Skopje, 17 May 2023 (MIA) – Deputy Prime Minister in charge of good governance policies, Slavica Grkovska, held a media briefing Wednesday over the 2023 Plan for Good Governance Policies.

The most important priorities of the institution are for the draft law on archival activities to be ready for parliamentary procedure by September 2023; the tender for the implementation of electronic identity cards for all Macedonian citizens to be fully prepared for publishing; to improve awareness over the need for integrity and professional, responsible and efficient working by public officials; draft a new strategy and action plan on transparency for 2023-2026 by June; encourage comprehensive digitization for efficient and professional functioning of the institutions; draft concrete proposals for amendments of the Law on the Judicial Council, the Law on the Council of Public Prosecutors and the Law on the Academy for judges and public prosecutors, as well as the active inclusion of the civil sector in the policymaking process.

On increasing transparency and accountability of the institutions, Grkovska said there is no better tool for fighting corruption and increasing the pressure for the institutions’ efficient functioning than transparency and accountability.

“We need to reach a degree of complete digitization of services, all documents and data held by the institutions to be published publicly, except for those that are classified,” said Grkovska.

Grkovska added that her Office has also drafted guidelines for transparency in order to get the institutions used to the fact that the data they hold belongs to the citizens.

“This is a process. We instructed all institutions to deliver to us a list of the most requested information by the citizens in the past two years. We had great cooperation with the institutions,” said Grkovska, adding that they are expecting to have a draft document of the new 2023-2026 Strategy on Transparency by the end of June, which will then be subject to a public discussion.

Grkovska also touched upon the need to improve the current practice in the judiciary.

“The situation in the judiciary is worrying. Changes have to be made in the legislation on the Judicial Council, the public prosecutors… There should be special criteria for their election,” said Grkovska.