Skopje, 10 March 2026 (MIA) — To strengthen state institutions in the European Union integration process, public administration reform needs to prioritize human capital as a capital investment rather than a cost, officials said Tuesday at a regional event on civil servant training held in Skopje.

In his remarks at the opening of the event, Minister of Public Administration Goran Minchev said civil servants' professionalism was essential for state resilience.

“Our task is to create a culture of lifelong learning,” Minchev said. “We must destigmatize the term administrative servant and transform it into a public service professional.”

While reforms often focus on legislation and digitization, Minchev said no reform can succeed without investing in the people who serve as the “face of the state.”

“In administration, human capital is not just a resource. It is institutional memory,” Minchev said. “For a candidate country for membership in the EU, such as ours, this is a matter of survival in the new system.”

Minchev noted that a package of four reform laws has been adopted to establish a merit-based system, improve staff retention and increase the efficiency of public services.

These laws — the Law on Administrative Servants, the Law on Public Sector Employees, the Law on Professional Development and Training of Administrative Servants and the Law on Inspection Supervision — also provide the legal basis for a new Academy for Professional Development and Training of Administrative Servants.

The academy, established under the new legislative package as an independent body within the Ministry of Public Administration, is scheduled to begin operations in early 2027.

According to Minchev, the reform introduces centralized training management, mandatory entry-level training for new hires and standardized criteria for trainers. The goal is to move away from "improvisations" and connect career advancement directly to employees' skills and accomplishments.

French Ambassador Christophe Le Rigoleur confirmed France's commitment to supporting the region's public administration reform, adding that the event was also part of a bilateral project aimed at modernizing the national administration. 

He described the reform as a “main pillar” and a structural prerequisite for North Macedonia’s EU negotiating framework.

He said France, too, was transforming its own public administration. "The reform of state institutions takes a lot of time and is sometimes unpopular, but it is very important to strengthen public trust," Le Rigoleur said.

Ben Nupnau, deputy head of the EU Delegation, stressed the need for competent, dedicated civil servants who engage in lifelong learning. 

He said the training needs to be targeted at real-world needs and allow for professional growth without interfering with the daily tasks of the administration.

Maja Handzhiska Trendafilova, director of the ReSPA Regional School of Public Administration, welcomed the French expertise and cooperation. She said that while training institutions often struggle with limited resources for digitization and change management, investing in people remains essential.

“We are not only investing in public servants,” Handzhiska Trendafilova said. “If we succeed in equipping them with the knowledge, experience, networks and values they need to handle a complex work environment — but also in the context of current geopolitical developments — we will improve the capacity of institutions to serve citizens.”

The two-day event, titled “Building Capacities of Training Institutions for Public Servants” Meeting of the Human Resources Management and Professional Development Thematic Group, was organized by the Ministry of Public Administration, ReSPA, the French Embassy and the Center for Change Management. Participants include senior representatives from training institutions across the Western Balkans and EU member states. mr/