The decentralization process in Macedonia
The decentralization process in Macedonia

Summary/Abstract: Republic of Macedonia was regarded as one of the most centralized countries in Europe and through the 1990s the government in Macedonia tried to keep centralized control on the municipalities. There were 134 small municipalities, with no essential prerogatives and no intermediary level between them and the central government. But in practice the central government had little or no control over the territories populated with ethic Albanians. As a result of centralized governance, the local authorities were with limited capacity to address the social, economic, infrastructure needs of local communities. The reforms of the system of local self-government that started in 1999 were a necessity for the further development of democracy in the country and an integral part of the overall process of public administration reform. We can define decentralization as a process of transferring power to popularly elected governments. Transferring power means providing local governments with political authority, increase financial resources and more administrative responsibilities123. There is an effective decentralization when the local government and the communities gain the authority, resources and skills to make responsive choices and to act on them effectively and accountably. Civil society organizations and individual citizens need to take responsibility, participate in the work of the communities, assist in the implementation of their decisions and monitor their effectiveness. The reforms and the process of decentralization in Macedonia started with the singing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement in 2001.

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