"Bridge of Arta" the reform of Local Government

CEB1 91 News, Local Government
CEB1 877 News, Local Government

The effort for the reform of the Local Self-Government looks like a road without a final destination. Many changes, huge gaps and uncertainties, compose a scenario of uncertainty regarding the final completion of this reform.

The part of the reform that concerns the District Complexes, or as they are now called, Provincial Local Government Organizations, seems to be progressing at a faster pace. The aim is to unify various sectors and responsibilities that until now were scattered at the provincial level (Water Supply, Sewerage, Solid Waste, Urban and other permits).

The change of name from Provincial Complexes to Provincial Local Government Organizations was carried out by the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs, in an effort to highlight the technocratic and technical role that this institution will have.

Currently, the specific bill is in the Secretariat of the Parliament to undergo legislative elaboration.

At the same time, the specific bill has been sent to the Ministry of Interior, for the reason that many of its provisions refer to regulations, which have not yet been specified by the Ministry. The Committee on Home Affairs asked the Ministry to return to the basic regulations by mid-March.

The Ministry of Interior in turn assures that it will have the basic regulations ready and will send them to the Parliament, within the agreed schedule.

Once the specific regulations have been tabled, the Home Affairs Committee will meet again for further discussion on this issue.

According to the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs, Eleni Mavrou, if everything goes smoothly, the Provincial Local Government Organizations will be able to be put into operation in less than two years.

Thorns in the process are the mergers of Municipalities-Communities

The main problem on the road to reform is the process and criteria by which mergers, agglomerations, abolitions, communities and municipalities will take place.

The bill that concerns this part, has been sent back to the Ministry because the gaps that were observed and the sloppiness with which it was structured and sent to Parliament for discussion, did not leave room to reach a conclusion on this issue. The bill was deemed deficient, as it was not accompanied by specific details in relation to the criteria that will govern the mergers of municipalities.

With this as a given, it is understood that no progress has been made on the point of merging municipalities, a point that is the most substantial and multifaceted process in the whole reform promoted by the Government.

The work that remains to be done at a technocratic level by the Ministry is a lot and important for the final outcome in relation to this bill. The deadline given for this point by the Parliament is until June, something that in no way prejudges the subsequent positive outcome.

There is also a difficulty in when and how the implementation of the merger of the Municipalities will start, if we consider that only last December we had municipal elections and the term of the existing mayors and municipal councils ends in five years.

It should be noted that if the bill is re-submitted to Parliament in June, then a possible debate will be referred to the unexpected for September, a period that will not favor final decisions and radical solutions, due to the election campaign that will begin at that time. the 2018 presidential elections.

These developments do not leave much room for optimism, in relation to the immediate promotion and completion of the reform by the Government and Parliament, let alone for its implementation in practice in the coming years.

Source: Sigma Live News