Bilateral events 2021 Monitoring Reports

SIGMA organised bilateral workshops and conferences with partners concerning the 2021 Monitoring Reports in December 2021, January and February 2022.

Information about all SIGMA events is available on the main events page.

Date	Event

9 February 2022	Republic of North Macedonia SIGMA organised a high-level event to present the 2021 SIGMA Monitoring Report with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Slavica Grkovska and Minister of Information Society and Administration Admirim Aliti. Gordana Gapikj Dimitrovska, State Advisor of Administration, Biljana Nikolovska Zhagar, Co-Chair, EU-North Macedonia PAR Special Group, David Geer, Head of the EU Delegation in the Republic of North Macedonia, Michela Matuella, Head of Albania and North Macedonia, DG NEAR, EC, Gregor Virant, Head of the SIGMA Programme and SIGMA experts also participated in the event to discuss key messages and recommendations from the report. Agenda I Presentation
9 February 2022	Montenegro - public service and human resource managemen SIGMA continued the series of thematic discussions with an event to take stock of the results achieved so far in the area of public service and human resource management in Montenegro, to discuss priorities for the next period and how to achieve them. Agenda I Presentation
19 January 2022	Montenegro - policy development SIGMA continued the series of thematic discussions with an event to take stock of the results achieved so far in the area of policy development in Montenegro (including the drafting of strategies and legislation, analysis of impacts and consultation process), to discuss priorities for the next period and how to achieve them. The timing of the webinar coincided with the publication of the most recent SIGMA monitoring assessment and the finalisation of the PAR Strategy for 2022-2026 that contains a dedicated pillar on policy development. This provides a good opportunity to discuss state of play as well as the next steps for policy development process. The invited participants included officials of the General Secretariat, the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Public Administration, Digital Society and Media, the Secretariat for Legislation, representatives of the Parliament as well as representatives of the Delegation of the EU in Montenegro and SIGMA experts. Agenda I Presentation
18 January 2022	Kosovo* SIGMA organised a high-level event to present the 2021 SIGMA Monitoring Report with the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi and Minister for Internal Affairs Xhelal Sveçla as well as other senior officials from the administration. Tomáš Szunyog, Head of the EU Office in Kosovo; Florian Hauser, Team Leader, Public Administration Reform, DG NEAR, European Commission; Gregor Virant, Head of the SIGMA Programme and SIGMA experts also participated in the event to discuss key messages and recommendations from the report. Agenda I Presentation
21 December 2021	Serbia SIGMA organised a high-level event to present the key messages and recommendations of the 2021 SIGMA Monitoring Report with the participation of Minister Marija Obradović and State Secretary Maja Mačužić Puzić of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self Government and H.E. Emanuele Giaufret, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the EU to Serbia. As well as other senior officials from the Ministry, there were also representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Public Policy Secretariat and interventions from Florian Hauser, Team Leader, Public Administration Reform, DG NEAR, European Commission, Gregor Virant, Head of the SIGMA Programme and SIGMA experts. There were over 80 participants. Agenda I Presentation
10 December 2021	Albania SIGMA organised a high-level conference in Tirana to discuss the key findings of the 2021 SIGMA Monitoring Report and exchange views about the future priorities and challenges of public administration reform (PAR) in Albania. The event was attended by senior Ministers, officials from the Albanian administration and the EU. The Deputy Prime Minister of Albania, the Minister of Finance and Economy, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Services and several other senior officials spoke at the event. Officials including Michela Matuella, Acting Director of the Western Balkans, DG NEAR, European Commission, Florian Hauser, Head of the PAR Team, DG NEAR, Hubert Perr, Head of Co-operation, EU Delegation to Tirana, also spoke to highlight the importance of PAR in the EU Enlargement process . About 40-45 physical participants and over 70 participants attended the session online. Agenda I Presentation
9 December 2021	Montenegro - public internal financial control SIGMA held the first of a series of thematic discussions that will be organised in Montenegro. This discussion was on the subject of public internal financial control (PIFC), to take stock of the results achieved so far in Montenegro and discuss priorities for the next period and how to achieve them. The webinar coincided with the finalisation of the new Public Financial Management Reform Programme, the publication of the most recent SIGMA Monitoring Report and the completion of the Technical Assistance project supporting the CHU. This provided a good opportunity to discuss the state of play as well as the next steps for PIFC policy. The invited participants included officials of the CHU, representatives of the Delegation of the EU in Montenegro, experts of the ongoing TA project and SIGMA experts. Agenda I Presentation
2 December 2021	Bosnia and Herzegovina SIGMA participated in a conference “Do we need reorganisation of public administration” organised by Transparency International Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Swedish Embassy. The conference was attended by high-level representatives of all levels of governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina, civil society organisations, the EU Delegation in Sarajevo, DG NEAR and other international organisations. The objective of the conference was to discuss the extent to which the existing organisational model of public administration in Bosnia and Herzegovina contributes to efficiency, effectiveness and accountability, and possible directions for optimising public administration. During the first part of the conference, SIGMA presented findings and recommendations of the SIGMA 2021 Bosnia and Herzegovina Monitoring Report in three areas: policy development and co-ordination, accountability and public procurement. Agenda I Presentation

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244/99 and the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice on Kosovo’s declaration of independence.