Public institutions founded by the state employ 30,170 people, accounting for more than half of all employees in central-level public administration. According to the Open Data Portal, there are 324 public institutions in Montenegro. Despite their significant role, employment and labour relations within these institutions remain largely neglected. They are most often governed either solely by general labour regulations or by inadequate legislation that fails to recognise their specific importance in advancing the public interest, delivering public services, and establishing a merit-based and transparent system.

The extent of this neglect is reflected in the fact that only with the adoption of the current Public Administration Reform Strategy 2022–2026 was an official record of the number of employees established, covering public institutions at both central and local levels. The Strategy also highlighted the absence of a unified normative framework regulating public institutions that provide services to citizens and legal entities in areas such as health care, education, culture, sport, social and child protection, and pension and disability insurance. At the same time, it noted that Montenegro, unlike neighbouring countries, does not have a dedicated Law on Public Institutions, but instead regulates this field partially through sectoral laws in the area of social activities. In response, the Strategy envisages the preparation of a dedicated analysis of public institutions, the drafting of a Law on Public Institutions, and the introduction of mandatory human resources planning within this segment of the public sector.

Following the adoption of the Analysis with Identified Challenges and Recommendations on the Need to Establish a Normative Framework for Public Institutions, the Government of Montenegro began drafting the Law on Public Institutions. Institute Alternative (IA) contributed to this process by participating in the working group and organising meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Public Administration, other working group members, and trade unions. IA also organised a workshop to further the discussion on the future Law on Public Institutions, which aims to regulate recruitment procedures in institutions across sectors including culture, health care, education, and social and child protection. This analysis outlines possible approaches to improving the current draft of the law, drawing on previous experience and identified shortcomings in recruitment procedures, human resources planning, and the protection of rights, as documented in the Risk Map of Corruption and Undue Influence in Public Sector Recruitment. The analysis is structured into two main chapters: the first identifies key legal gaps and ambiguities, while the second presents the main avenues for improvement.

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Public administration in Kosovo continues to face challenges that affect efficiency, transparency, and the quality of public service delivery. One of the most common problems for citizens is the repeated requirement to submit educational credentials such as diplomas, certificates, or transcripts often in physical or notarized form. This process not only increases the time and financial cost for citizens but also creates additional administrative work for institutions that must receive, verify, and store these documents. Although the “Once Only Principle” defined in the Law on General Administrative Procedures, requires that citizens provide their information to the state only once, this principle is still not fully implemented in practice when it comes to educational documents.

In this context, the Policy Lab on “Digitalization of Education Credentials – A Prerequisite for Reducing Administrative Burden” was designed as a space for cooperation between institutions, experts, and citizens, with the goal of identifying concrete and practical solutions. During the focus group and workshop held in April and May 2025, participants emphasized that digitalizing education credentials would simplify administrative procedures, reduce duplication of documents, and help build a more citizen-centered administration. The discussions showed broad agreement that the current system, based on checking physical documents and notarization, is old and not efficient, while digital solutions would allow faster, safer, and more transparent services.

The analysis in this report shows that Kosovo does not yet have a specific legal and institutional framework to fully support this reform. The Law on Electronic Identification and Trust Services ensures the legal validity of electronic documents and signatures, while existing platforms such as eKosova and HRMIS show growing capacity for institutional digitalization. However, the absence of a detailed regulatory framework that defines how digital credentials are issued, verified, and shared remains a major gap. It is important to note that the Law on Electronic Identification and Trust Services provides for the issuance of a qualified certificate for electronic signing by a qualified service provider. It is also important to note that, despite this, a national authority for this service has not yet been established. To address this, it is necessary to draft secondary legislation and administrative instructions, as well as strengthen coordination among key institutions: the Ministry of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), the Kosovo Accreditation Agency (KAA), NARIC Kosovo and other institutions.

