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Administrative divisions

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 The Slovak Republic as a unitary state is distinguished by a unified and integrated territory, a unified legal order and a unified system of state authorities. The executive power of the state, one of the three fundamental elements of state power alongside legislative and judicial power, is carried out by the state through public administration, which since 1990 has been organized into two fundamental levels: state administration and self-government. We also refer to this model as a dual or divided model of public administration, which is supplemented by a third element – public corporations.

 

Territorial divisions of the Slovak Republic

In terms of territorial organization the Slovak Republic is divided into self-governing territorial units, which are municipalities and higher territorial units, also referred to as self-governing regions. The territorial district of a higher territorial unit is identical with the territorial division of the region. At present the Slovak Republic is divided territorially into 8 higher territorial units whose names coincide with the name of the indicated region, namely: Bratislava, Trnava, Trenčín, Nitra, Žilina, Banská Bystrica, Prešov and Košice.

 

Administrative divisions of the Slovak Republic

The administrative units of the Slovak Republic are regions, which are further divided into districts. Currently there are 8 regions and 79 districts in the Slovak Republic. The city or town that the region or district is named after is the seat of the state authorities that operate in the territorial area of that region or district. The territorial area of a region and the territorial area of a district are the territorial areas for the competency of state authorities, which is the decisive factor especially when determining the local relevant authority in an administrative proceeding.

Municipalities and military districts are additional administrative units in matters to which the function of state administration is entrusted.

 

Organization of public administration in the Slovak Republic

The field of public administration represents a dynamic system which in the era of the Slovak Republic functioning as an independent state is expressed by numerous reforms, in consequence of which it has been reorganized several times. The individual stages of changes were evoked partially by changes in the political sphere, as well as an effort at lowering costs for the execution of public administration, reducing the number of employees, or shifting the individual competencies of the state to self-governments.

Public administration in Slovakia is divided into state administration, self-government and public corporations. State administration is divided into central state administration, which is made up of ministries and the central authorities of state administration, and local state administration, which consists of district offices performing a general competency and specialized authorities, such as, for example, the Office of Labour, Social Affairs and Family or the Regional Monuments Office. Self-government is divided into territorial self-government, which is made up of higher territorial units and municipalities, and interested self-government, under which fall various cooperatives, societies and associations.

 

  1. State administration

Government of the Slovak Republic

The top authority of executive power in the state is the Government of the Slovak Republic. It is made up of a chairman, a deputy chairman and ministers. The government is named by the president of the Slovak Republic on the proposal of the chairman of the government. The government answers to the National Council of the Slovak Republic for the performance of its function.

The government in the scope of its competencies manages and controls the execution of state administration.

Ministries

Currently in the Slovak Republic the following 13 ministries are functioning:

 

A ministry is a legal entity and in terms of the organizational structure of public administration belongs among the central authorities of state administration. The seat of the individual ministries is in Bratislava. The activities of ministries are directed and controlled by the government. A ministry is managed interiorly by the minister, who is responsible for its activities and who when not present is represented by a state secretary. A ministry is divided internally into sections, at the head of which is a general director; it may be further divided into offices, departments or other organizational elements built on their level, at the head of which is a director.

 

Central authorities of state administration

The following 11 central authorities of state administration are currently operating in the Slovak Republic:

Central authorities of state administration are legal entities whose activities are managed and controlled by the government. The seat of central authorities of state administration is in Bratislava, aside from the Industrial Property Office of the Slovak Republic, which is based in Banská Bystrica. In terms of the organizational structure of state administration they are hierarchically senior in relation to local authorities of state administration.

Authorities with nationwide competency

They form a kind of intermediate between central and local authorities of state administration; these are a special element in the organizational structure of state administration. Each authority is organized on the basis of a special law. These are managing and controlling authorities with decision-making competency, many with the possibility of issuing binding judgments or levying sanctions. Among these are, for example, the Regulatory Office for Network Industries and Centres of Labour, Social Affairs and Family.

This is a group of several authorities working in various fields, e.g. customs, tax administration, banking activities, water management, forest management, railway tracks, labour and social affairs, regulation of postal services.

Local state administration authorities

Local authorities of state administration with general competency are district offices. The performance of state administration carried out by district offices is directed, controlled and coordinated by the relevant District Office at the seat of the region, which is the superior authority of these district offices, which have their seat within its territory. The district office in the seat of a region acts at the second level of state administration in matters in which the district office, and in specific cases also the higher territorial unit or municipality which are located within its territory, decides in administrative proceedings at the first level.

 

Local authorities of state administration issue generally binding legal provisions specified as a notice, which is declared to the public in the Bulletin of the Government of the Slovak Republic. A notice acquires validity on the day of its declaration, and acquires force on the fifteenth day after its declaration, if no earlier day is stated on it. From the day of its declaration it must be available to all for reading at the authority which issued it.

 

  1. Self-government

Self-government on the local level covers municipalities and at the regional level higher territorial units (self-governing regions). At present there are 8 higher territorial units in the Slovak Republic. Self-government consists of independent self-administration of public affairs directly by citizens on the territory of the municipality or self-governing region on the basis of local referendums, the meeting of citizens, but particularly through their elected representatives in the individual self-governing authorities, which are in a municipality the mayor and municipal council, and in a self-governing region the chairman of the self-governing region and assembly of the self-governing region.

 

  1. Public corporations

These are state institutions providing public services or non-state institutions conducting activities for the support of fulfilling state and public tasks. They are organized by law or financed in part from the state budget and are subject to state supervision. Such corporations are, for example, Radio and Television of Slovakia and the Press Agency of the Slovak Republic.