In the framework of the "West Balkans and the EU" lecture cycle
the International Institute for Middle-East and Balkan Studies (IFIMES)
invites You kindly to the round table
entitled
"FOR DECENTRALISATION OF SLOVENIA"
which will take place on Tuesday, 19 October 2010 at 16.00 h
in the Auditorium of Center Evropa at Dalmatinova 4 in Ljubljana.
Local self-government in Slovenia is facing a crisis. One of the main reasons is the centralist concept of state government. Local communities have been completely subordinated to the state (i.e. the Government and the Parliament). The legal order of Slovenian state limits the role of the people to strictly local interests in terms of space and content. This centralist principle of Slovenian politics and legal order is diametrically opposed to the European principle of subsidiarity which is based on the bottom-up approach, giving priority to local units except for those tasks that can be resolved more efficiently at higher levels.
Centralism has also contributed to the absence of regions as broader local communities which would fill the vacuum between the state and (too) small municipalities. Regions are a constitutional category of broader territorial communities which can not be replaced by the so called functional regions.
Slovenia lacks a clear concept of local self-government. To that end, a special strategy of local self-government development would have to be prepared on the basis of a critical analysis of the size and efficiency of municipalities, their competences and financing, organisation and functioning of local authorities, reasons for (or against) introducing regions etc.
Those and other issues will be discussed at the round table by the following independent experts: Dr. Janez Šmidovnik, Dr. Stane Vlaj, Dr. Franc Grad, Dr. Albin Igličar, Dr. Miloš Senčur, Dr. Marjan Ravbar and Vilma Milunovič, M.A.
The round table will be held in the Slovenian language and moderated by Zijad Bećirović, M.A.
Attendance is free of charge. Please confirm your participation at telephone number (01) 430 15 33 or at ifimes@ifimes.org
Ljubljana, 13 October 2010
