Handjiska-Trendafilova and Marović: ReSPA's more proactive and visible role in supporting good governance and lasting public administration reforms in Western Balkans
"Public administration reform is crucial for improving the quality of public services and getting back on the path of sustainable and inclusive growth. PAR is also fundamental to Montenegro's EU accession path. ReSPA is here to be a constructive partner to the Government and help build public administration capacities. Today we discussed avenues for further dynamizing and opening ReSPA's support instruments, such as coordination of the EU integration process; support to service delivery, including at the local level; strengthening policy coordination; communicating PAR in a citizen-centric manner; strengthening capacities for sectoral structural reforms; and enhancing collaboration with civil society" said Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova, ReSPA Director at meeting with Jovana Marović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of European Integration of Montenegro.
Marović reaffirmed ReSPA's important role in advancing public administration capacities and reforms. "One of the Government's priorities is to reform public administration and enhance the capacities of civil servants. Professionalization of public administration is important, both for fulfilling obligations on the European path and creating an administration that will better serve the needs of Montenegrin citizens. Here we count on ReSPA to improve the knowledge and skills of administration employees," said Jovana Marović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of European Affairs.
Marović reiterated that the Ministry will continue cooperating with ReSPA to enhance the skills and capacities of the civil servants. Greater scope for collaboration was highlighted in the area of strengthening capacities for fulfilling the commitments stemming from the EU negotiation process and the attainment of EU standards. In view of the importance of service delivery, it was emphasized that special attention needs to be also dedicated to the local level, as "it is the most common address where citizens seek support from the public administration."
