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Home Newsroom News and press releases OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje, ZELS mark fifth anniversary of decentralization process
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OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje, ZELS mark fifth anniversary of decentralization process

3 December 2010

SKOPJE, 3 December 2010 - Representatives from the international community, ministries and other state institutions marked the fifth anniversary of the start of the decentralization process in the country with a conference co-organized by the OSCE and the Association of Local Self-Government Units (ZELS) in Mavrovo today.

The fifth anniversary also marks successful co-operation in the field of decentralization between the OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje, ZELS, the Secretariat for Implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement and the Ministry of Local Self-government.

"A lot has been achieved in the past five years of decentralization reform with the aim of providing better quality services to citizens in all areas. But further effort is needed, including with the full implementation of language rights at the municipal level and increasing both the technical and financial capacities of the municipal administration," said the Head of OSCE Spillover Monitor Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Jose Luis Herrero.

"The OSCE will continue to monitor closely the development of decentralization reform and provide support. We look forward to seeing local authorities reach a point of financial viability and stable and harmonic relations among all the communities in the country."

ZELS President Koce Trajanovski said that visible progress was had been made over the past five years of decentralization.

"The decentralization process in the country continues towards achieving greater financial autonomy of the local self-government units. The progress of decentralization reform was highlighted in the country's progress report of the European Commission. Certainly, there is always room for improvement, and thus, ZELS and local authorities are undertaking activities in this direction," he said.

In 2011, the country will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, which highlights decentralization as one of the key elements of reform.