Challenges for the Local Governance in the Republic of Kosovo

Abstract

This paper will deal with the challenges of local government in Kosovo from the time of international administration of UNMIK (after the end of the war) up to the construction of democratic decentralized system of local government, difficulties of political changes and human and financial resources. After the war ended in 1999, Kosovo was placed under international administration. Kosovo was faced with multiple challenges such as poor economy, transformation of state planned economy to a market economy, the low economic development, political transformation from a socialist system to a democratic system and the transfer of power from the provision Institutions of UNMIK to the independent Kosovo institutions. The aim of this paper is to analyze and tackle challenges of local government such as the lack of legal regulations and approval for local government, the establishment of new municipalities, reform of the local governance, the establishment of the association of municipalities distinguishing association of Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo. What was the role of the international community in the establishment and organization of local governance? What challenges accompanied the process of local government? In Kosovo, the reform of local governance was a very sensitive, complicated and sometimes unstable process as a result of political development but that has proved to be successful. Challenge for Kosovo institutions was integration of the three northern municipalities with Serb community in local self-government system, although construction and development departments of local self-government system was based on the principles of European values for the local government. One of the main challenges for the future will be the foundation of the Association of Serbian majority municipalities in northern Kosovo who claim that this association have the powers of a legal entity, independent from Kosovo. The methodology of the research will be mixed like: descriptive method, research, explanatory methodology, predictive methodology.

DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2015.v4n3s1p661