The aim of the diploma thesis is to evaluate the efficiency of local governance in selected municipalities in the Ústecký region based on analysis of the use of finance. The theoretical part is devoted to the issues of public administration, governance and local budgeting with emphasis on the possibilities of evaluating the efficiency. The research focuses on the analysis of current and capital expenditure on development activities and solving local and regional problems - unemployment and social exclusion - for the period 2002 - 2012. Further research focuses on the use of EU funds. It was able to demonstrate the existence of significant differences in the efficiency of governance on the example of surveyed municipalities. Most of the local governments support short-term projects, whose benefits for local development are minimal, instead of investing in development and problem solving. Keywords: local authorities, selfgovernment, budget, structural funds, efficiency

The Thesis deals with the Structural Funds and their impact to a particular region of the Czech Republic, Královéhradecký region. It also deals with Regional Policy of the European Union at all the levels (European,regional and local). The thesis also presents a concrete project realized in a small town called Železnice to show a particular impact of Structural Funds to a local region of the Czech Republic.

The objective of the thesis is to evaluate the Operational Programme Environment. Information about the European Cohesion Policy with focus on the 2007-2013 programming period is summarized in the opening part of the thesis. The second section describes the way the programme works focusing on the project cycle in terms of the applicant as well as of the provider of the support. The findings from the theoretical part are applied on a particular example from practice: the construction of the sewerage system and wastewater treatement plant in České Meziříčí. This project is covered by the Priority Axis 1 - The Improvement of Water Management Infrastructure and Reduction of Flood Risks.

The work deals with the connection of issues induced costs and absorption capacity. The aim of the work is to analyze the induced costs caused by the implementation of projects financed from the EU funds and their impact on the absorption capacity. The main methods used in practical part are the questionnaire survey, structured interviews and content analysis of data.

The diploma thesis is dealing with the reginal policy in European union in the first part, the second part is focused on the regional policy in Czech republic, the third part is dealing with the structural funds in the Vysočina region and the last part of the diploma thesis is presenting a concrete project which was realised within the Vysočina region with the structural funds help.

Nors Lietuvoje mažėja nereikalingos administracinės naštos apimtis, tačiau ES Struktūrinių fondų administravimo sistemoje trūksta labiau išplėtotos reguliavimo politikos, egzistuoja santykinai aukšta administracinė našta ir tai tebėra daug administracinės veiklos apribojimų. Komplikuotos procedūros bei administracinė našta projektų valdymo metu dažniausiai vyksta dėl įgyvendinančiųjų ir administruojančiųjų ES Struktūrinius fondus institucijų tarpusavio nesusikalbėjimo, jų organizacinių kultūrų skirtumų, prastos komunikacijos tarp projekto veikėjų ir per griežtos administravimo tvarkos bei procedūrinės naštos. / Although the amount of unnecessary administrative burden in Lithuania is decreasing, but the administration system of the EU Structural funds lacks more developed regulation policy; the relatively high administrative burden remains and this still serves as the restriction of administrative activity. The complicated procedures and heavy administrative burden during the management of projects are caused mainly due the lack of agreement between the institutions that are implementing or administering the EU Structural funds, due to their organizational cultures and too strict administration rules.

Lietuvai tapus pilnateise Europos Sąjungos nare, atsivėrė galimybės pasinaudoti ES struktūrinių fondų skiriama parama. Pagal Lietuvos 2004-2006 m. bendrąjį programavimo dokumentą (toliau – BPD), patvirtintą LR Vyriausybės ir Europos Komisijos, Lietuvai skirta 3,09 milijardų litų ES struktūrinių fondų paramos patvirtintiems investiciniams prioritetams įgyvendinti. Beveik 85 milijonai iš jų skirta aplinkosaugai. Europos regioninės plėtros fondo parama aplinkos projektams skiriama pagal BPD 1.3 priemonę „Aplinkos kokybės gerinimas ir žalos aplinkai prevencija“. ES struktūrinių fondų lėšomis yra remiami ir savivaldybių administracijų inicijuoti aplinkos projektai. Šiame darbe siekiama įvertinti savivaldybių administracijų darbuotojų kompetenciją Europos Sąjungos struktūrinių fondų lėšomis finansuojamų aplinkos projektų valdyme ir pateikti šių projektų vykdymo gerinimo galimybes. Informacija reikalinga darbe iškeltam tikslui pasiekti gauta anketinės apklausos būdu ir analizuojant literatūrą tyrimo tema. Atlikus tyrimą matyti, jog savivaldybių darbuotojai turi pakankamai patirties, žinių ir įgūdžių reikalingų projektų valdymui, todėl galima teigti, jog tyrime dalyvavę darbuotojai yra kompetentingi įgyvendinti savivaldybių inicijuotus projektus. Tačiau reikia pažymėti, kad didelis tiesioginio darbo krūvis, nepakankamos žinios ES struktūrinės paramos valdymo klausimais bei žymus mokymų trūkumas, kol kas trukdo sėkmingai inicijuoti ir įgyvendinti ES struktūrinių fondų lėšomis... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Joining the European Union in May 2004, Lithuania qualified for EU financial assistance from ES Structural Funds. The support from EU Structural Funds for Lithuania in 2004-2006 is provided under the Single Programming Document for 2004-2006 (hereinafter – the SPD) approved by the Government of the Republic of Lithuania and by the European Commission. The SPD established five investment priorities and for the implementation of these priorities, about 895 million Euro of EU funds have been allocated. About 24 million Euro of this support have been allocated for the environment protection. Financial assistance from the European Regional Development Fund for the environment protection is provided under the measure 1.3 „Improvement of Environment Quality and Prevention of Environmental Damage“. Municipality administrations also qualified the support from EU Structural Funds to initiate environmental projects. The aim of this paper is to evaluate abilities of municipality administrations employees in the field of environmental projects and to suggest how better to hold these projects. Information necessary to achieve the aim of this paper was got using the questionnaire and making the analysis of literature. According to the results of this research, employees of municipality administrations have enough skills, experience and knowledge to hold projects initiated by municipality administrations. But it is necessary to emphasize, that having a heavy caseload, lack of knowledge how... [to full text]

