Skopje, 6 November 2024 (MIA) - Minister of Local Self-Government Zlatko Perinski met Wednesday with the Slovenian Minister of Cohesion and Regional Development, Aleksander Jevšek, and the Minister of Public Administration, Franc Props, as part of a three-day study visit to Slovenia organized by the United Nations Development Programme and his agenda to exchange experiences and apply positive practices from the region in the drafting of the planned amendments to the Law on Local Self-Government, the Ministry of Local Self-Government said in a press release.

The manner of implementation of policies for even regional development and the sources of financing were in the focus of the meeting with Minister Jevšek.  

“Minister Perinski used the meeting with Minister Props to learn about the digitization of administrative services provided by the municipalities in Slovenia, how the digitization process was implemented, and the central government’s assistance with the digitization on a local level. They also spoke about the legal framework that regulates the cooperation of Slovenian municipalities with the civil sector, the sources for their financing and the way in which the work of the local self-government units is supervised, as well as their transparency,” the Ministry said in the press release.

Perinski stressed that the experiences and positive practices exchanged during the visit could be used during the drafting of the amendments to the Law of Local Self-Government with the goal of more functional municipalities and more efficient public services in line with European norms. 

“The meetings are also exceptionally important for us as a country that strives to join the European Union and is working intensely on the necessary reforms,” Perinski said after the meeting.

The Minister noted that he and Minister Jevšek agreed the establishment of working groups on a technical level in the period to come, focused on the exchange of positive experiences from Slovenia.

“To prevent the emigration of young people from undeveloped regions. To ensure development based on decentralization, on the principle of social development and for the part of the country that is less developed to develop faster and reach those that are already developed. That’s the point of cohesion, the point of harmonized regional development,” Minister Jevšek said after the meeting with Perinski, during which they committed to deepen and intensify the cooperation between Macedonia and Slovenia in regional development. 

Photo: Ministry of Local Self-Government