Page 224 - Proceeding 2015

FAMP SZABO Septimiu
CCASP DECENTRALIZATION DEVELOPMENTS IN ROMANIA AND POLAND SINCE 1990

unchanged. Between 1993 and 1997 the large cities were granted more responsibilities and functions

while the central government started a programme of deconcentration of tasks to the local level by
creating different agencies accountable to the government in Warsaw. Finally, a new Constitution was
enacted that stated that the territorial system of the country must ensure the decentralisation of public

power.

Between 1998 and 2003 a radical development is observed. Firstly, in 1999 Poland switched from a two-
tier to a three-tier territorial division composed of 2.489 municipalities, 308 counties and 16 regions, after

long and vivid public discussions (Dabrowski, 2008). Secondly, as of 2002 the citizens were given the
right to directly elect the mayors in their municipalities. Consequently, the trust in the local institutions
became higher as compared to the central government (Swianiewicz, 2001).

After the EU accession in 2004 the decentralisation process consolidated especially after the regional
governments were put in charge of managing the EU funds made available at the regional level although
conflicts over power and political influence between the different layers of government were still observed

(Regulski, 2010).

The current sub-national government system consists of three tiers incorporating 2.479 municipalities and PROCEEDINGS OF THE 11 TH ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ”Strategic Management for Local Communities” 30 th – 31 st October 2015 Bucharest
380 counties, out of which 66 are city counties, at the local level and 16 voivodeships at regional level. In

2005 the average population of a municipality was 15.528, the average population of county was 101.304
and the average population of voivodeship was 2.405.981 (Central Statistical Office, 2015). Municipalities

are responsible for all public issues of local significance, which have not been delegated by law to other
levels of government. Tasks not capable of being addressed at municipality level like high school level
education, healthcare or county-level infrastructure are attributed to the country level. At the regional level,
the voivode is the representative of the central government (similar to the prefect in Romania) coordinating

services like the police, the emergency services or the environmental protection while also supervising
the lower tiers of government. Some tasks of the governmental administration are delegated at the county

level under the coordination of the starosta. The design and implementation of regional development
programs and the maintenance of the technical infrastructure within the region are also within the
responsibilities devolved at the regional level (Ruano and Profiroiu, 2016).

In the past 25 years the size of sub-national public sector in Poland has expanded continuously. Initially
municipalities received an increasing number of tasks to perform but were not receiving enough financial
resources (Regulski 1999). Between the end of the 1990s and the end of the 2000s, expenditures at the

local level grew from 11% to 12.5 % of GDP.

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