Skopje, 15 September 2022 (MIA) - Through reforms, we improve public administration in order to improve services for the citizens and companies, said Prime Minister Dimitar Kovachevski at the Ministerial Conference of the Western Balkans for public administration reforms, organized in Skopje by SIGMA/OECD and the Regional School of Public Administration. The Minister of Information Society and Administration Admirim Aliti addressed the event, which was organized in order to show and promote good public administration transformation practices, as well as the implementation of key reforms meant to improve the quality of life of the citizens. Western Balkan ministers attended the conference, as well as representatives of the European Commission, the community of donors, regional and international organizations, civil organizations, experts and high civil servants, said the government’s press service. Kovachevski pointed out their massive support in the process of improving administrative conditions, by helping with specific projects and through comparative experiences and successful examples from other countries when it comes to reforms, digitization of services and good governance. “Public administration reforms are one of our key priorities, an important precondition for the process of European integration of the Republic of North Macedonia. It’s entailed in the first cluster Fundamentals, which is of crucial significance for the negotiation dynamics as a whole. That is why, as a country that has started its EU negotiations, we see these reforms as key to the development and dynamics of the accession process,” the PM said. North Macedonia, he stressed, has set up good foundations and made good progress in this segment, as noted in the EC report, SIGMA’s report about the conducted monitoring, as well as the Special Group for Public Administration Reforms’ 2021 Conclusions. “These documents not only give a realistic, objective picture of the achieved progress, but they also detect areas in need of further reforms in order to harmonize with EU standards. We’re dealing with the challenges ahead, not only when it comes to the official beginning of the negotiations with the EU, but in the continued efforts to secure a modern and effective public administration based on digitization, which provides quality, fast services for the citizens and companies,” Kovachevski pointed out. He said that digitization in and of itself is not exclusively technical and technological, but it is also a social process, and by recognizing its importance, and “we, as the Government, continue our strong political commitment to the process of public administration reforms”. “ Even though, due to the pandemic, we were faced with great challenges related to the implementation of the Public Administration Reform Strategy, the reform process did not stop. Our efforts all these years, despite the circumstances, have led to an improvement in the efficiency, transparency and easy accessibility of public administration. This commitment was also recognized by civil society organizations, which ranked the Government in first place according to active transparency,” Kovachevski stated. That, as the prime minister added, gives us a motive to remain committed to the reform process, but also to the advancement of the segments that will enable a more efficient administration that will respond to the needs of the citizens. Kovachevski said that the Ministry of Information Society and Administration is preparing a new eight-year strategic document for the reform of the public administration, and the Council for the Reform of the Public Administration continues to work with continuous political commitment to realize the commitment for an efficient, productive and professional public administration. “Creating an efficient, modern and service-oriented public administration is our responsibility and we are actively working to improve the conditions for smooth communication with citizens. We create our policies in an inclusive way, by respecting the views of citizens and in cooperation with civil society organizations in key sector reforms,” said the Prime Minister, emphasizing the importance of public administration reforms, but also the commitment of the Government in this process, which is of great importance for our country. “In that sense, it is particularly important to include all those who are engaged in the achievement of goals of public interest, all those who have competencies, knowledge and enthusiasm and who are key to the advancement of democratic values in our country, to the advancement of reform processes and accession to the EU,” emphasized Kovachevski. At the conference, the PM encouraged all stakeholders to actively use the institutional consultative mechanisms for cooperation, the donor community and other interested parties, in order to work together to advance key sector reforms and advance the potential of our society. “Finally, I would like to thank our partners and supporters in the process of public administration reform, above all: SIGMA, RESPA, the European Union, represented by the European delegation in North Macedonia, other international organizations, as well as the civil society. They are a big support in the process of improving the situation in the administration, helping through concrete projects, comparative experiences and successful examples from other countries in the area of reforms, digitalization of services, but also good governance. We continue to actively and dedicatedly work on the reform processes in cooperation with all stakeholders, with the aim of a more efficient administration service for the citizens, but also the realization of the strategic goals of the state with full-fledged membership in the EU,” emphasized Kovachevski. dk/ba/