Thirteen years of reforming sub-national government in the Czech Republic

Abstract

December 31st, 2002, wittnessed the implementation of the last fundamental structural change within the lengthy and complicated process of reforming sub-national government in the Czech Republic. By this date, district offices — sub-national bodies of the general state administration — which had been existing since 1960, terminated their operation and closed down. Since January 1st, 2003, their rights have been transferred to recently established regional and municipal bodies (more on that below). A new architecture of the decentralized public administration was thus completed, akin to that existing in west European countries and compatible with the principles of political democracy, as well as meeting criteria which were put forward by the European Commission in the process of preparing the Czech Republic’s accession (see Illner 2003: 84ff.). The reform of the sub-national public administration was concluded after thirteen years since its inception in 1990.