Association of Lithuanian Municipalities

From the Lithuanian Wikipedia page [1]

Lithuanian Association of Local Authorities ( LSA ) is a non-profit organization with limited rights of civil legal liability , which unites all municipalities of the Republic of Lithuania and deals with the general problems of its members - municipalities, providing services to its members, as well as representing the common interests of its members in the activities of state power and administration institutions of foreign states, municipalities and other international organizations, which forms the strategy of the members of the Association, strengthens local self-government and coordinates the targeted activities of the members of the Association in separate areas, which satisfies and protects other public interests of the Association members.

The constituent assembly of the Lithuanian Municipalities took place in 1995 . Wednesday, 22 December. 55 of 56 municipalities became members of the association. At present, the Association brings together all 60 municipalities in Lithuania.

Lithuania first urban districts and municipal union was started in 1920 - 1923 year was 6 Lithuania municipal congresses, which last took place in 1926 m., Has developed one of the more democratic the then Europe, local self-government system project.

1924 m. February 2 - 4 At the initiative of Kaunas burmist Jan Vileišis , the Lithuanian Union of Cities was founded. He led her until 1932 . His deputy was Šiauliai burmist Kazimieras Ubeika , later Jackus Sondeckis . The Union had cities with more than 3000 inhabitants. She took care of the general economic and cultural affairs, represented the people before the state authorities, maintained contacts with foreign cities and their organizations.

1927 m. May 25th - 27th The first meeting of the representatives of the cities of the Baltic States took place in Riga , where a permanent office of the Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian city ​​unions was established . The second unions' congress took place in 1931 . Tallinn , third - 1935 m. Kaunas, the fourth - 1938 m. In Riga Liaison with municipalities of Finland and other countries was established . The Union of Lithuanian Cities belonged to the International Union of Cities until 1939 . her representatives - J. Vileišis, later - Juozas Merkys attended the IULA congresses.

1991 m. After the restoration of independence of Lithuania, the voluntary cities, towns, districts and lower tier municipal unions were first created, having somewhat coordinated their activities and with each other. However, their interests would often be overcome. In the absence of universal and compulsory membership, unified membership tax systems, and openly ignoring the officials of state structures, these unions failed to unite the efforts of all the municients in developing self-government in Lithuania. On the contrary, due to the close-up policy of the leaders of these unions in 1995 , the abolition of district councils and the creation of counties that took over part of the functions of municipalities, real self-government has been diverted from people.

After the adoption of the new wording of the Law on the Basis for Local Self-Government, in 1995 , a local and Lithuanian association of municipalities emerged. 1995 March 28d The Law "On the Basic Provisions of the Association of Local Authorities of Lithuania", it was legalized as an associate representative of municipalities in its relations with the Government, other state institutions and international organizations. It is foreseen that LSA will represent municipalities with the Government by matching the amount of income of municipal budgets and the indicators that determine their equalization. In the first year of the first LSA management, in addition to the organizational problems, immediately the most important problems at the time were solved regarding the restriction of self-government rights, actions of unlawful county governors, and the economic and financial pressure on municipalities. Lacking funds for the salaries of education staff, budget institutions were indebted to energy companies and other suppliers. Unfortunately, often the proposals of the association did not react, the association of the central government, In the words of the first association leaders, they even ignored it. "The worst thing is that after the agreement with the association, the Government issues a resolution with additional totally new points, which the project was not presented at all," reads in the 1996 issue. Association Activity Report.

1995 m. The sixth government of Adolph Šlezevicius also implemented the county reform, which, contrary to the European Charter of Local Self-Government and the subsidiarity principle set out in it , further centralized governance. Provinces had to take over most of the functions of the ministries, but they did not receive them, while the functions of the democratic bodies - the functions of the municipalities were narrowed. Pseudo-councils were formed from elected representatives of municipalities in place of county councils to be elected. There were problems with harmonization of the competences of counties and municipalities. At that time, the wording of the Law on Land removed the right of municipalities to manage the land of cities, towns and villages. Amendments to the LSA proposal were rejected either by the Government or the Seimas.

Under the control of the eighth government of Gediminas Vagnoras , the financial situation of the municipalities has further deteriorated. The Ministry of Finance did not agree with the LSA on draft Budget Law, did not agree with the division of municipalities by 20%. Road Fund Funds. There was a growing debt to energy , a lack of money for people's allowances, funds for education, culture, health care institutions. 1997m the association, finance and management reform and municipal affairs ministers signed a general negotiating protocol on the establishment of indicators that determine the level of income of municipal budgets. For municipalities it was planned to allocate 31.6 percent. national budget. Decommissioning of the heat farm has started. LSA's efforts to transfer energy services to municipalities, whose turnover was sometimes higher than municipal budgets, was not easy to handle, modernize and set tariffs. 1997 m. January 23 d. The Law on the Amendment of the Law on Local Self-Government entered into force that the draft laws and other legal acts related to the activities of municipalities are coordinated with the Association of Local Authorities of Lithuania in the stages established during the preparation and discussion of the law. But only in 2000m The government finally approved this LSA's victory.

