Publications

The regional office of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), in Zagreb in cooperation with the Budapest office of FES, organized in Budapest in October 2003 a workshop on the issue of public services on the local and regional level. The results are presented in the publication Reforms of Public Services: Experiences of Municipalities and Regions in South-East Europe. During the workshop experts of various countries from SouthEast Europe compared and discussed different approaches in the region for the provision of public services to citizens on the local level.

The publication Economic Development on the Local and Regional Level is the result of a workshop held in Zagreb in March 2003, organized by the Zagreb office of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES). During the workshop, experts of the various countries of South-East Europe discussed the question of what a local government can do for its own economic development and the development of the region. Experience shows that the development of each local unit is unique, even though the juridical framework and regulations are the same for all units within a single country.

The project executed from May 2001 to May 2002 gave the chance to 60 young people to experience the charms of intercultural learning. We are proud to have been able In the project to see young people becoming active citizens and reflecting deeper on the realities and the challenges of the future of the Balkan countries. The established Bosporus Group - Tirana and Bosporus Group - Skopje rises the hope for new cooperation activities on the Balkans and evergoing learning possibilities for Youth.

Within its regional project Conflict prevention and integration politics — Promoting multiethnic coexistence, Friedrich Ebert Foundation began, in 2000, collecting material in order to edit a hand-book in the German language "Verdammt zur Marginalitat? Die Roma in Rumanien" ("Doomed to marginalization? The Roma in Romania"). This handbook came out of print in April 2001. By consent with the regional offices of FES in South-Eastern Europe, in spring 2001 a catalogue of questions was drafted. It was distributed to the offices and, after several reviews, on the basis of 8 questions, the present handbook was prepared, ready for print in English and German in summer 2002.

The publication on National Minorities in South-East Europe. Legal and Social Status at Local Level is the result of a workshop in Belgrade/Yugoslavia in May 2002, organised by the Zagreb office of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) in the frame of the regional project of FES "Local Self-Government and Decentralization in South-East Europe". In the context of the Stability Pact for South-East Europe and in co-operation with national institutions the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung has initiated a regional project to analyze the situation and the reforms of self-government and decentralization in the countries of the region, covering Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania, and Hungary.

The International Conference "European Standards and Ombudsman Institutions in Southeast Europe" organized jointly by the Center for the Study of Democracy and Friedrich Ebert Foundation was aimed to present and facilitate the process of introducing and strengthening Ombudsman institutions in Southeast Europe as well as to establish a network between them to exchange information and experience.

The Zagreb office of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) continued its activities in the frame of the regional project of FES "Local Self-Government and Decentralization in South-East Europe" with another workshop in Sarajevo/Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2002. The topic of this expert workshop dealt with the structure and interrelation between executive and legislature at local level in countries of South-East Europe. The results are presented in this publication. The relation between legislature and executive had been proposed by the expert group as one of the important issues at local level to be discussed in the regional context.

The Zagreb office of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) continued its activities in the frame of the regional project of FES "Local Self-Government and Decentralization in South-East Europe" with another workshop in Sarajevo/Bosnia and Herzegovina in October 2002. The topic of this expert workshop dealt with the structure and interrelation between executive and legislature at local level in countries of South-East Europe. The results are presented in this publication. The relation between legislature and executive had been proposed by the expert group as one of the important issues at local level to be discussed in the regional context.