Ljubljana Disintegrating?
Quarters of Ljubljana. Could this map become radically different?
During yesterday’s session of Ljubljana City Council rumours started flying about several quarters of Ljubljana seceding from the city and forming their own municipalities. Among them are Moste, Polje, Črnuče and Dravlje
The main reason for this line of thought is of course lack of funds provided for the seventeen quarters of Ljubljana in this year’s budget (which has yet to be adopted, presumably next week).
While nothing is (as yet) official, it is not totally impossible. There are a couple of criteria a particular area has to meet in order to form its own municipality:
-at least 5000 inhabitants
-an elementary school
-a community health centre (”zdravstveni dom”)
-a post office
-a library
-appropriate infrastructure (tap water, electricity, seweage)
-financial services of a savings bank or bank
Articles 13. and 13a. of the Law on Self-Government
Hopefully this will not happen, because in the long term both Ljubljana and the would-be breakaway quarters would be worse off (except Sostro quarter, which in my opinion is so radically rural that it has no place in an urban municipality).
But this is yet another example of why Slovenia has 210 municipalities. Because the current Law on financing municipalities favours small and unsustainable municipalities which are dependant on government money, thus being more prone to government influence.
Danica Simšič saw her ruling coalition disintegrate. Could it be that Zoran Janković will see his city disintegrate?
Tuesday, March 20th, 2007
