Digitalization of public administration in the context of European integration—Benefits and challenges

At the invitation of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, Mila Josifovska Danilovska, Program Manager at the Metamorphosis Foundation, was a speaker at the roundtable on the topic: “Digitalization of Public Administration in the Context of European Integration—Advantages and Challenges” which was held on March 6, 2025 in Skopje.

Together with Stanislav Vasilkovski from the Ministry of Digital Transformation and Valentin Fetadzhokoski from the Personal Data Protection Agency, Josifovska Danilovska gave an overview of the state of digitalization of public administration in the Republic of North Macedonia, from the perspective of the civil sector and state institutions.

Key challenges in digital transformation

In her presentation, Josifovska Danilovska emphasized that digitalization should not be seen only as part of the European integration process, but as a fundamental reform that will bring improvement in public services and increase the quality of life of citizens. She noted that the new EU Growth Plan sets specific obligations and deadlines in the area of ​​digitalization that the state must meet in order to ensure continued progress.

Josifovska Danilovska pointed out that cybersecurity is one of the biggest challenges, which, among other things, requires harmonization of legislation with the NIS2 Directive, and the establishment and operationalization of national and government CERTs in accordance with EU standards, in order to enable a high level of cybersecurity for comprehensive protection and further development of society.

In addition, she emphasized the need for alignment with the EU Digital Identity Regulation and eIDAS2, as well as the implementation of a single document management system in all state institutions. Josifovska Danilovska added that without interoperability, digital literacy and functional e-services , digital transformation will not yield real results. She placed particular emphasis on the importance of the need for a Digital Identity Wallet aligned with EU standards and the needs of citizens, with the aim of secure, fast and unified access to public and private e-services, facilitating cross-border recognition of digital documents and increasing trust, security and efficiency in citizens’ digital transactions.

Source: Helsinki Committee for Human Rights

Digital literacy and open data—key factors for successful digitalization

Josifovska Danilovska emphasized that digital literacy is one of the prerequisites for a successful digital transformation. Without digitally literate citizens and public administration, digitalization will not yield effective results. She emphasized that a strategic approach to digital literacy is needed, through formal and informal education, tailored educational activities and mass awareness-raising campaigns, in order for citizens to understand and benefit from the benefits of digitalization.

Related to the introduction of AI-based solutions in the delivery of public services, Metamorphosis conducted research on the impact of AI on human rights, analyzing European and international regulations and ethical standards. Josifovska Danilovska emphasized that, before applying AI in the public sector, it is necessary to establish clear strategies and policies that will ensure that the technology does not have a negative impact on human rights, especially in automated decision-making. She also spoke about the importance of harmonizing with the EU Artificial Intelligence Act, adopting ethical standards for the creation and use of AI, as well as signing and ratifying the Council of Europe Framework Convention on AI and Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law.

Additionally, she highlighted the importance of open data for a successful digital transformation. Open data is not only important for transparency, but also because artificial intelligence-based systems only improve if they have access to relevant information and data. In this regard, she emphasized the need to adopt and implement a Law on Open Data and Reuse of Data in the Public Sector, in line with the EU Open Data Directive (2019/1024/ EU).

“All these processes directly affect citizens. Therefore, we believe that institutions should be open to cooperation with the civil sector, which offers expertise to support reforms and access to different categories of citizens—from the phase of designing policies and solutions, to their implementation and evaluation. Only in this way can we build a digitally strengthened ecosystem that will truly serve citizens,” concluded Josifovska Danilovska.