Book excerpt: Wissenschaftliche Studie aus dem Jahr 2010 im Fachbereich Politik - Region: Südosteuropa, University of Bucharest (Faculty of Public Administration, National School of Political Studies and Public Administration), Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: The accession to the EU and enlargement of the European integration process have determined profound reforms in the European countries area, reforms gravitating around the objective nucleus represented by observing the fundamental principles of democracy, separation of powers and respect for the rule of law. Reform is considered as a fundamental part of a national effort to improve efficiency as diverse as Greece (Michalopoulos, 2003), increasing the competence and effectiveness of public administration, increasing the expertise, professionalism, knowledge and transparency (Slovenia, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia). The year 1990 represented the start of founding the decentralised system, marked by legislative, institutional, political, economic reforms. The states analysed have represented the arena of the reforms in the administrative and judicial systems, some states have been interested to continue their preoccupations in view to implement the Community legislation into their domestic legislation, as well as to review and adapt to the specific European developments and requirements, while other states have been interested in the progress process in view of accession (Croatia) or in adopting a collection of laws, strategies and action plans for becoming EU and NATO members. The public administrations in the South-Eastern Europe area are subjected to a reform process according to the requirements of the integration process in the EU structures (Andrei, Matei, Rosca, 2008). The process is defined as an ensemble of reform measures at the level of civil service, local government and achievement of decentralization. Moreover, on the South Eastern European states, as well as on other countries, the economic and financial crisis exerts pressures influencing the mechanisms of the relationship between the two political and administrative levels, in all cases with implications related to financial constraints and effects on public service. The reforms of state administration started some time before countries’ accession to the EU (Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia). The accession criteria of Copenhagen (1993), Madrid (1995) and Luxembourg impose to the candidate states conditionalities on guaranteeing democracy, rule of law, human rights, protection of minorities, economic conditionalities – functional market economy, political conditionalities – adherence to the objectives of the political, economic, monetary Union of the EU, resulted from the membership obligations.[...]