THE IMPACT OF EUROPEANIZATION ON DECENTRALIZATION PROCESSES IN THE CZECH REPUBLIС

Abstract

After the fall of communism, the Czech Republic underwent a democratic transition that included institutional reforms. The final reform implemented was the decentralization of public administration, which occurred about ten years after the collapse of communism. However, this reform faced two main challenges: the post-communist development of the regions and the reluctance of the political elite to delegate power to the regions. Eventually, the Czech Republic’s preparation for joining the European Union and involvement in European regional policy facilitated the completion of the decentralization reform. The European standards of decentralized public administration have helped the Czech Republic overcome its postcommunist political legacy. The Europeanization processes in the Czech Republic during the late 1990s led to the institutionalization of public administration through several key reforms: (a) the administrative-territorial reform of 1997, which established 13 self-governing NUTS 3 regions; (b) the political decentralization of 2000, which created regional self-government bodies known as Regional Assemblies and initiated electoral processes at the regional level; (c) the administrative and fiscal decentralization of 2003, which granted both administrative and fiscal powers to regional self-governments. The overall success of these decentralization reforms is evidenced by the Czech Republic’s effective adaptation to the European Union’s governance system. The Czech model of decentralization, established after the country joined the European Union, has demonstrated its effectiveness. Over the past 20 years of EU membership, the Czech Republic has strengthened the institutional foundations of administrative, political, and fiscal decentralization. This reinforcement has facilitated the active participation of Czech regions in the European Union’s regional policies.