Keywords: Macedonia; energy security; EU and NATO accession; external risks; external resilience; domestic risks; domestic resilience;
Energy security is of crucial national security importance. This paper analyzes the state of energy security in Macedonia and tries to identify the main issues hampering an improved energy security situation.
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Keywords: Macedonia; corruption; public-private partnership; governance; civil sector;
Борбата со корупцијата е горливо прашање за Република Македонија. Европска комисија во последниот извештај за напредок констатира дека корупцијата и понатаму продолжува да постои во многу области и дека корупцијата во јавните набавки е сериозен проблем. Понатаму, корупцијата на локално ново во Република Македонија е недоволно истражена, а и јавната доверба во институциите надлежни за справување со корупција е ниска, па затоа е важно поактивно вклучување на граѓанскиот сектор во мониторирање на трошењето на јавните пари како и континуирано истражување на областа, со цел да се придонесе кон зајакнување на доброто владеење во државата.
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Keywords: migration; women empowerment; Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Macedonia;
In the last twenty years, Albania has been often associated with migration. Starting with only 127.639 emigrants in 1990, the stock of Albanian emigrants reached almost a million and a half in 2010 which means 45.4% of Albanian population. The Albanian migration in the beginning of the migration cycle (1990) was mainly male-led with a strong tendency of increased female migration in the following years. Main destination countries of Albanian migrants are Greece and Italy.
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Keywords: Canadian Intelligence Establishment; democracy; transparent dialogue; security; Macedonia; oversight mechanisms;
Intelligence as statecraft has been a long-practiced and embraced manner for nation-states to gather information about both their enemies and allies in equal measure. However, as intelligence practice has become more formalized throughout the past century, new expectations relating to the openness and transparency of intelligence actors – especially those operating in liberal democratic states – came to the fore. There is now an expectation of acknowledgement from intelligence actors toward their populaces about their mandates, purpose, and activities; this is accomplished through both greater efforts at transparent dialogue between the two bodies, but also through comprehensive oversight mechanisms – mechanisms which are put in place to ensure that the activities of intelligence actors remain within their legislative remit and within the law.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; EU integration; Enlargement policy; Stabilisation and Association Agreements; Central and Eastern Europe; Eastern enlargement; reforms; Research and Development policy; Information Society policy;
The purpose of this report is to critically examine and evaluate the progress Macedonia makes in EU approximation. Considering EU approximation is a rather extensive process, this report is focused on two related areas of approximation: Science and Research (S&R) and Information Society (IS), two of the acquis chapters. Bearing in mind the double reason for approximation in research and information society, this report investigates the progress Macedonia achieved in adopting and approximating its policies and legislation to EU standards in these areas. To this end, this report maps the progress achieved with adopting the Acquis and implementing European Commission recommendations in areas Science & Research and Information Society. Building on the research conducted, the report investigates the level and pace of approximation efforts of the Macedonian government, identifies some problematic areas and suggests some improvements, without claiming to offer an action plan or strategy for better EU approximation in the two chosen areas. The findings are based on analysis of Macedonian legislation, reports and analyses of the EU as well as elite interviews with members of relevant government institutions in Macedonia in the period between June and August 2007.
