Macedonia (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) Unitary state

Reforms

For the past several years, the country has witnessed a strengthening of local selfgovernment, as demonstrated by decentralisation movements in favour of the municipalities.

Changes in legislation occur regularly, according to the needs as expressed by the municipalities. Thus, local governments were recently entrusted with more significant competences linked to spatial and town planning. This commitment to a greater decentralisation of powers is mainly the result of the obligations taken on by the country as a candidate for accession to the European Union.

The awarding of these new competences was followed by more substantial financial transfers being made to the country’s municipalities. There are also plans to improve the financial autonomy of local governments. Moreover, these new competences also triggered a major reorganisation of services, which managed to increase the efficiency of local administrations.

Several software applications have been provided to the municipalities in order to increase the transparency and the efficiency in the implementation of the transferred competences.

Good working relations exist between the national association of local governments and the government and legislative proposals are to be submitted for prior approval.

Local self-government in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia:

According to an opinion expressed by the Council of Europe’s Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in 2012, while improvements can still be made in terms of local self-government, the progress already achieved is significant and complies with the spirit of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. Furthermore, the economic and financial crisis does not seem to have had any undue effect on the country’s local governments.

KEY REFORMS

• 1976: Skopje, the capital and biggest city, is divided into five special-status municipalities because it was too populous to be a single municipality.
• 1991: the Republic of Macedonia declares independence and drafts a constitution: the Yugoslav system is retained, along with Skopje’s special status.
• 2004: new local administration reform act, cutting the number of municipalities from 123 to 84.
• 2013: the small municipalities of Drougovo, Oslomeï, Vranechtitsa and Zaïas are merged with Kitchevo, bringing the total number down to 82.