Skopje, 18 October 2023 (MIA) — Local self-government units and public utility companies need to follow national laws on environmental protection aligned with the European Union's legislation if the country is to make any progress, Minister of Environment and Physical Planning Kaja Shukova told the 11th International Conference on Utility Services in Smart Cities.

Organized by the Association of Public Service Providers of the Republic of North Macedonia, the conference aimed to present participants with available technical solutions and an opportunity to consult with regional and international experts from the utility sector in implementing the "smart cities" concept.

"In order to improve the quality of the utility services, the public sector and the municipalities must include the modernization of the public utility companies as part of their operations," organizers said.

According to Environment Minister Shukova, the central government has given support to local self-government units through grants and loans for water supply, wastewater treatment, and waste management projects. It has also supported capacity-building projects so that municipalities in the future can meet all their obligations, in line with European standards, on their own.

In response to a reporter's question on the quality of the country's utility services, Shukova expressed her regret that most utility companies were not efficient, she said, primarily because of the energy crisis.

"Capacities need to be strengthened," she said. "Work needs to be done on both human resources and financial portfolios."

Asked what was most lacking in municipalities nationwide, she said they lacked basic waste management systems.

"We currently don't have standard infrastructure. We don't have properly managed landfills. We only collect the waste and dispose of it. We don't have proper recycling. We don't practice waste reduction," the environmental minister said.

The Ministry of Environment was to soon provide municipalities nationwide with garbage bins for recyclables, she said, adding that the public procurement procedure for them was under way.

According to Association of Public Service Providers of the Republic of North Macedonia president Pece Milevski, conference participants had the opportunity to hear from experts and learn about technological advances in the utility sector.

"To improve the services we provide to citizens," Milevski said, "we should try to implement new technologies, new ways and principles of working." mr/