Key guidelines for the development and functioning of cities and municipalities in Serbia

Bakó, Tamás and Rácz, Szilárd (2020) Key guidelines for the development and functioning of cities and municipalities in Serbia. In: 7th CERS Conference, 9-11 Oct 2019, Sopron.

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Abstract

In the period of socialism (until 1990), municipalities owned larger amounts of funds, more jobs and responsibilities were entrusted to them, and a higher degree of intermunicipal cooperation was achieved. Public service and services were more accessible to citizens. The turning point in the development of cities and municipalities in Serbia was the period between 1990–2000. During this decade, a strong centralization of the authorities, taking over the competencies of the municipalities and transferring them to the city and state levels were carried out. In this way, cities and municipalities lost their role and the character they had built in the socialist era. We can conclude that in the 21st century, through the activities of city authorities and public companies, a high degree of centralization and state management of cities and municipalities is achieved. Most of the work at the municipal and city level is done by the public sector. There is a lack of cooperation and dialogue between the institutional and noninstitutional environments. This means that the dialogue between city government and citizens is on low level. In the period of socialism, industrial zones and green spaces were envisaged and represented much more by urban plans. Since 2000, with the aim of stimulating business and urban development, more and more areas have been earmarked for the construction of business premises and shopping centers.

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