Skopje, 24 September 2025 (MIA) - Minister of Public Administration Goran Minchev took part in a ministerial conference in Podgorica, Montenegro, organized by the European Commission to gather government representatives from the Western Balkans, Moldova and Armenia for talks on public administration capacities to integrate into the European Union.

According to a press release from his office, Minister Minchev told the conference that the power of public administration was not revealed in numbers but in its quality and capacity to deliver results. He said it should be the driver of reforms, the guarantor of the rule of law and a partner in the country's EU integration process.

He stressed that the country had implemented the recommendations issued by SIGMA, the joint initiative of the EU and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to Support Improvement in Governance and Management in Central and Eastern European Countries.

According to Minchev, the recommendations in the latest SIGMA report were integrated into an action plan and built in into the revised Public Administration Reform Strategy.

"We do not view these reports as a mere formality," Minchev told the gathering.

"They are a tool for real change," he said, adding that reforms needed to be put into practice by institutions instead of staying on paper.

The public administration minister highlighted the importance of international support, especially by SIGMA and Montenegro's Regional School of Public Administration ReSPA, in training as well as providing expert assistance and opportunities to exchange experiences with EU member states.

"The Ministry of Public Administration's vision is to build an administration that will actively contribute to creating and implementing European policies," he said.

"Macedonia does not view the integration process as a one-way street. Our goal is to be acknowledged as a serious partner in the EU and as an example of leadership in the region," Minchev said. mr/