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Keywords: EU integration; Balkans; Southeastern Europe; regional cooperation; regional identity; Regional Arrangements; Stability Pact for Southeastern Europe; Regional Cooperation Council; economic growth;
During the last decade there were many regional initiatives such as the Stability Pact and the Southeast European Cooperation Process aiming to establish strong linkage among countries in the Western Balkans, which in turn will bring lasting peace and stability to the region.. But we can hardly state that these regional arrangements have managed to build up strong “regional identity” which is a prerequisite for a sound regional cooperation as seen in other European regions, such as Scandinavia. Mainly, regional initiatives have focused on instant problem solving, rather than on launching a new long life quality for the region as a whole in economic and political sense. Thus, the regional cooperation phenomenon insofar has not produced any substantial results and sounds more like a good intention.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; public administration; reforms; civil servants; human resources management; National Strategy for Public Administration Reforms; EU standards; EU integration; public institutions; evaluation;
The following pages offer a brief evaluation of human resources management practices in the Macedonian civil service. Based on series of interviews with Human Resources experts, from academia and the administration, we outline the advantages and disadvantages of the current human resources system in the public administration. We then proceed with a summary of the assessment of human resources practices as implemented in some of the Macedonian public institutions, to sum up with several recommendations about how to improve the work and results of human resources units in the civil service in Macedonia.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; EU integration; employment; EU standards; legislation; economic development; jobs; human resources; policy; job creation; Labour Law; work force;
This report focuses on two aspects of EU approximation in the area of employment: the first section identifies the key reasons behind the problems encountered with approximation to EU standards in this field, while the following section looks into potential measures and policy solutions that can be undertaken in order to achieve greater progress with EU approximation. The ultimate aim is to get a sense of progress achieved in the area as a case for evaluating the country’s achievements in EU approximation. Considering recent debates about Macedonian progress towards EU integration acquired an emotional overtone as the ‘name dispute’ with Greece became more heated since the beginning of this year. In this light, this is also an effort to bring the debate back to rational and pragmatic terms and assess the effects that government measures have on the lives of ordinary citizens.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; social policy; EU integration; transition countries; social issues; social protection; equal opportunities; social development; economic development; policy reforms;
Social issues are closely linked to economic performance and governance quality in one society. And while in transition countries social problems rarely receive the attention that economic ones do, the European Union through the Lisbon Agenda clearly linked economic growth with social issues. Social dialogue, social inclusion and several other concepts which entered the vocabulary of policy-makers are product of EU developments in social policy. Macedonian aspirations to join the EU place an obligation to follow EU trends in social policy, social policy is part of negotiating Chapter 19, and adjust to EU legislative and operational standards in this area. EU requirements are good ‘excuse’ to look into the social sphere of Macedonian society, on which two decades of political and economic transition left deep marks. This brief looks and evaluates the current status quo in Macedonian social sphere and notes the progress that Macedonia made in reforming its social policy according to EU standards. Noting the recent outburst of media stories about socially disadvantaged and vulnerable groups suffering exclusion and crime, this is also an effort to incite public debate on the state of social policy in Macedonia and encourage further efforts for improving the social services to citizens.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; public administration; quality of public services; EU integration; reform; EU standards; management; effectiveness of public administration;
For many countries in the world improving Public Administration System (PAS) has been on top of their agenda. Improving effectiveness of the public service has been seen as clear indicator for increasing the capacity for economic development as well as increasing the capacity for providing better service to all citizens. The way that the effectiveness is measured is through the commitment and quality of public services offered to the citizens. The citizens of Macedonia view the PAS as failure to meet and create efficient living standards for its citizens; these living standards are the basic economic and social welfare needs. The main reason is that Macedonia is lacking capacity to provide the PA system with functional policies. Moreover, a problem tends to occur in the implementation of these policies. Correspondingly, the 2008 Euro Barometer report on Macedonia contains a survey about the trust of Macedonian citizens towards national and EU institutions. Compared to national institutions, the citizens’ trust towards EU institutions is evidently higher.
