limitations seted up by legal and institutional framework. Apart from that, there are no specific financial incentives for IMC. More intensive IMC can make local government cheaper and more rational which is specially important in the context of announced territorial reorganization of Croatia.

Agreement between UORH and ANCI signed in Rome

Mon, 27 Dec 2010 13:45:48 +0100

President of the Association of Municipalities of Đuro Bukvić and Secretary General of the National Association of Italian Municipalities (Associazione Nazionale Comuni Italiani - ANCI), Mr Alessandro Gargano, signed the document on cooperation dealing with the implementation of the project SeeNet. Aim of the project, funded by the Italian Government, is to create a network of local governments in southeastern Europe in order to enhance the work of local self-government, to share best practices and to define common policies toward central authorities and relevant EU institutions. The agreement establishes cooperation of UORH and ANCI in the field of sustainable tourism, culture, etc. SeeNet project will be implemented during a period of three years.

Presentation of the Results of the Project SPEKULAS

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 09:20:10 +0200

The authors pointed out that they are aware the sample was not big, but despite that certain trends and patterns can be recognized. Even though the research was based on the sample of municipalities, the authors said that majority of the results can be applied to almost all local units in Croatia. Based on the results of the research recommendations which can prevent corruptive behavior on local level were established. The audience was greeted by vice president of the Association of Municipalities, Mr. Stjepan Muhek. The presentation was attended by Mr. Željko Jovanović, the president of the National Council for Monitoring of Implementation of the Strategy for Suppression of Corruption, representatives of few ministries, Delegation of the European Commission and NGOs.

The president of the Association of Municipalities took part at the International Conference on Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Dubrovnik

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 12:15:09 +0200

Representatives of 14 states and few international organizations gathered at the conference have confirmed the importance of inter-municipal cooperation for further development of local democracy and increase of efficiency of local governments. Among other things, the participants pointed out that inter-municipal cooperation can compensate some capacity limitations of local units, which is especially important in the period of recesion when revenues of local governments are decreased. During the conference the CoE-UNDP-LGI Resources Pack was presented.

Recent advocating activities

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 12:53:45 +0200

As well as other countries, the consequences of economic recession hit Croatia very hard while state budget restrictions have very deep and bad impact on everyday life of people. There is a strong will of UORH to contribute to the reforms, but there is also clear reluctant position of the Government to involve local and regional authorities in the reform process. As far as territorial reform is concerned, UORH has pointed out that it is not the only way how local units can be rationalized and made more efficient. Therefore, it supports a broad and comprehensive reform of the entire system of local governments according to the principles of fiscal and functional decentralization instead of mere redrawing of territorial units' borders. Considering the Law on salaries, Association claims that the Law violates the principles of equality and non-discrimination as well as right of local governments to dispose freely of their revenues. Due to that, the proposal to the Constitutional Court of Croatia to review the constitutionality of the Law has been submitted. Even though proposed reform of personal income tax will take away around 100 million € from local governments, the preparation of tax reform is on-going without any consultation with national associations of towns and municipalities. The reform will make a strong negative impact on local governments and it is not likely that the revenues can be compensated in local communities because of insufficient level of economic activities.

President Bukvic in visit to collegues from Bosnia and Herzegovina

Wed, 12 May 2010 11:50:13 +0200

He added that local authorities from the region's countries went through a turbulent transitional period and that a great deal of work is in front of them, since the issues and actions that local communities need to articulate are very numerous. Meeting in Neum was thematically dedicated to financing of local authorities, the financial impact of broader trends in the local budgets and the presentation of projects. Alongside with officials from the Federation numerous guests and international representatives attended this event.

No secret deals behind closed doors!

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:02:15 +0200

During the event on the theme ''The territorial restructuring of Croatia - the role of the Association of Municipalities'' it was also pointed out that the territorial reorganization is not the only way in which local units can be rationalized and made more efficient, therefore, Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Croatia supports a broad and comprehensive reform of the entire system of local government according to the principles of fiscal and functional decentralization instead of mere redrawing of territorial units' borders. Mayor of Slivno Mr. Mustapić as host welcomed the attendees, while the president of the Association of Municipalities Mr. Bukvić presented the current activities of the Association of Municipalities in connection with the announced reform of local government. The coordinator of the Association of Municipalities Mr. Ivanovic presented the experience of the territorial reorganization in several European countries. Photos from the event can be seen in our photo gallery (http://www.flickr.com/photos/uorh/sets/72157623980985982/).

Municipalities looking for town twinning partners

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:29:39 +0100

Both of them would like to explore economic possibility of those kind of partnership and both have some interesting features that could be used as the basis for twinning. You can find additional info in the attached documents on the left side under the category 'Documents'. If you need any assistance in contacting the mentioned municipalities the office of Association of Municipalities will gladly help you.