The efforts of the Association in 1998 m. December. A tripartite protocol was signed between the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Management Reforms and Local Government Affairs and the Association of Local Authorities of Lithuania on the size and leveling of the income of municipalities. Government and Association in 2000m June The bilateral agreement between the Government and the Association of Local Authorities of Lithuania was established on the basis of the bilateral cooperation agreement and the regulations of this commission were approved. The objective of the bilateral commission is to provide an analysis of the interests and positions between the Government and the Association, discussing problematic issues arising from relations between government institutions and municipalities, which they can not solve without the help of state institutions, and providing conclusions and proposals on issues relevant to the development of self-government. However, the minutes of the negotiations were often not carried out. The LSA's proposal for municipal spending was also ignored from almost 32%. from national costs to 37%. Municipalities only paid compensation, salaries, and funds for self-government almost did not stay. Fifth LSA Congress1999 m. October 22 October. one third of the municipalities met within the limits of the normal funding. 2000 m. May 19thd The sixth congress, which was supplemented by the new municipalities in the ranks of the LSA members, has indeed become the unifying and defending force of all sixty municipalities in Lithuania. Particularly worsening of the financial situation of municipalities, the government has repeatedly been called to the Government for loss of planned income, but the state debt has not been recognized. Thirty nine municipalities have begun proceedings with the Government. The central government was initially skeptical about it. But when the LSA ventured to seek help from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, relations between municipalities and central government changed dramatically. After two years, the case ended in a historic victory: the revenue of municipalities is about 30 million. Lt - recognized state debt.

2002 m. The Constitutional Court has acknowledged that the system of self-governance that has been functioning for seven years is unconstitutional, the government and the Seimas were forced to carry out reforms of local self-government legislation, but many of the principal mistakes that departed from the population from the population were rectified. From 2009 m. the municipalities started to deteriorate again.

## Association activities

Options:

* Coordinates and encourages cooperation between municipalities of Lithuania, helps to solve general problems of municipalities, provides methodological materials and consultations to municipalities.

In accordance with the procedure established by law, laws and other legal acts related to municipal activities are being harmonized.

* Provides information to municipalities on the issues to be considered by the Association.
* Represents the general interests of members in state power and government and other institutions.
* Represents general interests of members in foreign local governments and other international organizations, helps municipalities to cooperate with foreign partners.
* Organizes the training of members of the Association of Local Authorities of Lithuania and cooperates with municipalities in organizing introductory and continuing training of municipal civil servants.
* Enables publications.
* Establishing funds, representations, public institutions, enterprises.
* By mutual agreement, they provide other services to their members.
* Collaborates with mayors of municipalities , administrators, and other municipal servants on matters of competence directly attributed to them by law.
* Cooperates with organizations representing the common interests of other entities (associations, confederations, etc.).
* From 2006 m. The best municipalities are presented with the "Golden Cribs", a sign of the "Golden Knight of the Crystal Knight" for the most self-serving people.
* 2007 m. June 5 d. The Association of Lithuanian Municipalities opened its representative office in Brussels .
* 2007 Seimas on 10 December. as a memorable day for Local Self-Government, which coincides with the Open Days of the European Local Government Week.
* 2008 m. LSA has set up a John Vileishi Prize for journalists.

## Objectives

The goals of the Association's activities are to seek the independence of municipalities established by the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania and the laws, representing the general interests of members of the Association in state power and governing institutions, in cooperation with municipalities of other countries and other international organizations, implementing the provisions of the Charter of European Local Self-Government in Lithuania and implementing separate programs of the Association.

## Institutions

Association authorities are:

* Representation - Meeting of Representatives of the Association Members, Meetings of county (regional) mayors;
* Executive Board - Association Council, Board, President of the Association;
* Association's sole governing body is the Association's Director;
* Controls - Revision Commission.
* LSA allows the weekly " Municipal Knowledge ".

Representation
Representatives of the Association's congresses are held annually. The rate for representing a municipality in an association is 1 person from 10 members of the council, as well as from the remaining ten (more than 5). In addition to the established quota, municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, from each other 100,000 (including from 100,000 in total) are collected by 1 person.

Municipalities - members of the association collect their representatives to the congress of the Association to collect seats allocated on a proportional basis to the winning parties in the councils for the entire term of office of the council. The Association shall form its elected bodies from candidates proposed in proportion to all seats received by municipalities that have won municipal councils in municipal councils.

The Association of Representatives of the Congress approves and amends the membership tax rate, which is set at not less than 0,02% and not more than 0,04% of the municipal budget expenditure, the association and its executive and control structure structure, the association's income and expenditure statement, the articles of association.