Problems with decentralisation of power – between the constitutional principles and reality

Analiziraju se poslovi jedinica lokalne i područne (regionalne) samouprave od uspostave novog sustava lokalne samouprave u Hrvatskoj 1993. do danas. Naglasak je na analizi ustavnog uređenja samoupravnog djelokruga, ustavnih načela obavljanja lokalnih poslova, odnosa hrvatske pravne regulacije naspram Europske povelje o lokalnoj samoupravi te na realizaciji samoupravnog djelokruga u praksi lokalnih jedinica. Problemi s lokalnim poslovima su mnogostruki i ozbiljni, a pretpostavke za početak njihova rješavanja zahtjevne. Temeljni su problemi pravni: pretjerana i nedosljedna regulacija poslova, naročito tzv. decentraliziranih funkcija, nejednaki pristupi već ovisno o zamislima pisaca zakonskih prijedloga iz različitih ministarstava, nepoznavanje ustavne koncepcije lokalne i područne (regionalne) samouprave i standarda Europske povelje, ali i slaba ustavnosudska zaštita pozicije lokalne samouprave.Local public affairs in Croatia in the period after the establishment of the new system of local self-government in 1993 have been analysed in the paper. Several issues have been taken into close consideration: constitutional regulation of local self-government scope of affairs, constitutional principles of performing local affairs, harmonisation of the Croatian legal regulation with the European Charter of Local Self-Government, and performance of local affairs in local governments’ practice. There are many complex problems with local scope and the preconditions for solving them are unfavourable. The basic problems are of legal nature – too detailed and inconclusive legal regulation, especially in the group of so-called decentralised functions (functions decentralised in the 2001 reform), unequal approaches in different sectors because of various approaches of different ministries, low level of familiarity with the constitutional concept of local self-government and with the standards from the European Charter of Local Self-Government, weak constitutional protection of local autonomy, etc. More robust decentralisation depends on the possible change of the constitutional concept of local and regional self-government and of the main roles of local and regional units. Certain proposals in that regard have been elaborated in the paper