Teritorijalna organizacija lokalne i regionalne samouprave koja je postojala u Hrvatskoj omogućila je centralističko upravljanje javnim poslovima. Analizira se stanje u pogledu položaja općina, ...gradova i županija i predlažu osnovni pravci reforme teritorijalne organizacije. Posebno se obrazlažu položaj i osnovni sistemski problemi upravljanja Gradom Zagrebom te predlažu moguća poboljšanja.
Na temelju Europske povelje o lokalnoj samoupravi i važećih hrvatskih pravnih propisa, na temelju podataka i ocjena o stanju hrvatske lokalne samouprave, kao i na temelju relevantnih komparativnih ...iskustava, u radu se predlažu moguća nova ustavna i zakonska rješenja. Prijedlozi se uglavnom odnose na proširenje djelokruga lokalnih samoupravnih jedinica te na sužavanje središnjeg državnog nadzora nad lokalnom samoupravom.
In the functioning of the locai self-government the township of Opatija faces the Problems common to the locai self-government units, which arisc fwm the incomplete and contradictory legal solutions. ...The self-government jurisdiction o f the townships and municipalities has been generally defined by the Articles 13 and 14 o f the Locai Self-government and Administration Act. It has been clear from the provisions o f the legislation by wkich the local services are delivered in the townships and municipalities, regardlcss o f their economic strength, that only in the less mimerons instances the right o f locai self-government unite for regulate and administer the substantial part ot the public business witht heir authority complete and encircled is at stake ( tasks from the area of communal services and a part o f social services), yvhile the other tasks appear sporadically and have no special significarne forfulfillment o f the needs of the locai citizenship. In the relatively small units o f locai self-government, taking into account a size, a population and the economie strength, which are notable even to collect the necessary revenues to ensure a delivery o f even this narmved self-government competencies and do not have the skilled and trained cadres, an accomplishment o f the tasks of the locai self-government units o f a required quality is made very difficult. The model of enumeration in defining the locai tasks and the tied principle o f a presumptive competence in favor o f the centrai authorities have left to the locai self- -govemment a negligible scope oftruly essential locai tasks and often even witbout the resources needed to perform the tasks and without the mechanisms o f an efficient control over the application o f the rules and regulations which regulate the defined questions from the self-government jurisdiction. The experiences in functioning o f locai self-government demonstrated a distrust of the central govemment towards locai self-government, which has often been treated as “an alien body" which must be kepi under the constant surveillance, but not as a fundament o f the democratie System, on whose levai the local; needs o f citizens are being fulfilled in the most immediate manner, as well as their participation in a regulation and administration ofthe substantial public business o f a local significance. Incompleteness and contradictions o f the particular legal solutions are not a resuit o f accidents, but make an undesired tendency. Tbere is no doubt that the certain normative solutions o f the local self-government depart from the acceptance o f the fundamental and necessarily bounding principies and institutions o f the European Charter on Self-government and Administration, but in order to fully implement the constitutional right ofcitizens on local self-government, it would be needed to accommodate the legislation to the provisions of the European Charter, which prefer that the public authority belong to the authorities which are the closest to citizens, and that the competencies given to the local self-government unit be complete and full, while their performance must not be disabled or restricted by some other central or regional authority. Such an approach would adivate the local initiative and increase the efficiency inperforming the tasks, while strengthening a confidence o f citizens into the strength of local self-government. In any case, if devolving a new competencies to the units of local self-government the sources o f financing should be provided for, which would in tum fully fulfill the repuirements o f the Section 2 o f the Article 9 of the European Charter on Local Self-government. The changes of the legislation regulating local self-government should be approached entirely, thus in the parts related to the organization, jurisdiction, financing and the rights o f the employees, since the fragmented approach would lead to a nerv disharmonies.
