Digitizing public services is a prerequisite for transparent institutions and quality services at the local level, which is why the central and the local governments need to collaborate, according to Deputy Prime Minister in charge of good governance policies Slavica Grkovska speaking at the CoRe Days 2022: Partnership for Competitive Region international conference in Dubrovnik on Monday, informed MIA.

According to an official press release, Deputy PM Grkovska said international cooperation in the digital transformation of society was of great importance for efficient and productive societies.

“The primary goal of decentralization and transferring a large part of the competences from the central to the local level is to improve the daily life of the citizens by improving childcare, education, urban planning, communal and other municipal responsibilities,” Grkovska told the conference.

“Mayors and all public employees need to be creative and use digital technology to try to improve public services,” she said, adding that close cooperation with the business sector was also key.

“For this purpose, we recently established the National Council for the Digital Transformation of Society, which, alongside our minister for information society and administration, interior minister, finance minister, and defense minister, also includes representatives of the Chambers of Commerce and local self-government units,” Grkovska said.

“Digital transformation is not a political process and it is not tied to one political group only. It is a social process, so the National Council includes the opposition as well. Only this way, through close cooperation and consultation with all stakeholders, can we make progress,” she said.

In her address, the deputy PM for good governance policies also said institutions needed to inspire trust in citizens by making sure citizens’ data was protected, never abused, and their privacy never violated.

“Which is why every country needs to work on cyber security and cyber resilience in parallel with its process of digital transformation of society. This is especially important considering the latest geopolitical activities. The aggression against Ukraine has made it necessary for joint activities in cyber security and digital data protection,” Grkovska said.

CoRe Days 2022 is organized by the Business Friendly Certification South East Europe network to encourage the exchange of experiences and best practices on local economic development activities related to innovation, digitization, and circular economy.

Conference participants include local mayors, political and business leaders from the six countries of the Western Balkans and Croatia as well as representatives of International Financial Institutions, the EU, and donor organizations.