Decentralisation in Serbia: the minority dimension

The decentralisation of Serbia by giving more authority to municipalities could benefit minority groups that constitute a local majority, argues Beata Huszka in a July 2007 policy brief for the Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS).

Decentralisation would also benefit municipalities and is an “essential step in Serbia’s democratisation process”, Huszka adds. She focuses on Bosniaks in Sandzak and Albanians in Presevo valley, as she believes that their problems pose a “security threat” that, unaddressed, “could potentially destabilise Serbia and the wider region”. 

Huszka claims that although Serbia has returned to the international spotlight over the Kosovo issue and a perceived lack of cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, the grievances of ethnic minorities in the country have “gone mostly unnoticed by the international community.” The EU “should grab the opportunity now to push for reforms”, she adds. 

Most of the problems facing minorities in Serbia are related to poverty and economic underdevelopment, believes Huszka. Meanwhile, a history of “discriminating” state policies means that grievances “gain an ethnic interpretation”, she adds. 

The CEPS paper states that the “single biggest problem” for local governments in Serbia is the fact that they do not own any property, which severely limits their viability and hampers local economic development. Giving local governments responsibility for providing certain services would “improve quality”, believes the author. 

Huszka concludes that decentralisation would be a “general public good” for every local community, and recommends that, under EU guidance, Serbia pursues the following course of action: 

• Serbia should continue with the decentralisation reform launched in 2002 – the most important next steps being the devolution of property to municipal governments. 
• It should explore which further functions could be managed better locally. 
• The government should work closely with appropriate organisations such as the European Agency for Reconstruction and USAID during the decentralisation process, as devolving competencies to local level requires sufficient local administrative capacity. 
• Reform encouraging local fiscal autonomy should be continued. 
• Safeguard measures guaranteeing that no local majority can overrule local minorities should be introduced. 
• Institutional safeguards should be introduced to ensure that appointments of individuals are based on merit and qualification rather than party connection. 
• Authority over the police should be shared between central and local government. 
• Local economy and infrastructure in the Presevo valley and Sandzak areas is “crucial for creating lasting stability”.