Local Government Local Government Interest-Interest-

Representation in Representation in HungaryHungary

I.Creation

1989 – 1990 - 1991

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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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II.Cooperation of

Associations1990 - 2010

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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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III.Interest-negotiation with

the governments 1990 - 2010

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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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IV.Present situation

From 2010

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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.

Thank you for the attention!