National PAR Monitor 2019/2020

Public administration reform (PAR) remains a key requirement for the EU aspirants on their accession path, and according to the revised enlargement methodology it is now part of the cluster on fundamentals (together with, for instance, rule of law, and economic criteria). As a complex and all-encompassing reform, PAR in the Western Balkan region has for years been thoroughly assessed through the lenses of the SIGMA Principles of Public Administration, developed by the OECD/SIGMA and endorsed by the EU.

These Principles define what makes a well-functioning administration in terms of its ability to deliver transparent, efficient and effective services to citizens and to support socio-economic development. In the context of high external pressure for tangible developments in PAR, homegrown demand for better administration becomes even more important to keep pressuring the government to pursue reforms once the external conditionality dissipates as a result of a completed EU accession process.

Civil society actors, with local knowledge of the administration’s functioning, can lead such domestic advocacy efforts aimed at better administration. Independent PAR monitoring and evidence-based dialogue with the government represent a good approach to achieve this goal.