Skopje, 2 October 2025 (MIA) - All public services will be available online by the end of the mandate. Every citizen will have a digital identity, access to all institutions via mobile phone. We will create generations with digital skills, students who will be competitive with their peers in Europe, we will build a cybersecurity system that will guarantee trust in the digital society, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski said addressing Thursday's Western Balkans Digital Summit (WBDS) 2025, a regional event in Skopje bringing together the leaders of digital transformation from the Western Balkans, the EU and beyond.

Our goal is clear, the PM pointed out, and that is to become a digital transformation hub in the region, a country that will attract investors and retain talents.

"But let's not forget one thing, digitalization is not for machines, it is for people. It is for the mother who wants to enrol her child in kindergarten faster, for the pensioner who wants to easily receive his pension, for the student who wants access to knowledge and books online, for every citizen who sees the state as a friend and not as an adversary. Technology should serve man, and not vice versa. That is our goal. Our vision is a state that will be completely digital, transparent and efficient," Mickoski said. 

"We introduced the M-services app, it is a symbol of the new digital era. All documents in one digital wallet, secure exchange of data on deadlines and obligations, complete transparency and trust. This is the beginning of a digital revolution that will change the country from the ground up. Digitalization will change Europe from the ground up, it is our chance to build a more efficient state and a fairer society. The future belongs to those who prepare for it today," said Mickoski, adding that with digitalization, the country will become competitive with other countries in Europe and the region.

According to the PM, digitalization is a way to overcome inertia and turn the country into a true service to citizens, breaking down the inequality between those who have access and those who are left on the margins.

""Data is the new oil of the 21st century," said Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum. But while oil created monopolies, data can create equality - if, of course, we use it correctly. Digitalization is an economic power. It opens markets, brings new investments and increases competitiveness. With digitalization, our small companies get the opportunity to enter the global stage," said Mickoski.

He pointed out that we live at a time when digital solutions are not a matter of choice, but of survival and progress.

"The Western Balkans must not be a backward corner of Europe. Our future is connectivity, innovation and knowledge," he said.

Digitalization, interoperability, cybersecurity, connecting institutions, as well as the challenges of the new era, from artificial intelligence to the participation of the business sector and academia, are the topics that will be discussed today by the participants of the Western Balkans Digital Summit (WBDS) 2025.

Digitization, interoperability, cyber safety, connecting institutions as well as the challenges of the new era – from artificial intelligence to business leaders and the academic community, are the topics being discussed in Thursday’s WBDS 2025. 

Minister of Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski said Skopje has brought together state officials, representatives of the Western Balkan economies, experts, diplomats, business leaders from the region, adding he hoped the event will strengthen connections between the countries. 

“I hope the event will serve as a platform to connect all these countries without being just an opportunity for discussions. We should all be successful. Encouraged by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), we worked on a joint declaration calling on the EU and all our neighbours and paving the way for the initiative allowing us to roam like at home, cut down costs for data, costs for phone calls and SMSs of the Western Balkan citizens toward the whole of Europe in the same way the initiative has helped us implement it here, in the Balkans,” said Andonovski speaking before WBDS started.

RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanovic said he was pleased to have been given the chance to open the 7th Digital Summit alongside PM Hristijan Mickoski and Minister Andonovski, mentioning that the first one was held in Skopje in 2018. Since then, he said, several steps have been made for the citizens in the region, including the Western Balkans free roaming zone and the prices of roaming prices dropping between the EU and the Western Balkans.

“We are making a step further to establish a zero tariff with the EU, a major step in the phase integration with the EU market,” said Kapetanovic adding the ultimate goal is to connect the region with the EU’s digital market.

The Skopje Summit, he added, will be followed by the Berlin process summit in London, where crucial documents and action plans should be passed, including integration of the region’s digital market with the EU’s.

Photo: Screenshot / Government