Lietuvai tapus Europos Sąjungos nare, vienas iš uždavinių kuo geriau įsisavinti ES struktūrinių fondų finansinės paramos lėšas. ES struktūrinių fondų lėšos Lietuvoje pradėtos įsisavinti vadovaujantis 2004-2006 m. Bendruoju programavimo dokumentu (BPD). Todėl 2004-2006 m. Bendrojo programavimo laikotarpiui einant į pabaigą ir prieš prasidedant 2007-2013 m. finansinės paramos etapui būtina identifikuoti ne tik sėkmes, bet ir problemas, su kuriomis susidūrė fondų paramą administruojančios institucijos, mokėjimo institucijos bei patys pareiškėjai 2004-2006 metų finansavimo etape. / When Lithuania became a member of European Union, one of goals was to assimilate recourses of financial assistance of European Union (EU) Structural Funds. In Lithuania recourses of EU Structural Funds were proceeded to assimilate, following by 2004 – 2006 the Single Programming Document (SPD) of Lithuania. That’s why, when 2004 – 2006 SPD’s implementation is going to the end and starting 2007 – 2013 a stage of financial assistance, before that it’s necessary to identify not only success, but and problems, with which institutions, managing financial assistance, science institutions and applicants conflicted in sponsorship’s stage of 2004 - 2006. There are raised necessary goals for the system of implementation of Structural Funds: A goal of the work: 1) To find out problems of assimilation of Structural Funds in municipalities of Plunge’s district and Lithuania, estimating quality and efficiency of 2004 – 2006 SPD’s implementation, management and supervision; 2) To submit recommendations and suggestions, how to solve these problems.

Lietuvai tapus ES nare, atsivėrė galimybės pasinaudoti ES struktūriniais fondais. Būtent pasinaudojus šia finansine parama, galėtų būti išspręstos daugelis Lietuvos socialinių ir ekonominių problemų. Siekiant įsisavinti paskirtą ES finansinę paramą, turėjo būti priimtas BPD. Būtent šiame dokumente nurodomos pagrindinės priemonės, pagal kurias turi būti ruošiami projektai, kuriais norima gauti ES finansavimą. Darbe analizuojami ES struktūriniai fondai. Bendrijos iniciatyvos, jų bendrieji reikalavimai ES finansinei paramai gauti. Kadangi BPD yra labai svarbus dokumentas, magistro darbe analizuojami teisiniai aktai, reglamentuojantys BPD įgyvendinimą. Norint labiau įsigilinti į ES struktūrinių fondų įsisavinimo tendencijas, pasirinkau išnagrinėti kai kurių šalies savivaldybių administracijų vykdomus projektus, finansuojamus iš ES. Analizuojamas kiekvienos pasirinktos savivaldybės sugebėjimas pasinaudoti ES struktūriniais fondais. Pateikiamos lentelės bei diagramos, apibendrinančios analizuotų projektų duomenis, savivaldybių administracijų pateiktas paraiškas, įgyvendintus bei šiuo metu įgyvendinamus projektus, finansuojamus iš ES struktūrinių fondų. Darbe analizuojamos problemos, kurios riboja ES finansinės paramos įsisavinimą. / As our country became one of European Union member, we can use the Structural Funds, The Cohesion fund and other funds financial support. If we want to get financial support from the Structural Funds, we should prepare projects according all rules and laws, especially The General Program document. This document is very important, because according priorities from the General program document are distributing European Union financial support. My work aim is to try to analyze European Union financial support and utilization of it in Lithuania’s municipalities. I set these tasks: to analyze The Structural Funds and their administration; to look round the institutions, which are administrating European Union financial supports; to analyze the laws which present the projects planning; to explain the requirements to get European Union financial support; to analyze projects, which are realizing in municipalities of Lithuania, to indicate main problems, which are associated with European Union financial support. My work consists of five chapters, which I could divide in two big parts: theoretical part and practical part. The first three chapters are just theoretical part. The first one is about the Structural Funds. In the second chapter I am analyzing the laws which present the projects planning. The third chapter is about requirements to get European Union financial support. The other two chapters are practical part. In the fourth chapter I am analyzing projects, which are... [to full text]

The Structural Funds, (namely the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Guidance Section of the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund and lastly the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance) being the most important instruments of European Community Regional Policy have gone through a process of reform since their establishment as a consequence of European Union integration. This thesis aims to analyze the process of reform of the Structural Funds taking processes of widening and deepening of European Union as the main triggering factors. The thesis also traces the historical evolution of the Structural Funds and results of each main refom movement in a descriptive manner.