Decentralization and self-government forms we are dealing with in this paper - local
and regional self-government - can have its full sense and conditions for development
only within a frame of a rational, stable, to the citizens acceptable system of the rule of
law (or Rechtsstaat) which determines and guarantees competence sharing among the
territorial communities, offers and guarantees human rights and precisely defines
obligations which cannot be arbitrarily either increased or evaded on the basis of
possessing power or by the abuse of the public authority. Wrong are the understandings
and interpretations of the nature of the rule of law starting from the fact that this great
principle is implemented so that everybody will perform those laws which are "in effect".
It is one element only.