Letter of CEMR to Croatian Prime MInister

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:35:45 +0100

The letter stated concern with the current state of events that is breaching the provisions of European charter of local self-government and European social charter, and demanded the withdrawal of respective Proposal. The deadline for sending the final Proposal in the legislative procedure is the end of January. You can download and read in full the CEMR's letter at the end of the article.

Merry Christmas!!!

Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:46:34 +0100

NALAS' General Assembly Meeting held in Istanbul

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:15:54 +0100

On behalf of the Association of Municipalities in the Republic of Croatia and as a delegates with the right to vote, Mr. Đuro Bukvić (president) and Mr. Ivica Mesić (vice-president) were present on General Assembly meeting. President Bukvić also participated on the round table on topic ''Involving local governments of SEE in EU integration process''. During this event members of Assembly, delegates of 14 local authorities' associations from 12 SEE countries, signed ''Istanbul Declaration'' which demands stronger participation of local authorities in the EU accession process.

New Managing Board elected!

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:04:14 +0100

It is important to mention that this Assembly also adopted working and financial plan for 2010, and confirmed the NALAS' membership. Some pictures from the Assembly are already in our online photo ***http://www.flickr.com/photos/uorh/*gallery***.

The Law on Salaries in Local and Regional Self-Government in the Parliament

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 13:35:21 +0200

Although its effects have no direct impact on the stability of the State Budget, the Law was designed and sent to Parliament for the first reading in few days. Therefore, associations of local governments had no opportunity to discuss its content prior to Parliamentary session. Considering that both the content and the procedure of development of the Law were not in conformity with the European Charter on Local Self Government and Croatian Constitution, Association of Municipalities has sent the letter to the Ministry of Administration. In the letter Association has pointed out that quick passing of the Law, without previous preparation and analysis, can bring confusion and additional costs which can anull its expected effects The content of the letter you can see here (Croatian only).

Meeting of the Presidents of National Associations of Local Authorities Gathered in NALAS

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:18:19 +0200

At the meeting presidents of 14 associations of local governments from 12 South East European states will discuss the impacts of global economic crisis on local governments in South East Europe, and methodology for assessing direct and indirect impacts of the crisis on local budgets. Among others, Ms. Antonella Cagnolati - Director of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Mr. Jeremy Smith – CEMR Secretary General and Mr. Ken Davey – OSI/LGI will be guest speakers at the event. More about meeting in Dubrovnik you can read on the web page of ***http://www.nalas.eu*NALAS.***

Local elections held!

Mon, 18 May 2009 11:16:20 +0200

Association of Municipalities became member of NALAS

Mon, 18 May 2009 10:47:57 +0200

NALAS is a network of associations of local authorities in South-East Europe which represents about 4000 local authorities elected from 80 millions of citizens. The network was established in 2001, under the auspices of Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe. After its establishment NALAS was working informally, while in 2005 it was registered as an association with its seat in Strasbourg. Considering local authorities as a key stakeholders affected by the process of transition in the countries of South East Europe, NALAS is promoting process of decentralization, encourages regional initiatives and helps national associations to become viable representatives of local authorities vis-à-vis central government. In governing bodies Association of Municipalities will participate with two representatives in the Assembly of NALAS as well as one representative in the Committee of Liaison Officers.

Croatian local election called!

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 10:34:50 +0200

Source: ***http://www.vlada.hr/naslovnica/novosti_i_najave/2009/travanj/vlada_raspisala_lokalne_izbore_za_17_svibnja*vlada.hr*** (croatian government website)

Violence during Local Elections in Turkey

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:22:22 +0200

Almost 48 millions of Turks with right to vote were electing 93 000 local officials in 81 administrative counties and 923 districts. The biggest rivals are Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP), which consider itself favorite, and representatives of opposition - Republican People's Party (CHP). According to some analysts this elections can be considered as turning point, because its results will influence national politics, especially regarding global economic crisis and negotiations with EU.

The Association of Municipalities has received grant from EACEA

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:35:20 +0100

Project 'Promotion of Town Twinning between Croatian and European Self-Government Units' aims for the increase of town-twinning readiness of Croatian local units and the recovery of old connections between Croatian and European towns and municipalities.

The Association of Municipalities has received donation

Fri, 12 Dec 2008 15:33:08 +0100

First among several planned discussions was successfully held in Pozega, on November 18, while the next one will be organized in Zagreb during January 2009. Representatives of local units, experts and representatives of relevant Government's bodies were invited to participate in it. Within the project some other activities were also planned, with its joint aim to support implementation of the new system of direct election of local officials. The Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands has recognized values of proposed project for further democratization of Croatian society and has approved financial support from MATRA programme.