Serbia has a credible strategic framework in the field of Public Administration Reform and Public Financial Management Reform, it was noted today at the SIGMA Conference at the ministerial level titled “Good Public Administration for Better Lives in the Western Balkans”, which was held online, in cooperation with the OSCE and the European Commission.
The Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Marija Obradović, has pointed out, during the panel discussion, that Serbia has made progress in the period from the presentation of the Annual SIGMA Report until today, because it completed its strategic framework by adopting public policy management programmes in November last year.
Such a strategic framework, which includes the ten-year PAR Strategy, programmes for the reform of the local self-government system and public financial management, along with the public policy management programme, speaks of Serbia’s commitment to user-oriented services and the digitization process, Obradović has said. Further progress has been made in the area of acting capacity of senior civil servants working within the civil service system, she has said, noting that in 14 months, with the intensive efforts of MDULS, their number has decreased by almost 20 percent, which is a significant reduction compared to 2019. Obradović has also pointed out that MDULS is one of the few ministries that does not have a single senior civil servant in acting capacity.
Apart from that, the SIGMA Annual Report has recognized the Republic of Serbia as a regional leader in terms of service provision, and placed it above the regional average in four of the six areas of public administration reform in terms of its achievements.
In addition to Minister Obradović, MDULS State Secretary, Maja Mačužić Puzić, had also participated in the conference.