Self-government

or self-governance or self-rule is in general the ability of a group or individual to exercise all
necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority.

Types of self-government:

Territorial self-government is a spatially defined functional unit, which is gifted with the right
to decide on its own matters. Examples of territorial self-government in the Czech Republic are
municipalities as basic territorial self-governing units and regions as higher territorial
self-governing units. Their right to self-government is embedded in the Constitution and further
defined in particular in Act on Municipalities, and in Act on Regions. Self-governing units create
their own bodies through which the exercise of self-government is carried out. The territorial
self-government may issue its own regulations within the limits of law.


The Czech Republic is divided into thirteen regions and one capital city with regional status as of
1 January 2000. The older administrative units seventy-six districts are still recognized and
remain the seats of various branches of state administration, such as the judicial system.

Regional responsibilities include upper secondary education, regional roads, public transport,
health care/general hospitals, economic development and planning, social assistance for
disadvantaged groups.


The municipal level includes municipalities, towns and 25 statutory cities. The latter have a
special status granted by an Act of Parliament and can establish districts at the sub-municipal
level with their own mayor, council and assembly - but only eight cities have chosen this option.
While municipalities have equal status, they are divided into three categories according to the
scope of their delegated responsibilities: municipalities with “extended powers”, municipalities
with some delegated powers (e.g. registry office, building authority) and the remaining which are
“basic” municipalities. Municipal competences include education (pre-elementary, primary, and lower
secondary education), agriculture, housing, primary health care, social care services, local roads
and public transport, water and waste management (municipalities with “extended powers” only).
Professional self-government means that the right to autonomous decision-making on their own
affairs is conferred on entities which share a common interest. Examples of professional
self-government in the Czech Republic are the Czech Bar Association, the Czech Chamber of
Architects, the Chamber of Executors of the Czech Republic, the Notary Chamber of the Czech
Republic, the Czech Medical Chamber, the Czech Pharmacy Chamber and the Czech Dental Chamber.
School self-government is considered to be an interest self-government through which pupils and
their parents participate in school management. At public higher education institutions,
self-government is exercised by members of the academic community through the Academic Senate
elected by them and through other academic bodies.