Despite promises to downsize the public sector, North Macedonia’s Government has continued to establish new public institutions.
The Ministry of Information Society and Administration announced on Monday that 74 new institutions have been established within eight years, including eight in 2023 alone.
Among the eight new institutions founded this year, financed by the state budget, are “Ten Days of the Republic of Krushevo”, “Art Gallery in Gostivar”, “Smilevo Congress Event”, and the “Center for Turkish Community Culture”.
“In North Macedonia, we have institutions that don’t even know their competencies,” said Azir Aliu, the Minister of Information Society and Administration.
Reducing the number of civil servants is also an ongoing demand from the European Union, among the mandatory requirements that North Macedonia must fulfill to join the European family.
A report by the European Commission published in July of this year stated, “reforms in administration are hindered by certain officials”.
Juliana Karai of the Institute for European Policy told Radio Free Europe that due to the “lack of rational organization of government bodies and the absence of clear lines of accountability” in how budget money is spent, reforms in administration cannot be expected to meet EU requirements.
“Most likely, the heads of institutions cannot agree, there is a kind of resistance from the leaders of these institutions because the process began two years ago during the pandemic, even we as civil society were involved in this process. But it seems that the whole process is stalled. They do not even inform us about how far this process has gone,” Karai said.
“Political leaders are afraid to shrink the administration”
Political experts emphasize that administrative reforms are hindered by the political leaders’ fear of losing voters if they reduce the administration.
“Here we are dealing with individual and group interests. It is beyond doubt that the victory or defeat of political parties is reflected in their electorate through securing or losing jobs in state institutions,” said Albert Musliu of the Institute for Democracy Development.
He stressed that “every job is converted into votes, plus or minus”, adding that this hinders the reduction of civil servants, even though “any reduction in institutions is for the general good”.
Public administration reform was also included in the so-called “3-6-9 emergency reform plan” of 2017 and the “18” plan, which was published a year later.
The Government has not provided details on how far the implementation of this process has progressed in practice.
