The 14th meeting of the National Working Group (NWG) for Monitoring Public Administration Reform (PAR) in North Macedonia was held on the 17th of December 2024 in hotel Arka. It was attended by 17 participants, from the civil society organisations. The aim of the meeting was to present and discuss the reports/analysis on the integration of PAR principles into key sectoral policies in North Macedonia, the methodology and check lists. Each report focuses on improving transparency, accountability, and service delivery.

The meeting was opened and moderated by Ms Julijana Karai, the Senior Researcher in EPI. The following was discussed:

• The Ministry of Transport and Communications ensures transparency through clear and publicly available annual procurement plans. The report, authored by Todor Conev from the Initiative for Unemployed Intellectuals (INI), underscores the need for improved justifications for plan amendments and better compliance with procurement timelines.

• The Ministry of Social Policy, Demography, and Youth demonstrates notable efforts in transparency and responsiveness. The report, authored by Dimitar Vrglevski from the Center for Change Management, highlights regular fulfilment of freedom of Information requests and a user-friendly website.

• The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Water Management shows progress in service delivery and digitalization. Authored by Liljana Jonoski from the Rural Coalition, the report highlights challenges in citizen feedback mechanisms, e-service availability, and access for vulnerable groups.

Conclusions:

• Establishing detailed internal procedures would further enhance accountability and efficiency.

• Further efforts are needed to publish up-to-date open data formats to strengthen accessibility and public trust.

• The service provision should