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Keywords: Western Balkans; North Macedonia; Roadmap for Visa Free Travel; visa liberalisation; Visa Facilitation Agreements; security; migration management; border management;
Ever since the European Commission [EC] handed over the Roadmap for Visa Free Travel to the Macedonian government in May 2008, visa liberalisation has been the topic of the year. There hasn't been a speech delivered by government officials, an issue of a newspaper or an event on integration held without mentioning the issue of visa liberalisation. Many reports have been written. Many researches as well as research projects have been conducted, assessing the process of visa facilitation, reviewing the fulfilment of the criteria set in the roadmap or evaluating the prospects for visa liberalisation for the near future. After so many writings on this process, a vast media coverage as well as political exploitation of the topic, what this report aims to do is to present a compact picture on the whole process up to date. It will start by presenting an overview of events preceding the visa liberalisation negotiations, through a short history of travelling for the citizens of the Western Balkans, and presenting what was to follow in the form of Visa Facilitation Agreements and their implementation. This will be followed by an intro on the visa liberalisation process and an overview of the current progress of Macedonia against the Roadmap benchmarks. Next, a brief explanation on how will the decision on visa liberalisation be made, as well as the "what ifs?” on a positive and on a negative opinion of the EC on Macedonia's progress on the visa issue. It will wrap up with recommendations on how to further progress with this process.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; public administration; reforms; public organisations; human resources management; civil servants; structure of jobs and stuff; rightsizing of public administration;
The rightsizing process has been initiated as a result of the inefficiency of pubic organizations in fulfilling their responsibilities effectively. Organizations across the world including public ones, perceive rightsizing as a catalyst of organizational reforms. In addition, due to government’s employments of large numbers of population, the human resources dimension of any public sector restructuring has become a very important national activity and a difficult and complex task to be fulfilled. This automatically derives the fact that rightsizing has become a major reform endeavor in all countries pretending to be in service of citizens. Organizational structure represents a vital component of the public administration system. Giving an exact definition related to organizational structure of the public administration, is not as simple as it looks, this mainly is because it does not include only the number of the people employed but also the number of positions and jobs. Starting from this point, the main idea for tackling rightsizing issues, has been to develop a study over the employed staff’s structure, jobs and positions and thus to define the points where layoff or recruitment actions should be taken.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; candidacy status; EU integration; EU accession process; EU legislation; reforms; NATO membership; name issue; relations with Greece;
Much has been said and done in the past four years since Macedonia became a candidate country for the EU. As the date for publishing this year’s EC Report approaches, the questions of whether this year will be ‘the’ year for getting the much aspired date for starting the negotiations for full membership occupy public discussions. To find a quick answer to these questions seems a rather difficult task. Problems stem not just from domestic concerns, as complex and challenging they are, but also from the confusion over Europe’s future within Europe’s capitals and in Brussels. The path that Macedonia has to walk to get to the much wanted ‘destination’ – Brussels, is particularly difficult and full with bumps. From domestic issues and set benchmarks through disputes with its neighbors, Macedonia also has to find a way to ‘win’ Europe in spite of the global economic crisis and the unfinished ratification of the Lisbon Treaty. It seems as mission impossible when combined altogether, albeit it could be accomplished.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA); RIA implementation; politics; regulations; policymaking process; public policy; citizens; positive impact of policy;
In this day and age, when governments are faced with huge quantity of regulation, it is beyond question that regulation should imperatively be given a special treatment and consideration. The role of political actors should consist of making sure that the regulation in place meets the criteria of an effective and efficient regulation, and guarantee that it produces positive impact toward concerned parties or more broadly – towards citizens. In other words, mechanisms for anticipating policy impacts, such as Regulatory Impact assessment (RIA), must be put in practice. The world’s more developed countries (OECD countries, US, Australia), have been regularly applying RIA to new and existing policies for decades. Since 1974, when it was first introduced, RIA has consistently recorded indisputable popularity, becoming a constituent element in the policymaking processes of the countries mentioned above. In addition, although there’s no blueprint for successful RIA introduction, these countries’ experience has effectively served as practical guide for less developed countries for successful RIA introduction and implementation. Hence, it can be easily concluded that RIA’s impact on improving public policy has never been as high as it is at present.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; energy sector; nuclear energy; Energy Strategy; energy security; green energy policy; nuclear power plant; environmental protection; energy market; sustainable development; energy independence;
