Directions of Development and Incentives for Reform in Municipal Systems of European Countries

The paper analyses ways to develop and premises to reform local self-government in European countries. It shows that the municipal bodies of the European Union have a right to settle issues of self-government. Reforms in municipal government systems have resulted in further decentralization of state power. The ‘dual’ model used in delegation of authorities has led to the fact that cities and villages started to fulfill a series of functions delegated by the state along with their own ones. As a consequence, in a few countries of the EU there have formed quasi-federal structures of municipal government