Ministry of Public Administration and Justice

On 11 April 2012, the general debate on administrative districts began in Parliament. In her opening speech, Erika Szabó laid emphasis on the essence of the system, pointing out that in all cases the citizen must be placed at the centre of decisions, because a key element of the process is the creation of a real service-provider state.

One of the most important pillars of the Government’s strategy to review and renew the system of local and public administration is the creation of a system of administrative districts. A modern system of such districts will contribute to a more effective and rational system of public administration. To aid in the creation of this system, a specialist study was produced which looked at historical precedents and European practices.

After several months of political and professional consultation, on 30 March Tibor Navracsics, Minister of Public Administration and Justice, submitted the package of bills to Parliament. The bills will define those competences which will fall to the offices of the approximately 100 administrative districts to be formed.

The system will come into force on 1 January 2013. Two units – the administrative district in the capital and the district office elsewhere – will act as organisational units of existing government offices. They will provide services which, up until now, have been partly performed by notaries and sub-regional bodies. Centres serving the public will also form part of the administrative districts which, by the end of 2013, can be transformed into one-stop service points which are customer-friendly and efficient.

An important aim is that the division of tasks between local council offices and administrative districts will be clearly defined. The districts will deal with tasks which, up until now, have fallen to a number of different bodies.
The consultation process in developing the plans has included local government bodies and unions, wide-ranging public consultation and discussion.