The institutional analysis confirms that digitalization would have a direct positive impact on citizens and students, who would be able to access their academic documents quickly, securely, and in a verifiable digital format. Universities and public institutions would benefit from reduced administrative workload, improved efficiency, and better data security. On the other hand, the main challenges include the lack of trained IT staff, limited financial resources, and uneven readiness across institutions to implement digital solutions. Privacy and data protection must also be guaranteed, in line with the Law on Personal Data Protection and European standards such as the EU eIDAS 2.0 Regulation. The Policy Lab discussions underlined the need for a gradual approach: starting with the digitalization of the verification process, and then moving toward the full issuance of digital documents. A centralized system under MESTI, integrated with existing state platforms such as eKosova, HRMIS, Civil Registry and other electronic systems, would ensure consistency and data security. This should be accompanied by investments in technological infrastructure, staff training, and continuous inter-institutional coordination. The oversight role of the Information and Privacy Agency is essential at all stages of the process to guarantee data protection and transparency standards.

Digitalization of education credentials is not only a technical reform but also a strategic step toward modernizing public governance. It directly contributes to the implementation of the Public Administration Reform Strategy and the Digital Society Strategy by bringing the administration closer to citizens, making it more transparent, efficient, and trustworthy. If implemented with strong institutional commitment and a clear legal framework, this reform will significantly reduce administrative burdens improve the quality of public services, and strengthen citizens’ trust in public institutions.

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This brief presents the results of a citizen perception survey on public administration services conducted in the municipalities of Prishtina, Podujeva and Mitrovica. Citizens interact with public institutions mainly for civil registration, utilities and essential documentation. Citizens across all municipalities have frequent interaction with public institutions, mainly for civil registration, utilities and basic documentation. For this survey, in Podujeva almost all interactions were with central institutions for the extraction of personal documents, in Prishtina there is a combination of central and local institutions and in Mitrovica the results show answers for the regional water utility mainly. These differences shape both access and user experience. Satisfaction with services is generally high. Many citizens note improvements in service speed, clearer procedures and better staff conduct, consistent with Public Administration Reform Strategy (PARS) objectives to reduce administrative burden and improve service delivery. However, dissatisfaction is more common in Prishtina, where longer waiting times, inconsistent information and organisational issues reflect higher institutional complexity.

Digitalisation is progressing but is still behind and varies based on location. While many citizens use e-Kosova and rate it positively, only a limited share can complete services fully online. Physical visits remain necessary due to interoperability gaps and incomplete digital integration, with significant variation between municipalities. Accessibility challenges persist, particularly in ensuring adequate support for vulnerable groups and improving physical access to administrative buildings. Taken together, the findings show a public administration that is improving but still marked by fragmentation and uneven implementation of reforms. Continued efforts are required to harmonise service standards, expand digital services and ensure inclusive, predictable and citizen-oriented service delivery across all municipalities.

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This policy brief proposes concrete measures to enhance access to public services for citizens with and without disabilities in the Republic of North Macedonia (NM). It has been prepared within the Western Balkans Enablers for Reforming Public Administrations— Monitoring of Public Administration Reform project (WeBER 3.0). The methodological framework combines normative analysis of domestic legislation and institutional mechanisms with comparative alignment with United Nations (UN) conventions and jurisprudence relevant to this field. It employs a mixed-methods approach grounded in normative-legal analysis, quantitative benchmarking, and qualitative stakeholder insights. It draws on the analytical findings from the focus group held on 12 May 2025. This brief highlights systemic gaps in the provision of public services for vulnerable groups of citizens with and without disabilities. The framework adheres to the Principles of Public Administration (also known as the SIGMA Principles) to evaluate the coherence between legal frameworks, institutional practices, and inclusive equality.

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A professional, impartial, and effective public administration is key to the functioning of every democratic society. Therefore, it is very important to recruit educated and skilled professionals who are selected based on their qualities rather than their political affiliation. Recruitments, promotions, and dismissals of civil servants based on merit encourage candidates to apply for job positions in public administration, knowing that they will go through a transparent selection procedure and be assessed based on their competencies. Simultaneously, it motivates them to be proactive, ambitious, and hard-working, expecting to be rewarded for their work. This is especially important for senior civil servants with greater obligations and responsibilities. Hence, it is even more significant that their selection is merit-based. Their decisions affect the entire institution, which means they must respect the priorities of the government and the citizens they serve, acting in compliance with ethical standards. Such a professional attitude towards work, particularly among senior civil servants, strengthens personal and institutional integrity while increasing responsibility in work and enhancing public trust in institutions.

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