THE MUNICIPALITY AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT

}The Municipality is an administrative unit in a lot of modern countries, including Bulgaria. Usually, municipalities have one appointed territory with a stationary population as more often they include one or more towns and villages and have self-government. The administrative statute and range of the municipalities vary considerably in the different countries.

}In Bulgaria, the municipality differentiates as a separate administrative unit during the First Bulgarian Empire (681-1018).

Subsequently, it loses its characteristic of local government and comes under the sway of the central authority. This dependency increases even more during the age of feudalism and the following fall of Bulgaria under the Ottoman rule. After the liberation of the country, a trial of restoring the statute of the Bulgarian municipalities begins, and some laws are accepted. They regulate the functioning and management of the municipality as an independent legal entity, although the dependency of the central authority remains. 

Currently, there are 265 municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria.

The Law on an administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Bulgaria arranges their creation and the making of changes in them, but their administration is by the Law on the local government and local administration.

Every municipality must fulfil the following fundamental conditions:

} presence of population over 6000 people generally in the populated areas.

} presence of populated area, which is generally an administrative centre;

} maximum remoteness of the populated areas from the centre of the municipality exceeds 40 km.

}Of course, as a result of the migration of the population to the larger and more developed areas, there is a significant number of municipalities, which have a population less than 6000 people.

}The municipality is a corporate body ( juridical person) and has a right of property and independent municipal budget.

}For the administration of every municipality, its residents ( with the right of a vote) select municipal council and mayor of the municipality, whose mandate is 4 years. 

MUNICIPAL COUNCIL 

}The municipal council is the local government (legislative) authority and is selected by the citizens of the municipality. It is formed of councilors, whose number ranges from 11 to 61, depending on the size of the municipality.

}The local self-governing is expressed via the right and opportunity of the citizens and the elected authorities to decide independently questions of local importance, which the law is conceded to their competency in the sphere of:

}the administration and decision of the municipal property and finances;

} the structure and development of the municipal territory and populated areas;

} town-development and municipal activities;

} setting the amount of the local taxes and charges/taxes of property, charges of household waste and others;

} culture;

} social services;

} environmental protection;

} the development of sport, relaxation and tourism;

} disaster protection. 

}accepting decisions for holding referendums;

} approving symbol and seal of the municipality, honouring Bulgarian and foreign citizens with honorary citizenship;

}Introducing a certain project for decision in MC can be done by every municipal councillor or the mayor of the municipality. The process of taking decisions is executed in two phases:

} Examining and discussing the regulation projects in the permanent committees of MC - depending on the character and area that gets into, the project is discussed in the respective board. The person introducing the project must present the councilors with the motives of the decision as well as the expected results.

} Discussion of the regulation project to a plenary meeting of MC - the project is discussed by all of the councilors and is voted its approval from the MC.

}It must be marked that both of the phases are public and citizens can participate in them. Of course, information about the upcoming for examination and accepting of the decisions is published on the online page of MC. The purpose is to ensure publicity to the taken decisions. The accepted decisions are fulfiled by the mayor and the municipal 

}the use of bank credits, issuance of municipal securities, provision of an interest-free loan;

} accepts strategies, prognoses, programs and plans for the development of the municipality, which reflect the European policies for the development of the local communities;

} making suggestions for administrative-territorial changes, which affect the territory and borders of the municipality, setting the names of streets, squares, parks and more

}It must be marked that both of the phases are public and citizens can participate in them. Of course, information about the upcoming for examination and accepting of the decisions is published on the online page of MC. The purpose is to ensure publicity to the taken decisions. The accepted decisions are fulfilled by the mayor and the municipal administration. They are obligatory for the sides of which they refer to.

}After accepting a certain decision, it can be appealed to the regional deputy or the administrative one i.e in this way control of the decisions of MC is fulfilled.

}But we must underline that the strongest control is the control of the citizens, which they fulfil by the election of municipal councillors. 

MAYOR