As reported by the Directorate of T.A. of the Ministry of the Interior, the organizational charts for the new municipalities, community clusters and provincial organizations have already been drawn up, with the simultaneous identification of needs
Significant staffing needs are expected to arise following the implementation of local government reform, especially in new community clusters and provincial organisations, according to the Home Office's Local Government Directorate. In order to meet these needs, the recruitment process for fixed-term staff has already started, while permanent recruitments will be made after the implementation of the reform from July 1.
As reported by the Directorate T.A. of the Ministry of the Interior, the organizational charts for the new municipalities, community clusters and provincial organizations have already been drawn up, with the simultaneous identification of personnel needs.
Significant needs arise especially in community clusters, as communities are an understaffed sector. The new recruitments are expected to take place after 1 July 2024, when the reform will be implemented. In these clusters, there will certainly be needs for academic staff, especially in administration and accounting, as large administrative units are now being created both in population and budget.
At the same time, through the organizational charts, the new municipalities that will arise after the reform have also identified needs and deficiencies that cannot be covered by the existing staff, mainly due to the new provisions provided by the legislation, such as the existence of an internal auditor in the municipalities . Also, some positions in the municipalities that will merge may have to be phased out.
The provincial agencies will absorb staff from existing Sewerage and Water Boards. However, additional needs are observed in the area of development permitting. For this purpose, as reported by the competent department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, fixed-term employees will be hired immediately, before permanent hires are made after July. For the recruitment of fixed-term employees, a relevant proposal will probably be submitted to the Council of Ministers next week, in order to make the recruitments in early 2024.
These employees will be recruited by existing authorities, such as urban planning, municipalities, and provincial administrations, and after training will be gradually given to provincial organizations.
It is worth noting that all 18 new municipalities that will result from the reform have already prepared their organizational charts and have been examined by a working group of the Ministry of the Interior, while the final organizational charts are expected to be submitted for approval by the Central Advisory Committee. Discussions with the Provincial Organizations on the matter of the organizational charts are expected to be completed in October.
The Ministry of the Interior's study on the allocation of sponsorship to the municipalities is ready
< p class="text-paragraph">At the same time, as mentioned by the Directorate of Local Self-Government, a study was prepared by the Ministry of Internal Affairs on the new way of distributing the €117 million grant to the municipalities. This study, once finalized, will be given by the Ministry as a proposal to the Union of Municipalities to submit opinions, which is expected to be done within the next few days.
The distribution of the sponsorship will various factors and criteria are taken into account, such as the population, the area and the same income of each municipality. The aim of the Ministry, as mentioned, is for the distribution of the sponsorship to work in a balanced manner.
50% of the amount of €117 million has already been included in the state budget for the second semester of 2024, when the local government reform will come into effect, while for the first semester the amount of the sponsorship has been budgeted as it is to date, which amounts to approximately €71 million per year.
As regards additional funds for the needs of the municipalities, these will be given depending on the additional powers that the municipalities will acquire. An example is the subordination of the School Boards to the municipalities from 2029, but also obligations that may arise under some new law.
