Transcript Le pouvoir local en Lettonie

Local self-government
in Latvia
Latvijas Republika

Area : 64589 km²

Population: 2 310 000 inhabitants

Density: 35.7 inhabitants/km²

Capital-city: Riga
Territorial organization
A Unitary state divided into
 4 provinces:
- Vizdeme
- Zemgale
- Kurzeme
- Latgale
 2 types of local authorities:
- 530 communes (pasvaldiba)
- 26 districts (rajons)
Institutional organization:
national, regional and local levels
national
level
regional
level
local
level
 unicameral parliament (‘Saeima’, legislative power)
 President of the Republic
 Government (executive power) = Prime Minister, vice-Prime Ministers, ministers
 State Audit Committee
 Constitutional Court (judicial power),
 three-levelled judicial system, judges are appointed by Parliament
 26 districts (‘rajons’) with a district council, a council president.
 Ministry for Regional Development and Local Authorities,
State audit committee
 7 urban areas
 530 municipalities :
- 7 agglomerations (‘Republikas pilseta’)
- 53 cities (‘pilseta’)
- 444 parishes (‘pagasts’)
- 26 areas (‘novads’)
 Ministry for regional development and local authorities, State audit committee
Decentralization process
 1994 Act on local authorities
 Completed by:
- 1995 and 1998 Acts on financial equalisation
- 2001 Act on delegation of public services
- 2002 Act on local budgets
 1998 Reform Act on territorial division
 Regionalization is still being discussed
Local Government
in Latvia
1. Local government system
1.1. Local government law
1.2. Local government
organisation
2. Local policies
2. 1. Responsibilities
2. 2. Means
1. 1. Local Government Law
 Constitution of the Republic of Latvia: 1922
(articles 25 and 101)
 1994 Act on Local Government
 European Charter of Local Self-Government
(1985)
 Local authorities regulate by decrees
1. 2. Local Government Organisation
1. 2. 1. How local representatives are designated
1. 2. 2. Their duties
1. 2. 3. Their status
1. 2. 4. How they are controlled
1. 2. 1. How local representatives
are elected or appointed ?
Councillors
Council president and
vice-president
Chief-Executive
- Municipal council:
Direct universal suffrage, proportional list
system
- District council:
Indirect suffrage (presidents of the
municipal councils)
Elected at a majority-vote, within the
council
- Municipal council:
appointed at a majority-vote by the
council, after the council president
proposes names
- District council:
No specific body, president and vicepresident are in charge of the executive
power
1. 2. 2. Local representatives’ duties
Council
members
- to attend the Council and the committees meetings
- to control that the council’s decisions are enacted
- to assess citizens’ complaints and requests (within one
month)
Council
president
- manages the work of the deliberative body
- coordinates the agenda of the commissions
- is the link between central government and local authorities
- represents the council before courts
Chief of the
executive
- controls that the council’s rules and decisions are enacted
- heads the managers of the local authority’s departments
- makes recommendations to the council regarding illegal or
unnecessary decisions that may be taken by the local
authority's organs
1. 2. 3. Local representatives’ status
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Eligibility requirements
Loss of rights
Incompatibility
Accumulation of mandates
1. 2. 4. Controlling local representatives
2 types of control:
 Legal control by the Minister for Regional
Development and Local Authorities
 Financial control stated by:
- 1994 Act on local authorities
- 1998 Act on local and regional financial
stability
2. Local public policies
2. 1. Local government responsibilities
2. 2. Local government means
2. 1. Local authorities’
responsabilities
Skills
Communes
Districts
Law and order
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Urbanism
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Water and wastewater
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Household waste
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Civil status
Energy distribution
Transport
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Road network
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Green spaces
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Housing
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Health
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Social services
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Education
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Culture
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Sport and leisure
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Economic development
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2. 2. Local authorities’
means
2. 2. 1. Human resources
2. 2. 2. Financial resources
2. 2. 1. Human Resources
 Local and Regional Government Act : Only the
council decides upon its structure, staff and
salaries
 The national civil service status is not for local
and regional government staff, only for central
government staff.
 Local government staff are usually contacted
out (under public law contracts)
2. 2. 2. Financial resources
2. 2. 2. 1. Local revenues
2. 2. 2. 2. Local expenditure
2. 2. 2. 1. Local revenues
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Own fiscal revenues
Devolved fiscal revenues
General and specific subsidies
Local loan
2. 2. 2. 2. Local expenditure
 In 2007, local expenditure
accounted for 1300 million Euros =
562 Euros per citizen
 In 2002, the largest portion of local
expenditure was dedicated to
education
 Today, the largest portion is for law
and order (533 millions Euros) and
health (310 millions Euros)
Financial index
Local public expenditure / GDP
9.5%
Local public expenditure / Total
public expenditure
26.5%
Public capital spending / GDP
0.8%
Public capital spending / Total
capital spending
8.8%