Training school for local civil servants presented by OSCE Croatia Mission and State Administration

ZAGREB, 27 October 2006 - The OSCE Mission to Croatia and the country's Central State Administration Office launched a training academy for officials and employees in local and regional self-government units in Zagreb today.

The Local Democracy Academy will start its work by preparing and developing curricula and educational materials necessary to introduce training courses for civil servants working in Croatia's counties, towns and municipalities. The first of a total of 16,000 officials who will be trained are scheduled to start the programme in mid-2007.

"We want local self-government to be based on knowledge and responsibility, and we want to build institutions that can assure the system of permanent education," said Antun Palariæ, State Secretary of the Central State Administration Office. "This is a joint project of the Croatian Government, the Union of Associations of Cities, the Association of Municipalities and the Croatian Community of Counties, and we want to develop it through a partnership relation."

Ambassador Jorge Fuentes, the Head of the OSCE Mission, said: "Co-operation between state public institutions and civil societies is essential in exercising citizens' rights and participating in the decision making process. To fulfil this role, the Academy needs to build on existing training programmes and co-operate with civil society organizations."

The training centre, financed by Croatia's government, international and domestic non-governmental organizations and Croatian towns and municipalities, is located in Zagreb.