CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND THE POLITICS OF REFORM I N CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE

1. CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND THE POLITICS OF REFORM IN CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE Crisis and Governance PAF in Macedonia with particular focus on the decentralization Tamara Dimitrijevska-Markoski MAY 24–25 2013 HUNGARY

2. Public Administration Reforms • Two phases: • 1991-1999 (const., no law,) • 1999- onwards • Process in constant development • Motivation: Internal - functional market economy as well as External - European Integration ( it was part from the SAA Stabilization and Association Agreement, 2001one of the five priorities of the High Level Accession Dialogue (HLAD) 2012) • Highly dependent (conditioned) by additional processes such as OFA and the process of decentralization

3. Basic Documents • Public Administration Reform Strategy (PAR) adopted in 1999 (distinguishing between state administration) and public administration. • Public Administration reform strategy 2010-2015 • PAR process is horizontal and reforms were conducted across different government sectors (70 law amended) • Law on Inter-Municipal Cooperation • Law on Financing the Units of Local Self-Government

4. Key Institutional changes • Cross-institutional Commission for Public Administration Reforms, based in the Ministry of Justice • Unit for Public Administration Reforms based at the General Secretariat of the Government • Civil Service Agency 2000 (training and hiring) • Ministry of Information Society and Administration 2011

5. Main criticism • not considered to have been efficient in meeting the needs and requirements as service utilizers • dissatisfaction is a result of the treatment by the civil servants during their communication with the people • as well as of very long, boring, tiring and complicated procedures • negative phenomenon that has seized the country is the partisan employments in the administration • the concept of “competition” is gradually losing its importance in terms of the selection and appointment of professionalized and highly-skilled people( in 2009 approximately 43 applications for one position)

6. Perception for the selection process

7. Other influencesOFA - the principle on equal and adequate representation of other community members in the PA bodies and institutions.

8. Other influences • OFA – Double majority or ‘Badinter rule’ for certain decisions can not be adopted without a qualified majority of two-thirds of votes, within there must be a majority of the votes from those claiming to belong to non-majority community. • Ex. Struga municipality's decision to place a memorial to the killed councilor, member of NLA • Ex. Honorable citizen of Tetovo, Haradinaj.

9. Other influences • Decentralization process which required essential changes in terms of the transfer and delegation of central power to local self government units in the field of education, social protection and local economic development

10. 1991- inherited system of 34 municipalities (local self-government units), with their headquarters in urban centres. • 1996- law on Local Self- Government and subsequent territorial reorganization created 124 municipalities (limited responsibilities, such as urban planning and communal activities). • 2001 OFA (the rationale behind the new territorial re-organization was to pull the resources of the erstwhile 124 municipalities into 84, plus the capital, Skopje. (POLITICAL DECISIONS, ex. Turkish municipality) • No intermediary level of sub-national government was introduced.

11. The achievements • E-governance (limited) • One-stop shop (limited) • Corruption (visible) • Access to information (improved) • Transparency (visible but selective, ex. municipality center) • Efficiency and Effectiveness?

12. The goal • PA characterized with independence, efficiency, competency and professionalism. • PA system which is immune against influences.

13. Thank you for you attention!