During the closing years of the 20th Century the relation of the city of Zagreb towards its environment varied. The various territorial divisions and the various political and legal conditions did ...not favor a cohesion within the urban whole and a development of the city as the Croatian metropolis. By the Statute on the City of Zagreb of 1992, which defined a double statute of Zagreb (a city and a county) its autonomy was significantly restricted, as well as the rights and the authority in relation to the other cities in the Republic. As a county Zagreb received the administrative com- petencies of a county, which it performs in accordance and under the oversight of the state administration (the Government and the ministries). The authority of the city is centralized in the City administration board and the person of the mayor. The responsibility of the mayor and the City administration board for a performance ofthe competencies and thè tasks ofthe state administration, even those from the self-government authority of the City assembly, is dire eted towards the Government and the ministries. The Government might replace the mayor, with no right of appeal, if he did not apply its ordi- nances and directives. The state oversight over the work ofthe City Assembly and its bodies, as well as over the administrative bodies established by it, is comprehensive and not exhausted only in a control oflegality (as in other townships).Such a position 0/ thè local self-government in thè City of Zagreb has not brought a ne ed for a division onto lower units of locai self-government (city quarters and neighborhood boards) so that those institutions bave not been established at all. Also, during thè last seven years nor thè form of a direct citizens’ decision-making were not employed, although there have occurred occasions for such decisions or at least for a confirmation of some proposais ofthe City assembly. The relation of thè City of Zagreb to the County of Zagreb has been for- mally ordered by the Statute on the City of Zagreb. However, besides to a formai meetings, there had not been common actions, notwithstanding a great number of questions of a common interest which should have been solved. In a way of conclusion, for the City of Zagreb a new statute should be passed, which would be grounded on the democratie tradition as well as on an analysis and the expert evaluation of the significance of the previous experiments. The new statute should fully legalize the principles of the European Charter on Local Self-government and skillfully implement the experiences of the administrations of the European metropolitan cities onto the reality and developmental needs o tthe city of Zagreb as the Croatian metropolis. Such the ambitions should guide the bodies of the City assembly while elaborating a proper statute of the City of Zagreb.
Glavni problemi uprave Hrvatske su rast uprave i povećanje složenosti zadataka koje ona ima, a osnovne prepreke reformi su koncentracija političke moći uz istovremeni gubitak legitimiteta. Autor se ...zalaže za postupne i pripremljene promjene.
U radu autor polazi od teze - demokratskog društva nema bez razvijene lokalne samouprave, a njena suština je u kvalitetnom artikuliranju i primjenjivanju načela supsidijarnosti.
Kao okviri aktualne decentralizacije u Hrvatskoj naznačuju se opće karakteristike upravnih reformi u tranzicijskim zemljama, kontinentalnim zemljama Zapadne Europe i u anglosaksonskim zemljama. U ...Hrvatskoj je u razdoblju 1992- -2001. iskušan sustav “lokalne samouprave i uprave”, u kojem su lokalne jedinice bile shvaćane uglavnom kao produžena ruka središnje vlasti i uprave. To je dovelo do niza štetnih učinaka. Promjenama Ustava iz 2000. te novim zakonom iz 2001. započelo je oblikovanje sustava "lokalne i područne (regionalne) samouprave”. Nova je pravna regulacija proširila autonomiju lokalne samouprave i stvorila povoljne temelje procesa decentralizacije. Međutim, početkom 2002, politička podrška decentralizaciji slabi, Nema vizije institucionalnog ustrojstva države u dugoročnoj perspektivi, pa zbog toga ni kvalitetne strategije razvoja javne uprave. Nema promišljene politike i razrađenog plana decentralizacije. Neizvjesnost upogledu upravljanja decentralizacijom može usporiti i dovesti u pitanje čitav proces, kao i njegove učinke.
Predstavnička tijela jedinica lokalne samouprave - općina i gradova - donose u samoupravnom i prenesenom djelokrugu općenormativne akte i druge opće akte. U radu se kritički razmatraju raznovrsni ...oblici nadzora ustavnosti i zakonitosti tih akata de lege lata - nadzor koji se provodi unutar jedinice lokalne samouprave, državni nadzor (predstojnika ureda državne uprave u županiji, središnjeg tijela države uprave i Vlade Republike Hrvatske), sudska kontrola putem ekscep- cije nezakonitosti te postupak i ovlasti Ustavnog suda Republike Hrvatske u ocjeni ustavnosti i zakonitost osporenog akta. Razmatra se i ostvarivanje zakonom uređenog sustava nadzora u praksi te daju prijedlozi za njegovo bolje pravno reguliranje i djelovanje.
