20 Years of European Charter of Local Self-Government in Slovenia

Present work presents an overview and evaluation of twenty years of development of Slovenian local self-government under European Charter of Local Self-Government (ECLSG). Value-added of the work lies in its multidisciplinarity since development is elaborated in its legal, political and economic perspective. Initially, the broader European context of ECLSG is presented, i.e. the process of its ratification in the perspective of time, space and content. This overview is followed by analysis of conformity of Slovenian constitution with the ECLSG. This analysis is followed by analysis of the legal regulation of Slovenian local self-government, with emphasis on three systemic laws – on local self-government, local elections, and local finances. Political analysis deals with principles of participation and autonomy and economic analysis with local public services governance issues, especially with the relationship between managerial autonomy and political accountability. The last chapter is devoted to financial issues of Slovenian municipalities. It evaluates the system of local finances in terms of principles of ECLSG and theory of fiscal decentralization.