Committee and Commisions for Inter-Community Relations as Instruments for Inter-Ethnic Dialogue in the Republic of Macedonia
Committee and Commisions for Inter-Community Relations as Instruments for Inter-Ethnic Dialogue in the Republic of Macedonia

Author(s): Renata Treneska-Deskoska
Subject(s): Inter-Ethnic Relations
Published by: Institut za uporedno pravo
Keywords: Ohrid Framework Agreement; inter-ethnic dialogue; committee; commission; local administration
Summary/Abstract: Eight years after delivering Ohrid Framework Agreement, inter-ethnic dialogue is still high on the national agenda in our country because the process of its building and promotion was subject to difficulties, conflict and setbacks. One of the formal instruments for inter-ethnic dialogue on central level provided in the 2001 Constitutional amendments was the Committee for Inter-Community Relations. The Committee should be a place for discussion of policies and promotion of policy ideas for good inter-ethnic relations, but during the whole period of the functioning of the Committee for Inter-Community Relations the political tensions from the Parliament were reflected in this body. It functioned as “little Parliament” and did not have strength to open debate on important issues which could had disturbed the relations between partners in the governmental coalition. As instruments for inter-ethnic dialogue on local level this paper analyses the commissions for inter-community relations. The structures of these commissions have been created to accompany all municipal work in order to institutionalize inter-ethnic dialogue and to function in a preventive rather than reactive manner. But even when they have to act in reactive manner, the problems of inter-ethnic character are directed to the local political leaders than to the commission. Practically even the local administration bypasses the commissions.

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