Inter-municipal co-operation in the Western Balkans
Inter-municipal co-operation (IMC) has proved to be a constructive and efficient instrument
in many EU and OECD countries for solving several issues at the local government level,
including the lack of resources, administrative fragmentation, the investment burden
of individual municipalities or better and more efficient organisation of public service
provision. Although IMC is still often thought of as an alternative to the politically
sensitive merging of small municipalities, nowadays its use has raised the interest
of public administrations whose local governments are medium- and large-sized and
that see this instrument as a way to empower local governments, provide them with
more responsibilities, ensure sustainability of public services and fuel planning
capacities and strategic thinking at the local and regional level. This paper summarises
examples from EU and OECD countries where IMC either has a long-standing history or
has recently received increased support and attention. It also provides an analysis
of the legislative basis, support and incentives and practical data of IMC in the
Western Balkan administrations. The paper offers several recommendations specific
to the Western Balkan administrations for how to benefit from IMC.