Skopje, 6 November 2024 (MIA) – Public administration reforms are a top priority for the government with the agenda we have adopted together with the EU, and they will be implemented with the participation of the civil sector aiming to strengthen the fight against corruption, Deputy Prime Minister for Good Governance, Arben Fetai, said on Wednesday.

“For us, public administration reforms are a top priority as a government, but they are also a high priority within the agenda we have adopted together with the EU. Unfortunately, I must say that we have inherited a very difficult situation regarding public administration, one that is overburdened, politicized, and inefficient. We, as the new government, are committed to systemic reforms, changes, and the adoption of several laws aimed at reforming public administration, such as the law on public sector employees and law on civil servants. What I want to emphasize is that laws were not lacking in the past; however, what was missing was the readiness to enforce them. That is why, together with all political actors, civil society, and the international community, we will work to implement truly deep reforms in public administration,” said Deputy Prime Minister Fetai, who attended the Regional Platform for Public Administration Reform WeBER, organized by the European Policy Institute (EPI) in Skopje.

He underscored that these public administration reforms will strengthen the fight against corruption at lower levels, which has been a constant issue in the past period, and will also improve services provided to citizens through the overall digitalization of services and public administration.

Asked whether the reform would involve a reduction in the number of public administrations, Fetai mentioned the current public debates on public administration laws, being conducted by the Ministry of Public Administration, which will generate solutions to be proposed during the discussion.

“I have already stated that we have an overburden, politicized and inefficient administration. There are many institutions with very few employees. We believe that they should be merged in order to have more centralized, efficient and accountable institutions. We have already passed the law on public authorities, and the three laws I previously mentioned, which are part of the public administration reform, will also be adopted. I hope this will be completed by the end of the year. Additionally, as part of our efforts to implement the necessary reforms in the judiciary, particularly concerning the Criminal Code, and everything that is part of our framework on the path to the EU,” Fetai noted.

Today's event also features a panel discussion on the latest trends and developments in public administration reform in the Western Balkans and the EU, with distinguished experts and scholars, where views and perspectives on current reform efforts in the region and beyond will be exchanged.

“This project, supported by the EU under the Weber initiative, which has been running for ten years, advocates for greater involvement of all societal actors in reforms concerning public administration, particularly focusing on civil society. Our ultimate goal is to pressure state institutions to include all stakeholders so that better services can be delivered, leading to a better public administration,” EPI Director, Simonida Kacarska, said.

The event is also attended by the EU Ambassador Michalis Rokas, Deputy Minister of Public Administration Laze Jakimovski, and the Director of the European Policy Center - CEP Belgrade, Milena Mihajlović.

Photo: MIA