Skopje, 6 November 2023 (MIA) — Minister of Information Society and Administration Azir Aliu took part Monday in a high-level conference organized by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the European Union's Support for Improvement in Governance and Management (SIGMA) joint project to launch the revised Principles of Public Administration, according to an official press release.

Minister Aliu spoke about North Macedonia's public administration reforms implemented as part of its integration process into the European Union, the release from the Ministry of Information Society and Administration says.

According to conference organizers, the Principles of Public Administration are a comprehensive framework of standards expressing values and behaviours that citizens and businesses expect from a modern public administration.

They are designed to guide the EU enlargement and neighbouhood administrations in their reform efforts to address the shortcomings in their public administrations and meet the EU requirements on one of the fundamentals of the accession process.

"The EU and the OECD recognise that good public governance is a crucial factor to achieve sustainable development, economic growth, competitiveness and better quality of life," organizers say.

"Politicians and public servants from transition countries can use this framework as a tool for continuous improvement of public administration systems and as a guide to develop better policies for better lives, provide high-quality and user-centered services, manage public funds efficiently, foster transparency and accountability and build citizens’ trust in public institutions," they add.

According to the Ministry of Information Society and Administration, Aliu said the most important progress was made though establishing the Electronic Services Portal and Central Population Register "to improve service delivery and enable policy making in partnership with relevant stakeholders."

"All these solutions are self-sustaining because digitization is the key to the future," Minister Aliu is quoted as saying in the release.

He pointed out that the Central Population Register project of the Ministry of Information Society and Administration was awarded with a Special Recognition Award for Back-end Enabler for Digital Transformation and Enhanced Adaptability at the Public Administration Awards given by SIGMA and the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA).

Minister Aliu also presented plans for using the existing capacities of the National Postal Service to establish 333 contact points nationwide that would provide access to all public services offered by institutions.

According to the release, the Secretary General of the Government Metodija Dimovski also took part in the conference.

The Principles were developed by SIGMA at the request of the European Commission. The first edition was published in 2014. This revised edition updates the framework in line with the most recent standards and practices in the EU, OECD and other international organizations.

"Public administrations today are expected to be more digital, open and transparent, agile, innovative and green than in 2014. They must also show greater resilience to external shocks, such as pandemics," conference organizers say.

"The aim of the conference was for participants to exchange experiences and give a new impetus to the ongoing reforms in EU candidate countries and potential candidates, helping speed up economic development and improve the citizens' well-being," according to the Ministry of Information Society and Administration. mr/