The construction of viable energy options for the next decades is at the centre of significant period in the national discussions in Macedonia. This was triggered in part by the adoption of the Energy Strategy for the period of 2008-2020 with a vision up until 2030. One of the options mentioned is nuclear energy and the possibility of building a nuclear power plant in the country. This option deserves to be adequately and properly analyzed and researched in the following years, as do other alternatives, RES, gas, coal. However, unlike the other energy options, nuclear energy causes lot of stir in the public and expert circles. Whether it is potentially hazardous or is a great investment option is still a big issue that necessitates closer inspection. This brief therefore tries to look at both sides of the discussion while also recommending several future steps regarding the exploration of nuclear energy in Macedonia to the relevant stakeholders. The brief represents a starting point in what should follow a comprehensive research on the benefits and risks that the nuclear option has, not only for Macedonia but for the wider region in general. The research methodology is qualitative, using primary sources, such as interviews and legal documents, as well as secondary sources, such as analysis of documents of the contemporary energy discourse.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; Lisbon Treaty; Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP); peace keeping missions; Law on Defence; NATO; EU integration; Centre for Democratic Control of the Armed Forces;
With the Lisbon Treaty, new challenges have been raised for the national parliaments when it comes to the oversight of the CSDP. Macedonia as a candidate member state must follow the activities in Brussels closely regarding these issues, as alignment to the regulations from the Lisbon treaty should be of a highest priority. This review has brought to light several issues that the committee and Parliament face in the decision-making process regarding sending troops in missions under the CSDP. This memo provides brief description of the cooperation between Macedonia and EU regarding CSDP, identifies the main shortcomings and puts forward several propositions for ensuring close and successful relations between Republic of Macedonia and the EU regarding CSDP. Those propositions are: forming a joint body with the Government and the Ministry of Defence specifically for peace missions and sending troops abroad; propose amendments to the current Law on Defence and institutionalise the process of cooperation with other defence parliamentary committees from the region.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; energy policy; nuclear energy; nuclear power plant; nuclear center; alternative energy sources; nuclear vs. renewable energy sources;
The aim of the present study is to show that, strategically speaking, Macedonia is in need of building a nuclear power plant and that it stands as important location for building the nuclear centre which will meet the needs of Western Balkans and even wider region of Southeast Europe. The following section examines the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear as compared to other sources of energy. The final section concludes with a proposal for building a nuclear power plant in Macedonia as the only long-term solution to the energy crisis in the region.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; NATO membership; NATO Summit; name dispute; relations with Greece; veto to NATO membership; Euro-Atlantic policy;
Macedonia hopes to get an invitation to join the NATO alliance, along with Croatia and Albania, at next month's NATO Summit in Bucharest. However, the prospects of Macedonia to be invited to NATO membership when the NATO allies meet on 2-4 April 2008, is in a state of impasse, with Greece having made it clear that it would veto in the NATO summit any decision for inviting Macedonia to join the Alliance, unless Macedonia and Greece would agree on the name dispute, which under current circumstances will be difficult to happen. Macedonia’s name, the Greeks say, implies territorial aspirations on their own northern province, also called Macedonia.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; public administration; civil servants; human resources; career-based civil service; position-based civil service; reforms; reforming administration; Law of Civil Servants;
The latest European Commission Progress Report on Macedonia, once again pointed out the importance of pursuing thorough public administration reforms in the country. The EC explicitly demands that before starting accession negotiations, Macedonia should intensively pursue public administration reforms with the focus on de-politicization of recruitment and advancement in the civil service. Evidently, this progress report raises some critical issues concerning Macedonia’s public administration (PA) which was not the case in previous reports. Inefficiency, corruption and politicization of PA have been identified as obstacles of overall quality of reforms. Because of this, many believed that reforms in PA shall continue with a fresh enthusiasm and tackle the deep-rooted malformations of the system and head for fundamental systematic change. Understandably, actions aimed for systematic change require decisiveness and sometimes even controversial overhaul of the civil service that suppose to determine its new image. New policy discussion for changes in the Law on Civil Servants aimed at replacing the “position based” with “career based” civil service system is contributing in achieving the fundamental systematic change in the civil service. Although the policy discussion has been on agenda for some time, we suggest that career based approach should be discussed further, and once a new momentum is established conducive for needed reform, the issue is pursued and finalised by the governing authorities.
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Keywords: North Macedonia; security sector; transparency; access to information of public importance; protection of private data; protection of classified information; public administration;
The main finding of the research suggests that, normatively speaking, all three areas (access to information, protection of classified data and protection of personal data) have appropriate laws which are further operationalised into secondary legislation and that there is no major disharmony between them. A feature of all three is the establishment of commissions/directorates tasked with following the implementation of the laws. As such they report irregularities and act upon them while affirming the benefits of these laws and the obligations of security institutions among the wider public. All have adequate competences which give them solid ground to monitor and act upon irregularities. In practice, sanctioning remains sporadic as a result of the novelty these legal solutions bring. In the case of free access to information, the time required for full adoption and recognition of this public right by state institutions has been considerable. A possible role model is the Directorate for Security of Classified Information, where regular inspections are taking place.
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