Pristina, November 22, 2022
“Reform in public administration is an essential part of the reforms planned in the program of our Government. It is our belief and position that a public administration loyal to the state, honest, educated and prepared, with higher efficiency is a prerequisite for fulfilled development policies”, said the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, in the annual conference organized by the British Embassy, within the project “Independent, responsible, meritocratic and professional recruitment in Kosovo”.
In his speech, the Prime Minister emphasized that the Reform of the Public Administration is a prerequisite for the progressive steps of the Republic of Kosovo towards membership in the European Union. He emphasized that the Government is committed to the reform and therefore the administration we are building to be based on some principles that are widely respected by democratic and developed countries.
“An inefficient administration causes delays in the provision of public services in terms of quality and quantity, it also causes delays in the development of reform processes in other sectors,” Prime Minister Kurti added.
The Government of the Republic of Kosovo has taken concrete steps to address the challenges and problems faced by the administration but also the citizens when they need to interact with it.
Prime Minister Kurti has singled out the strategic documents that deal with these issues. “The plan for national development, the merging of three strategies for public administration into a single one and its drafting for the period 2022-2027, the drafting of the strategy for e-government and the drafting of the strategy for cyber security are among other essential actions which are already we have undertaken
He emphasized that the Ministry of Internal Affairs has fundamentally revised the law on public officials and drafted the law on salaries in the public sector from the beginning, to adapt to the decisions of the Constitutional Court.
The Prime Minister thanked all the partners who are supporting the Government for these reforms through expertise projects, adding that cooperation is undoubtedly a very important component in this whole process.
As he stated, the Government is committed to providing as much work and justice as possible, a modern administration, loyal to the state, educated to the highest levels, agile, responsible and honest. “This is a necessary basis to reach our goals all together”, emphasized the Prime Minister.
Complete speech of Prime Minister Albin Kurti:
The honorable Ambassador of the United Kingdom, Mr. Nicholas Abbott,
Honorable Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Bardhyl Dobra,
Dear leader of the Anticorruption Agency Mr. Yll Buleshkaj,
Dear members of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Ganimete Musliu, Mr. Elmi Recica, Mr. Rashit Qalaj,
Dear representatives of the institutions of the Republic,
Dear participants,
The reform in public administration is an essential part of the reforms planned in the program of our Government. It is our belief and position that a public administration loyal to the state, honest, educated and prepared, with higher efficiency, is a prerequisite for successful development policies. If we have the administration as an avant-garde model of ideas, projects and programs, then we can make the transformation that is expected from our society. Its reform is also a prerequisite for the progressive steps of the Republic of Kosovo towards membership in the European Union.
There is even a direct link between the quality of Public Administration and the speed of integration into the European Union.
Although there are no universal principles or models of public administration development, our government is committed to the reform and therefore the administration we are building based on some principles that are widely respected by democratic and developed countries. When we talk about principles, we mean, among other things, unquestionable loyalty to public service, uncompromising protection of the right and public interest, respect for the law, transparency and accountability, efficiency, providing services in good and consistent quality and quantity. for all.
Dozens of national, European and international measurements, studies and reports say that the challenges are great. Extreme partisanship and a general lack of demand and appreciation for professionalism, professional development and quality training, lack of accountability and adequate performance measurement, are just some of what we can mention. All these problems and challenges play a role in the loss of trust in institutions and especially in the process of recruitment and employment in the public sector. An inefficient administration causes delays in the provision of public services in terms of quality and quantity, and also causes delays in the development of reform processes in other sectors.
The Government of the Republic of Kosovo has taken concrete steps to address the challenges and problems facing the administration, but also the citizens when they need to interact with it.
The first aspect is about strategy. The plan for national development, the merging of three strategies for public administration into a single one and its drafting for the period 2022-2027, the drafting of the strategy for e-government, the drafting of the strategy for cyber security, are among other essential actions which are already we have undertaken them.
The second aspect is related to legislation. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has fundamentally revised the law on public officials and drafted the law on salaries in the public sector from the beginning, to adapt to the rulings of the Constitutional Court. In addition to the decree, another equally valid reason for the detailed review of the law for public officials is the numerous problems encountered in its implementation by the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo. With this law, we intend to departate the public administration, professionalize it and make sure that it is working based on the principles I just mentioned. But also with a different dynamic than what we have seen so far. The problems are not only matters of nature or type, but also problems of scale or speed.
As for the law on wages in the public sector, the Ministry of Internal Affairs has already completed its drafting after a voluminous work, studied in detail and consulted with all parties. With this draft law we will finally create a unified salary system and we will eliminate inequalities, abuses, the space for certain institutions or individuals for abuses, supplements or compensations in an arbitrary way to increase salaries unilaterally as has happened in many cases in the past. So our approach will be holistic. We should do nothing with the part without considering the whole. Meanwhile, the whole considers each part important.
We have taken care that, through these two draft laws, we pave the way for the professionalization of public administration by promoting the evaluation of work, not of individual affiliations, attracting and retaining valuable human resources for our administration, rewarding work and contribution to the development of the state and not names special or certain positions. Through this reform, we are opening the administration for our expats, the promotion of talents within the administration and the interactions with the private sector so that the experiences gained can be shared with the public sector. During the last years we have seen many people moving from the public sector to the private sector, but we are very interested in the following months and years, as many talented people from the private sector will also join the public sector, in democratic state building. And in the socio-economic development of the country.
The implementation of these two laws will result in the improvement of the functioning of the administration and the services that citizens and businesses receive.
Dear participants, digitization of public services and administrative procedures is our priority. As you have seen, this week the Republic of Kosovo has been evaluated in the field of digitization of governance, rising from category C to category B, in the World Bank’s index of Technology Maturity in Government. Now Kosovo is among the countries with a significant focus on digital governance. Digital governance is what enables us to hold officials accountable, it enables us in an unknown way earlier the transparency of processes, but also the efficiency of services, while in the private sector it is crucial for increasing the productivity and efficiency of our businesses.
In order to realize our goal of complete digitization in the best conditions, we are taking care that, in addition to digitization, we provide sufficient security through capacity building in the field of cyber security. So the advancement in digitalization has no meaning if it is not a strengthening of cyber security. Since a rise becomes stable when it is preserved and protected, and with this aspect preservation and protection has the name of cyber security.
Allow me to thank all the partners who are supporting us for these reforms through various projects or expertise. Cooperation is undoubtedly a very important component in this whole process and a good opportunity to be inspired by different countries.
We are committed to providing with all that we can and know, as much work and justice as possible, contemporary administration, loyal to the state, educated at upper levels, agile, responsible and honest. This is a necessary basis to reach our goals all together.
Thank you all, thank you ambassador, and I wish you much success in your further works.
Last modified: November 22, 2022