BASIC GOALS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN CROATIA

1. BASIC GOALS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REFORM IN CROATIA Unit 10

2. Basic goals • Europeanisation • modernisation

3. Guiding principles • The rule of law • Principle of subsidiarity • Principle of transparency, etc.

4. Subsidiarity • A principle of EU introduced by Article 32 of the Maastricht Treaty: • in areas which do not fall within he exclusive competence of the EU, it shall not take action unless the objectives of the proposed action cannot be adequately achieved by individual member states.

5. Subsidiarity • provides for legislation at national level EU measures are not required.

6. Rule of law • 1. Laws must exist and should be obeyed by all, including government officials. • 2.    Laws must be published. 

7. Rule of law • 3.    Laws must be prospective in nature so that the effect of the law may only take place after the law has been passed (e.g. the court cannot convict a person of a crime committed before a criminal statute prohibiting the conduct was passed). 

8. Rule of law • 4.    Laws should be written with reasonable clarity to avoid unfair enforcement.

9. Rule of law • 5.    Law must avoid contradictions.   • 6.    Law must not command the impossible. 

10. Rule of law • 7.    Law must stay constant through time to allow the formalization of rules; it also must allow for timely revision when the underlying social and political circumstances have changed.  • 8.    Official action should be consistent with the declared rule. 

11. Weberian model of public administration • organized, • well-documented • impartial • ethical • professional • efficient

12. Traditional values of public administration • Democratic political values • Legal values • Social values

13. Democratic political values • Political legitimacy • Political accountability • Responsiveness to citizens’ interests and wishes • Publicness • Transparency of administration • Availability

14. Legal values • The rule of law • Legality • Legal scrutiny • Equality in administrative procedure

15. Legal values • Impartiality • Protection of human and citizens’ rights • Fair administrative procedures • Legal responsibility of public administration • Judicial supervision of public administration

16. Social values • Social justice, • solidarity, • Social sensitivity • Welfare • Compassion • Assistance, etc.

17. Economic values • Efficiency • Economy • Effectiveness

18. New values • Education, expertise and professionalism • Subsidiarity and decentralisation • Morality, impartiality and non-corruptness

19. New values • Quality of public services • Co-ordination, horizontal networking and computerization • Entrepreneurship, competitiveness and market orientation

20. Legal terms • Subsidiarity • Ovlasti djelovanja samo kad je ono uspješnije od djelovanja na nacionalnoj razini • Accountability • Odgovornost • Impartiality • nepristranost

21. Legal tems • Adjust • Prilagoditi • Adopt • Prihvatiti • Implement • Provesti, primijeniti, izvršiti

22. Legal terms • Availability • Raspoloživost, dostupnost • Legitimacy • zakonitost

23. Put the verbs in brackets into appropriate forms: • The Constitution of 1990 ___(introduce) the semi-presidential system based on the French model. From 1990 to 2001, public administration in Croatia ___(develop) in the • conditions of etatization, centralisation and politicisation of an authoritarian type. Besides • an ever-increasing number of civil servants, the characteristics of these period ___(be) an • insufficient level of professionalism of administrative personnel and politicization of • administrative services.

24. The space for administrative-technical principles, expertise and • professionalism ___(limit, passive). Democratic political values ___(repress, passive), while law ____(regard, passive) as the mere instrument of politics. The lack of co-ordination _____ (compensate) for by arbitrary, ad hoc political interventions. Political-administrative system ___(close, passive) and bureaucratised, imbued with the climate of secrecy

25. Key • The Constitution of 1990 introduced the semi-presidential system based on the French model. From 1990 to 2001, public administration in Croatia developed in the • conditions of etatization, centralisation and politicisation of an authoritarian type. Besides an ever-increasing number of civil servants, the characteristics of these period were an insufficient level of professionalism of administrative personnel and politicization of • administrative services. The space for administrative-technical principles, expertise and professionalism was limited.

26. Key • Democratic political values were repressed, while law was regarded as the mere instrument of politics. The lack of co-ordination was compensated • for by arbitrary, ad hoc political interventions. Political-administrative system was closed and bureaucratised, imbued with the climate of secrecy

27. Fill in the missing words: administrative, customs, executed, foreign, frequency, poorly, reform • Before the first significant ____ of the territorial ___system in 1993, the Croatian state administration had passed through a number of frequent changes and ___ conceived and ____reorganizations characterised by political voluntarism. The of ___such reorganisations was partly caused by the necessity of creating the new administrative organizations in a new State (___ affairs, defense, ___service, etc.).

28. central, civil, criteria, government’s, opposition, screening, socialist • The strong communes, inherited from ___Croatia either became the central ___obedient servants, or established themselves as the focal points of a strong___, even resistance to the ___ government. Rigorous ____ took place in the ranks of the state and local ___servants and personnel in the public services based on political, national and similar ___.

29. Key • Before the first significant reform of the territorial administrative system in 1993, • the Croatian state administration had passed through a number of frequent changes and • poorly conceived and executed reorganizations characterised by political voluntarism. • The frequency of such reorganisations was partly caused by the necessity of creating the • new administrative organizations in a new State (foreign affairs, defense, customs • service, etc.).

30. Key • The strong communes, inherited from socialist Croatia either became the central government’s obedient servants, or established themselves as the focal points of a strong opposition, even resistance to the central government. Rigorous screening took place in the ranks of the state and local civil servants and personnel in the public services based on political, national and similar criteria.

31. central considerably Constitution, constitutional decentralisation local self-government • The Revisions of the ___of 2000 (NN 41/01) marked the beginning of the ___process. The new ___provisions meant a radical turn: they___ constrained the powers of the ___ government by granting citizens the • right to local and regional ___, and by accepting the concept of ___self government as a counterbalance to the central government.

32. Charter, legislature, public ratification, regional, subsidiarity, transferred • The Croatian ___began to harmonize the relevant provisions of the domestic law with the European ___of Local Self-Government more than three years after its ___. The Constitution ___the responsibility for certain groups of ___ affairs to local and regional units as a real substratum of the citizens’ right to local and __self-government and accepted the principle of ___and solidarity

33. Key • The Revisions of the Constitution of 2000 (NN 41/01) marked the beginning of the decentralisation process. The new constitutional provisions meant a radical turn: they considerably constrained the powers of the central government by granting citizens the • right to local and regional self-government, and by accepting the concept of local self government as a counterbalance to the central government.

34. Key • The Croatian legislature began to harmonize the relevant provisions of the domestic law with the European Charter of Local Self-Government more than three years after its ratification. The Constitution transferred the responsibility for certain groups of public affairs to local and regional units as a real substratum of the citizens’ right to local and regional • self-government and accepted the principle of subsidiarity and solidarity