– “The central government often lacks the capacity for empathy towards residents and may struggle to perceive their issues from a distant standpoint. On the other hand, local governments and civil society, by virtue of their proximity to the daily lives of residents, are better positioned to swiftly mobilise resources to provide assistance during crises”, emphasised Leszek Bonna, Vice-Marshall of Pomorskie Province at the discussion panel, “Local Government as the Foundation of Democracy”.
He went on to outline various instances that illustrated how decentralised governance proved notably more effective than centralised control. Examples included the reactions of various levels of public administration to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the handling of the influx of refugees from Ukraine in 2022. – “We were always half a step or one step ahead of the central government”, he added.
All panellists agreed that decentralised public authority with strong local governments is the indicator of democracy. Łukasz Konarski, Mayor of Zawiercie, noted that the opposite trends were emerging in Poland.
– “It's hard not to notice that authority is becoming increasingly centralised due to financial constraints. Our tax income is declining, while expenses are on the rise. The central government attempts to convince the Polish populace that it compensates for the revenue shortfall, but the provided funds are primarily designated for public development initiatives, leaving ongoing operations and essential tasks with insufficient funding”, warned Konarski.
The Mayor of Zawiercie pointed out that an increasing number of decisions concerning local communities are taken centrally. – “What we noticed is that we are inching towards the Hungarian model, where the local government has less and less to say”, he noticed.
