The financial crisis has been ongoing from beginning of year 2008 and we still have not reached a point of recovery throughout the European Union. Many European countries, such as Greece, Portugal, ...Ireland, Spain and Cyprus, received the financial help of international organisations (notably the International Monetary Fund, the European Central bank and the European Commission). Taking into account the public interest as the ultimate goal and objective of the system-wide reforms arising from the start from the financial institutions, namely banks and other financial institutions, it is important to analyse whether the wide economic and social reforms which are still reshaping the democratic setup of these countries really met the public interest objectives. Thus, this article deals with first and foremost the definition of public interest in financial services.
Despite the clearly specified conditions laid down in the Slovenian Local Self-Government Act, both in theory and practice, the question often arises whether or not the Slovene municipalities are ...able to perform original tasks. In this regard, it must be noted that the local communities, i.e., municipalities and wider self-governing local communities, are not formed on the basis of certain criteria of rationality according to which it would be possible to prejudge whether or not they are capable of performing the tasks that they must perform, namely, the local public services. Today's municipalities are mostly the result of the historical development, traditions, political compromises, geographical and other factors that have nothing to do with the criteria of rationality with regard to the tasks and needs they must carry out and satisfy. Due to a large number of relatively weak local communities in Slovenia, the cooperation between them is important in carrying out the functions that are common to municipalities, to the state or to the EU. It is about public-public partnerships where local communities can play a key role because they know the needs of the local population.
KEYWORDS: • local authorities • local self-government • joint tasks public-public partnership • Slovenia
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