Local community (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Republika Srpska and Brčko District, a local community (Bosnian: mjesna zajednica; Croatian: mjesna zajednica; Serbian: месна заједница) is an administrative body of a single territorial unit that can include one or several populated places or parts of a populated place that constitutes a territorial whole. A local community is established on the initiative of the municipality president or a mayor or municipal/city council as well as civic associations, while the decision on the establishment is reserved for the municipal/city council. In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, legal communities are considered to be legal entities.^[1]

A local community consists of a council and a president or a council and an assembly of citizens. In the latter case, which exists in only five municipalities, the councils act as an executive body appointed by the assembly of citizens.^[2]

In total, there are 1,451 local communities within the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Out of 79 local self-governments or municipalities/cities, 78 of them have established local communities.^[3]