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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Decentralisation of power prerequisite for local development

Kragujevac, 15 May 2006

Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Zoran Loncar said in Kragujevac that the government's strategic goal is decentralisation of power because that is a prerequisite for local development and democracy.

Speaking at a seminar called "Decentralisation of Serbia - Problems and Prospects" held yesterday, Loncar said that the answer to the question of decentralisation and organisation of the local self-government will be given in Serbia's new constitution, because in the existing one "the framework for the local self-government" is too narrow.

He pointed out that Serbia, apart from normative, needs fiscal decentralisation as well, with clearly earmarked funds for cities and municipalities, adding that the existing Law on local self-government should also be amended.

According to Loncar, this law which was passed by the previous government and implemented by the present one, has transferred a part of responsibility to cities and municipalities, but in practice a great number of those competencies cannot be implemented due to lack of funds.

At the meeting, organised by the research information centre "Nova Politicka Misao", the Centre for Development of Local Self-Government and the city of Kragujevac, it was concluded that decentralisation, as the essential question of Serbia's democratisation, must also entail demetropolisation.