“On the websites of municipalities, services are often offered only through an online form, which must then be printed and submitted in person. Full digitalization means that the entire process can be completed online, and that is something we should all focus on,” said Jashari.
Digitalization is not just a technical process, but a profound social change that directly affects citizens, institutions, and the economy. Without standards, quality data, and digital skills, one cannot talk about sustainable and secure digital transformation, it was emphasized at today’s Panel 3 discussion e-Governance, dedicated to more efficient electronic services, reducing bureaucracy and harmonizing with the digital standards of the European Union. This session was part of the event “Transforming the Future: A Digital Strategy for a Modern Society,” organized by the Ministry of Digital Transformation.
The panel was attended by representatives from institutions, the business sector and civil society, who agreed that Macedonia has a clear strategic direction, but that implementation still lags behind expectations.
The Executive Director of the Metamorphosis Foundation, Bardhyl Jashari, emphasized that digitalization must allow services to be fully completed online, not merely exist in a formal online presence.
“Digitalization affects both citizens and the way our society is shaped. That is why our work at the Metamorphosis Foundation is based on many aspects, but I will highlight two of them—adaptation and learning. Citizens need to acquire digital skills that will enable them to safely use new technologies. Secondly, we work with institutions to use new technologies in a way that benefits everyone. Here we focus on work—creating strategies, but also working with institutions to digitize data. Now with artificial intelligence, data is the fuel of the entire digital transformation and without standards we cannot talk about sustainable and safe digital transformation,” Jashari stressed.
He emphasizes that the national ICT strategy provides clear directions for where we are heading and sets ambitious goals.
“One of the priorities says that services will be provided electronically, i.e. they will be digitalized. They need to be completely digitalized. On the websites of municipalities, services are often offered only through an online form, which must then be printed and submitted in person. Full digitalization means that the entire process can be completed online, and that is something we should all focus on,” he said.
Another aspect, according to Jashari, is the openness of data.
“Data sets that are valuable to both businesses and citizens should be prioritized. New services should be developed from these data, and during consultations with citizens, it is important to ask which services should be digitized first. This approach allows citizens to participate both in selecting services for digitalization and in assessing their quality,” Jashari concluded.
From the perspective of technological solutions, the director of Nextsense, Vasko Kronevski, pointed out that the key to success is the introduction of trust services and electronic identification, comparable to an “electronic passport” in the digital world. He emphasized that every institution must be responsible for the accuracy of the data it maintains and undergo certification to become a “trusted source”. According to him, the establishment of trusted registries and the acceleration of interoperability platforms are a prerequisite for mutual recognition of transactions with the EU and the integration of Macedonia into the European digital market.
The President of the Union of Chambers of Commerce, Goran Gjeorgjievski, pointed to the practical problems facing the business community, especially due to the lack of human resources in institutions. He noted that companies and citizens still have to physically collect and notarize documents from multiple institutions, which slows down the entire process.
“With true digitalization, documents would be exchanged with one click, which would mean enormous relief for business,” said Gjeorgjievski.
A similar position was expressed by the executive director of “Macedonia2025”, Nikica Mojsoska-Blazevski, who emphasized that digital should be the standard, or even the only way to obtain services.
“If we apply electronically and wait 15 days for a response, that means that the background processes have not changed. We must move towards full automation,” she emphasized.
Link to the original article: Јашари: Податоците се горивото на целата дигитална трансформација
