A permanent dialogue between Croatia's national government and its local and regional authorities was established in 2009, notably thanks to a campaign led by the Croatian County Association.

 

In the past,.the national level would rarely ever consult the decentralised levels of government. Now however, state level authorities are increasingly willing to take into account the Croatian County Association's viewpoints and that of the counties it represents, especially with regards to the process of decentralisation currently underway in Croatia.

 

This open dialogue between Croatia's different levels of government mirrors the European debate on establishing a reinforced partnership between local and regional authorities in Europe and the European institutions, as stipulated in the Lisbon Treaty.

 

In this context, the President of the Croatian County Association and Prefect of the Vukovarsko-Srijemska County, Božo Galic, stated that 'there is a prevailing conviction amongst our county prefects that national identity will be preserved, and even magnified, after Croatia's adhesion to the European Union, notably because of the Union's strength but also because of how the European institutions have evolved. This evolution has made the institutions more aware and respectful of individual local, regional and national identities."

 

Croatian regional authorities and CEMR

The Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) has one Croatian member association, the Croatian County Association (HZŽ-CCA).

Founded in 2003, the Croatian County Association hopes to establish and maintain an institutional cooperation between Croatia's counties, notably through the provision of a platform for the exchange of experiences. The association also strives to harmonise viewpoints pertaining to the development of local and regional self-government vis-à-vis the national level.

 

All of Croatia's counties are a member of the association, each of which is represented by three members.

Local and regional government in Croatia

 

Croatia is a unitary state composed of 429 municipalities, 106 towns, 21 cities (grad) and 21 counties (županija).

 

More information on local and regional authorities in Croatia

 

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