Public administration reform in Slovakia with special reference to local government

Article presents the reform of public administration in Slovakia in referen ce to local self-governments. From my point of view, the most important pol itical agendas in Slovak public administration are: 1. Decentralisation of political power 2. Civil service reform. Decentralisation: Improvement in the process of co-ordination and co-operat ion of governmental bodies on the vertical and horizontal scale is urgently needed. Given the highly fragmented structure of municipal self-government in Slovakia it should be useful to develop the political strategy of regio nalisation accepting Slovakia's geopolitical environment as well as the sta tements of the Maastricht Treaty and EU principle of subsidiarity. Civil Service Reform: The new political strategy of reform will bring resul ts only if a body of experienced and motivated civil servants exists to pla n and implement them. In Slovakia, the civil service laws have not been ado pted yet. The political-administrative relations at the local level are ver y confusing and unclear. The resistance of traditional bureaucratic procedu res at the local level is more deeply rooted than the political enthusiasm to develop a more effective administrative system.