Sub-municipal entities: Slovenia. Irena Bačlija irena. baclija@fdv Sub-municipal entities: Slovenia Irena Bačlija irena.baclija@fdv.uni-lj.si Anja Grabner anjagrabner@gmail.com

Overview Municipalities in Slovenia can establish (or abolish) SME (stipulated in Law on local self-government, article 18) SMEs usually have sub-municipal councils, councillors are elected by citizens (alike municipal councils and on the same day) for 4 years mandate SME councils have mandate to advise, inform or by other means communicate (sub)local opinions/decisions to municipal council level (it is up to individual municipality on how binding those decisions are, or how they will be included into municipal decision-making) The municipal statute may to SMEs transfer duties which refer to (article 19b): • local public services • maintenance of local roads and other public surfaces • administration of property intended for the needs of local residents • promotion of cultural and other social activities Municipality may determine that SEM is „legal person“ (has own budget etc.) Research in 2012 (Grabner & Bačlija, 2012) concluded that 73 (out of then 210) municipalities have SME established (from 2 to 29 SME per municipality; from 9 to 34.340 inhabitants) – there is no official database on SMEs

Sub-decentralisation as a mechanism for overcoming territorial heterogeneity? As sub-decentralisation (intra municipal division with various stages of decentralised power) was already in the first Law on local self-government from 1994 (article 18), when municipal map was not drawn yet, it is unlikely that it was implemented as a tool for bridging the problem of territorial asymmetry – extreme heterogeneity of the size of the municipalities. To test this, there should be correlation between size of the municipality and the number of SMEs implemented + in bigger municipalities more powers should be vested in SMEs councils. Grabner & Bačlija (2012) have found: first, that there is a weak positive correlation between the municipality size and the number of sub-municipal entities (Pearson’s coefficient = 0,324). secondly, largest municipalities are not more likely to delegate more power to sub-municipal entities.

Why SMEs are being established? If there is no convincing evidence that SMEs are being established to enhance participation in bigger municipalities, what is then the primary cause? Anecdotal evidence implies linkage between entities from the Yugoslav times – when municipalities were constituted of „krajevne skupnosti“ (local communities), ironically the same term is now in use of SMEs. However identification of residents with „krajevne skupnosti“ was very high – thus could be that establishing SMEs (with name „krajevna kupnost“) today is a reminisce of self-identification era? This was to some extend tested (again Grabner & Bačlija 2012, also case study by Bačlija 2008) but not proven.

Research

TERRITORIAL ACCORDANCE WITH FORMER LOCAL COMMUNITIES The territorial accordance of present sub-municipal entities with former local communities MUNICIPALITY TERRITORIAL ACCORDANCE WITH FORMER LOCAL COMMUNITIES Celje Practically there has been perfect continuity all of the time regarding the territorial organization of the district and the community. Minor changes occured only due to changes in construction, important traffic route construction or other spatial changes.In 1995, when the reform of the commune system brought up to the division of municipality Celje into numerous municipalities, the urban municipality Celje had 19 local communities. Koper Kranj The majority of the area remains the same. In the time of local legislation changes after the independence some local communities (Naklo, Preddvor, Jezersko, Cerklje and Šenčur) became independent municipalities. Ljubljana When local communities in the area of the urban municipality of Ljubljana were abolished, there were 95 local communities. District communities were created at the area of more former local communities with minimal corrections of their borders. Maribor Murska Sobota Nova Gorica Very similar to before. Novo Mesto Ptuj District communities merge numerous former local communities. Slovenj Gradec Velenje

Reasons for establishing sub-municipal entities MUNICIPALITY THE REASON FOR THE BREAKDOWN ATTACHMENT TO FORMER LOCAL COMMUNITIES AS THE REASON FOR THE BREAKDOWN Celje The history of local communities reaches further than the earlier century and basically summarize the tradition of village self-government. The residents have a consciousness about »their« districts and communities, where they can fulfill their interests in a local environment more successfully. This definitely could be an important reason for the present state of things. Kranj The breakdown is made in accordance with the 50-year history of local community existence. Among others there is also this reason. Ljubljana In the area of the urban municipality Ljubljana, sub-municipal units in the form of district communities were formed as one of the ways of enacting the subsidiarity and decentralization principles. We believe that an important factor in the decision of the residents was also the attachment or the experience, based on the operation of local communities. Maribor To bring the public affairs decision-making process closer to the residents or to enable their easier participation in decision-making. Yes. The present sub-municipal entities are a consequence of merging former local communities. Nova Gorica In the transition to new municipalites the decision was made to form local communities and there was no need to abolish them ever since. Partly the reason lies in the size and geographical diversity of the municipality and due to fulfilling special common needs of residents in the area of individual settlements. Partly this was also the reason. Ptuj The municipality breakdown derives from the past, when local communities served as direct self-managing and there were even a larger number of them than the number of district communities today. The reason for municipality breakdown does not lie in the attachment of the residents, but in the systemic placement and the way of satisfying the local needs. Things were very different in the system of self-managing socialism. Today this represents a form of direct participation of community members in expressing their needs.