The prospering regions - a key to the Slovakia´s stability

Having been elaborated on the basis of the comprehensive knowledge of the problems of Slovak regions, this document is aimed to politically intervene and promote such nationwide institutional mechanisms and legislation tools, which would serve as the fundaments for the Slovakia´s regions prosperity. The development of the regions aims to sustainable principles and proposals which, after being discussed during preparation of the complex development strategy for the Levoca and Sabinov counties, have been agreed at "The Regions Help Themselves conference" in Levoca.

For the sustainable regional development we need to :

* cope with the non-transparency of both the citizens´ and institutions´ access to the information and financial resources assigned to the developement of the regions,

* cope with the division of the power between the state, regions and municipalities,

* cope with the informational, financial and institutional imbalance between the individual regions,

* cope with the social and economical imbalance between the individual regions.

The analysis of the problems of the disadvantaged Slovak regions including proposal for their solutions have been presented in the Levoca´s Regions Help Themselves conference proceedings. Their sucessful solutions depend on the mechanisms and tools created for :

* integrated (complex) developement of the regions,

* the multi-sectoral regional partnerships aimed to mobilization of the financial resources for the effective solutions of the economic, social, cultural and environmental problems in the regions,

* mobilization of human resources for the wise decision-making in the regions,

* nationwide provision of the open information systems in Slovakia serving all,

* developement of human resources and transfer of the ecologically friendly technologies into the regions.

Integrated development of the regions requires the creation of links between politics and, often not related, institutions and fields, such as local economy, natural, cultural and historical heritage of the regions, information systems, education, agriculture, business and services. By creating the partnerships in the regions we encourage human resources to use the public financies for the public benefit more effectively. This is why we find it vital to create an effective institutinal framework for the regional development based on three essential levels - between the municipality, region and the state - following the Agenda 21 standards as agreed at the 1992 Rio World Summit. These have been accepted as a commitment by the government of Slovakia. The sucess lies in the concrete meeting of the sustainable principles in all countries, including Slovakia.

In order to encourage the development of the regions in partnership with all involved, we need :

* to launch an effective administration of the regions and create effective institutional mechanisms and legislative tools for independent decision-making on all levels,

* to create schemes for sustainable use of cultural, historical and natural heritage,

which means :

* to protect and restore natural resources by defining the clear rules and by assigning increased responsibilities for all using those,

* to introduce effective administration measures and economic incentives to encourage the resource-saving approach in the regions,

* to support schemes for restoration of water resources in the nature,

* to mobilize financial resources and to divide them transparently and use effectively to increase the responsibilities of the regions,

* to eliminate the non-conceptionality of investments, to balance the development of the regions and to support small local investors,

* to increase the direct responsibilities of the regions for the use of international aid, and to create appropriate legislative environment to make the international aid transparent,

* to reinforce the donorship and philantrophy in Slovakia, to create multi-departmental partnerships, and to coordinate systematicaly the support of foundations aimed to the development programs,

* to prepare the public finance reform and to increase the direct responsibility of the regional governments, and to inter-connect the financial resources from various sectors,

* to create transparent conditions for private investments and for the environment favourable for business,

* to mobilize the private financing of the public development programs,

* to guarantee the legal protection of financial interests and returnability of investments for investors, to create reasonable legislative environment directly in the regions,

* to use the international aid for triggering the development, not just for darning the holes in the state budget,

* to invest in education, to launch and direct the supplementary education in productive age people in accord with their own needs and with the needs of the region,

* to link-up to historical continuity of the Slovak regions, to preserve their specific features and to develop them on principles of diversity of cultural and social integrity, tollerance, emancipation and solidarity,

* to launch the scientific research of economic development of the regions,

* to activate the public through the campaigns purposefully,

* to involve media to present good examples of the complex regional development,

* to create enough motivation stimuli and jobs for the young directly in the regions,

* to bring up a new generation of specialists, who would be free from technocratic way of thinking,

* to enrich the regional governments by specialists who live and work directly in the region,

* to stregthen activities of the cross-sector partnerships in the regions

* to strengthen the autonomity of the public institutions and the like organizations

* to increase the responsibility of institutions and to reform the philosophy of incentives and mechanisms for the Public Administration workers,

* to monitor the implemented programs´sucessfulness and to increase their transparency,

* to build regional information systems and to inter-connect them to the regional geographic information systems,

* to implement the pilot projects, which will present environment- friendly technologies, and to encourage their transfer,

* to establish the alternative technology centres in the regions,

* to reinforce the innovation technology transfers,

* to create favourable legislative environment for the considerate approach to the natural resources´use,

* to strengthen the creativity in the regions at all levels,

* to create mechanisms for strengthening the responsibility for one´s own environment,

* to build on the basis of the balanced cooperation between the public, private and civil sectors,

* to encourage the public sector involvement in the regional policy, and to define clearly their involvement in addressing

the problems,

* to make decisions in vital issues in the regions only after extensive public debate,

The government plays an essential role in the public administration reform process. It transfers the approved principles onto the regional and local governments, and plays a vital role in mobilization of financial and human resources. It establishes the legislation, introduces the standards into the life, and creates opportunities for the wider participation of the public in the socio-economic development. The government supervises the regional development processes, this is why it is specifically responsible for the high priority of the regional development in the development strategy of the Slovak Republic.

This is why we take the liberty of approaching the Government of Slovakia to take responsibility and remove all bariers, which prevent the regions from the sustainable development and from their heading towards the united Europe.

We do not wish the regions of Slovakia would become only a burden for the future united Europe´s social network. What we want is that they prosper in accordance with the sustainable economy, and that their inhabitants include culturaly developed, self-confident people living in a healthy environment.

The Regions Help Themselves conference,

Levoca, February 7th, 2002

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