Serbia

Abstract

The territorial organization of the Republic of Serbia is regulated by the Law on Territorial Organization and Local Self-Government, adopted by the Assembly of Serbia on the 27th December 2007. Under the Law, the municipalities, cities and settlements make the bases of the territorial organization. Serbia is divided into 150 municipalities and 23 gradovi (cities), which are the basic units of local autonomy. It has one autonomous province (Vojvodina) in the north and Kosovo in the south. In 2008, the self-administered part of Kosovo declared its independence, a move recognized by a minority of countries (most of the EU and the USA), but not recognized by Serbia or the UN. In addition, there are 23 cities (gradovi), each having an assembly and budget of its own. The four largest cities, Belgrade, Novi Sad, Nis and Kragujevac comprise several municipalities, divided into “urban” (in the city proper) and “other” (suburban). Municipalities comprise local communities (mesne zajednice), which mostly correspond to settlements (villages) in the rural areas (several small villages can form one local community, and large villages can contain several communities). Urban areas are also divided into local communities. Their roles include communication of the elected municipal representatives with the citizens, and organization of citizen initiatives related with public service and communal issues. They are presided over by councils (saveti), elected in semiformal elections, whose members are basically volunteers. The role of local communities is far more important in rural areas; due to proximity to municipal centres, many urban local communities are defunct.