Local Government Local Government Interest-Interest-
Representation in Representation in HungaryHungary
Starting years- 1989
Part of the transformation of the political system
1989 – Act on Merger= a possibilityCreation of the Hungarian National
Association of Local Government Councils, 10 March – from 1991 new name: Hungarian National Association of Local Authorities (TÖOSZ)
Creation of the Hungarian Village Association (MFSZ),11 October.
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Starting years- 199030 September 1990- free local
government elections Every municipality is an
independent local governmentRight to local governance is a
constitutional basic right The Constitution and the Act on
Local Governments provide for the right to create local government associations
No separate regulation concerning associations
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Starting years– 1990-91Association of Hungarian Local Governments
and Local Government Representatives, from 18 November– new name from 1991 Association of Hungarian Local Governments (MÖSZ)
National Association of Small Cities (KÖOÉSZ), 22 November
Association of Communes (KÖSZ) created, November 24 – from 2002-től new name: National Local Government Association of Communes, Small municipalities and Micro-Regions
National Association of Towns with county rank (MJVSZ), 19 December
National Association of County Local Governments (MÖOSZ), 17 March 1991.
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System of the seven associationSystem of the seven associationss
A/ Based on types of local governments-MÖOSZ – all 19 counties -MJVSZ – all 23 towns with county rank KÖOÉSZ – small towns -KÖSZ – communes (later on small towns and micro-regions)-MFSZ – villages-B/ Integrative associations (containing representatives of all local governments):-MÖSZ – small and large communes, small and big towns, capital districts -TÖOSZ– small and large communes, capital districts, capital, counties small and large towns, TÖOSZ is the largest association with around 1600 members – half of all local governments - presently number of all local governments is 3168
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Attempts at integration 1Attempts at integration 1Council of Local Government
Associations (ÖSZT) –31 May 1996. The ÖSZT coordinated the cooperation
of the 7 associations between 1996-1999.
Member organizations kept their independence and legal personality and created a joint organization of separate legal personality to handle common issues.
ÖSZT became unable to operate as all decisions required unanimity.
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Attempts at integration 2Attempts at integration 2 After the termination of ÖSZT, 5
associations created the Umbrella Association of Local Governments in September, 1999 MJVSZ; MÖOSZ; KÖSZ; a KÖOÉSZ and MFSZ
MÖSZT did not include TÖOSZ and MÖSZ
MÖSZT could not integrate its member organizations and was unable to represent their interests in a unified way
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Attempts at cooperationAttempts at cooperationLocal Government negotiating forum– 2000 -2003
Division of work among the organizationsHungarian Association of Towns (MVSZ) – common
organization of MJVSZ and KÖOÉSZ 2003 – terminated
Consultative Council of Local Government Associations– 2009
An organization providing a basis for negotiations with the central government
Protest of municipalities in front of the Parliament on 10 October 2009. - 12 point agenda
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Double representation 1994 - 2014Double representation 1994 - 2014For the last twenty years the profession of mayors was
not incompatible with the role of the Member of Parliament
The proportion of the local government leaders in Parliament increased in each political cycle– in 2014, 27%
Instead of commonly agreed upon interest-representation, individual lobbying
Determining role of big town and capital lobbying Party politics overrode local government interestsFrom the autumn of 2014, MP and mayor position
incompatible
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Cooperation without prescribed Cooperation without prescribed regulationregulation
1990 -94 Ministry of Interior is the negotiating partner, occasional negotiations
1994 – 98 Principal partner the Ministry of Interior, occasional
1998 – 2002 Prime Minister’s Office, leading partner, regular negotiations 2002 – 2006 Principal partner, Ministry of Interior, occasional negotiations
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Regulated cooperationRegulated cooperationGovernment and Local Government Negotiating
forum (KÖEF) – 2006 – 2009Based on parity composition – governmental decree- Seven national local government associations- Seven governmental partner - Co-president from the local government side - Ministry of Interior, determining role - Strategic questions- Discussion of annual budget - Working committees
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Local governments with new rolesLocal governments with new rolesThe Constitution does not include anymore the right to
local governanceState predominance in cases of many tasksVulnerable financial situation Local government self-sustainability Community participation
From 2011, new 8th Association, :
Association of Budapest Local Governments (BÖSZ)
- At the beginning without the capital, only the districts
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Principal changes - 1Principal changes - 1New roles of the State
Re-division of tasks and powers – increasing role of the state in public service provision
Monopolization /Transfer of public education, schools to state (Klebelsberg Institution - Maintenance Centre)
– at municipalities under 3 000 inhabitants, state is the maintainer and operator of schools
- at municipalities over 3 000 inhabitants state is the maintainer and the local government is the operator of schools
Partial nationalization of health care
- Nationalization of municipal hospitals, termination of the business organization form
- Mixed maintenance of institutions dealing with outpatient-care
Basic health care services and on-call medical services remain local government tasks
Principal Changes - 2Principal Changes - 2
Organization of state public administration into district offfices
- Small part of the regulatory tasks of notaries were transferred to district offices
Termination of local government offices of small municipalities (under 2000 people)
- Local government offices continue to undertake public administrational official tasks
- Addressee of the power related to privileged first degree construction issues is the Notary of the District Center Town
New division of tasks: – mayor – deputy-mayor– notary Refinement of task-financing and division of resources Strong state supervision from 2012 Limitation on taking up loans from 2012, further restrictions
from 2013 Local Government Debt Consolidation 2012-2013.
Principal effects on small Principal effects on small municipalitiesmunicipalities Small municipalities lost their most important
institutions - primary schools
- mayors’ offices / district notaries Empty districts of general doctors – financial
problems of on the call medical service They are unable to finance their voluntary tasks from
their budget Distancing of EU development funds / overweight of
the „large” ones Lack of professional support / depreciation of the post
of the mayor Public employment becomes a focus Absence of the promotion of co-operations Impoverishment of small municipalities
New organization and new approach (Hungarian Act on Local Governments)
6. § In the course of its task-provision the local government:a) supports the self-organizing communities of the population, cooperates with these communities, provides for wide-range citizen participation in local public affairs;b) Strengthens the self- sustainability of the municipality, assesses its possibilities and profits from its own resources;c) Based on the authorization of law – in its decree it may bind the use of certain public services to prescribed conditions.
Possibilities of Local GovernmentsPossibilities of Local Governments
Realization of Subsidiarity Organization of micro-regions within the districts Cooperation, partnership, inter-municipal cooperation New types of local government offices and roles Strengthening of partnership between the state and
the local governments and the local governments themselves
Protection of local government property
New regulated cooperationNew regulated cooperationNational Cooperation Forum of Local Governments
(ÖNEF) – 2011 - 2 formal meetings National Cooperation Council of Local Governments
(ÖNET) – from 2012 two annual meetingsThe conditions of national local government
associations are regulated by law – 5 different types of associations (counties, town with county rank, towns, others – e.g. TÖOSZ
From summer 2014 better relationship based on partnership with the government
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Renewal of the negotiating systemRenewal of the negotiating system As part of the MANORKA project financed by the EEA
and Norway Grants Renewal of the ÖNET in a separate working group in
which all the eight national associations participate From the governmental side, responsible partner:
Ministry of Interior Also participates in the common work:- Ministry of National Economy (NGM)- Prime Minister’s Office (ME)- Ministry of Human Resources (EMMI)- Hungarian State Treasury (MÁK)- Trade Union of Hungarian Civil Servants and Public
Employees (MKKSZ) Planned signature of Memorandum: 30 September,
2015.
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