Digital government in the Western Balkans: opportunities and challenges

The Western Balkans region is advancing with the digital transformation of government processes and services. In 2024, SIGMA conducted six Assessments against the Principles of Public Administration. This exercise allowed the collection of a significant amount of data regarding digitalisation in the Balkans, including conducting mystery shopper exercises of public services for the whole region for the first time, using the EU eGovernment Benchmark methodology.

The aim of this webinar is to present the findings of the SIGMA assessments and discuss challenges, trends and future paths to improve digital government in the region.

• Opening remarks
  Nick Thijs, SIGMA Senior Policy Advisor. Team leader service delivery

• Results of the SIGMA Assessments against the Principles of Public Administration in the Western Balkans 2024
  Jose Diaz, SIGMA Senior Policy Advisor.
  Arman Behrooz, Stan Vugs, Niels van der Linden, consultants from CAPGEMINI

• Digital transformation in the Western Balkans: the way forward
  Siim Sikkut. Digital Nation. Managing Partner.

• Round table with government officials from the Western Balkans
  
  • Romina Kostani, Director of Digital Agenda Coordination and Foreign-Funded e-Gov Projects of National Agency of Information Society of Albania
  • Almir Badnjevic, Director of the Agency for Identification Documents, Registers, and Data Exchange of Bosnia and Herzegovina (IDDEEA)
  • Lulezon Jagxhiu. Advisor to the Prime Minister on Information Technology. Kosovo*
  • Vanja Lazarevic, Directorate for infrastructure, information security, digitalization and eservices for implementation eservices area, Ministry of Montenegro
  • Miroslav Grozdanovski. IPA Co-ordinator at the Ministry of Digital Transformation of North Macedonia
  • Dara Gravara Stojanovic. Head of the eGovernment Department of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government of Serbia.
  • Moderator: Siim Sikkut. Digital Nation. Managing Partner.

• Questions and answers

• Reflections from ReSPA on Digital Government in the Balkans
  Bojana Bajic. Public Policies Innovations and Digitalisation Officer. ReSPA

• Closing remarks
  Jose Diaz, SIGMA Senior Policy Advisor.

^{* 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.}