POJAM I OBLICI MEĐUNARODNE SARADNjE JEDINICA LOKALNE SAMOUPRAVE

Abstract

Cooperation between cities and municipalities from different countries represents an area which has not been fully researched and which raises many questions and doubts. Unlike strictly formal and predefined forms of cooperation between countries, the relationships and cooperation between local levels imply greater flexibility in their establishment, development, dynamics and form, which enables the citizens of local communities to develop their mutual relationships in a more approachable way, unencumbered by “high“ politics. The establishment of cooperation between local self-government units of the Republic of Serbia and local self-government units from other countries represents the establishment of mutual support based on reciprocity and equality in a sphere which is of interest for both sides, by conducting various activities together. The Constitution of the Republic of Serbia states that local self-government units cooperate with local self-government units from other countries, within the foreign policy of the Republic of Serbia, while respecting territorial unity and legal order of the Republic of Serbia. Similarly to the division at the state level, cooperation between cities and municipalities in two or more countries can also be divided into multilateral and bilateral cooperation. By analyzing the most significant national, regional and international documents, with the example of the Strategy for International Cooperation of the City of Kragujevac – the first document of its kind in Serbia, we point to the role and significance of international cooperation as an instrument for discussion and solving global, regional and local questions of vital importance for the realization of citizens’ rights and freedoms.