18 September 2025, Skopje, North Macedonia

At the high-level training event “1,000 Trained Civil Servants” in Skopje, senior officials, experts, and practitioners came together to exchange views on the future of public administration. One of the central discussions unfolded during Module 2: Strategies and Innovation, moderated by Esma Adilović, where Director Handjiska-Trendafilova delivered an address on the transformative role of innovation in governance.

Handjiska-Trendafilova stressed that innovation in public administration is not only about digital tools or modern management methods, but about a profound cultural shift. “Innovation means building institutions that continuously learn, adapt, and improve to better serve citizens,” she underlined.

Drawing on the latest OECD survey results and ReSPA’s regional research, she explained that the findings present a mixed picture. In OECD member states, civil servants feel most motivated when encouraged to find new ways of working, with 43% highlighting this as a key driver. Learning and professional development are equally powerful, with nearly two-thirds (62.6%) reporting that training activities improved their performance.

In North Macedonia, the figures reveal an even sharper contrast. An impressive 61% of civil servants report feeling encouraged to innovate – far above the OECD average – yet only 13% had access to training relevant to their tasks in the past year. This gap, she emphasised, shows that while civil servants are motivated and eager to grow, institutions are still not investing enough in structured learning and skills development.

To address these challenges, Handjiska-Trendafilova outlined several practical steps, drawing from both OECD insights and ReSPA’s regional experiences:

• Foster a culture of learning – Training and professional development must be seen as a core part of every public servant’s career, not as occasional privileges.
• Encourage experimentation and safe risk-taking – New ideas should be welcomed, even if not every idea succeeds. Learning from failure is an essential part of innovation.
• Invest in mobility and cross-institutional cooperation – Exposure to different roles and contexts helps civil servants grow, build resilience, and bring fresh perspectives.
• Strengthen digital skills – From data analysis to service delivery, digital competence is increasingly essential for effective public service.
• Recognise and celebrate innovation – Awards, visibility, and leadership recognition play a crucial role in motivating employees to innovate.

She also highlighted ReSPA’s concrete contributions, including its mobility and job-shadowing schemes, as well as the Western Balkans Public Administration Awards, co-created with SIGMA, which showcase and reward outstanding reform initiatives across the region. “Innovation and learning are not optional,” she concluded. “They are essential drivers of better public services. Together, we must ensure that innovation becomes not just a slogan, but a living practice in our institutions.”

The event opened with welcoming remarks by Prof. Dr Hristijan Mickoski, President of the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia, and Goran Minchev, Minister of Public Administration, both of whom emphasised the importance of investing in civil servants as the backbone of strong institutions.

The first session, Module 1: Change Management, was moderated by Maja Risova Mutlular, Chief of Cabinet of the Minister of Public Administration. Speakers included Borco Handziski, international public sector expert and author of “Public Sector CEO”, Jana Repanšek, Director of the Centre of Excellence in Finance (Slovenia), and Hristina Velkovska, Director of the Vita Institute. The panel explored how leadership and adaptability are crucial for guiding institutions through reform.

The final session, Module 3: Project Management, moderated by Emilija Gjosevska, Head of the International Cooperation Sector at the Ministry of Public Administration, brought valuable perspectives on how well-designed projects drive sustainable reforms. Panellists included Charles-Thibault Petit, Director of the Interministerial Working Group for Certification of Ministries at the French Adult Vocational Training Agency (AFPA), Jasna Pajkovska, expert in project management and women’s entrepreneurship and President of the Projects Group at the Chamber of Commerce, and Gabriela Milosevska, business development and strategic management consultant at the Vita Institute. Their discussion emphasised the importance of project planning, implementation, and capacity building for long-term institutional success.

The conference closed with remarks by Emilija Gjosevska, who summarised the day’s key messages and highlighted upcoming steps.

With over 1,000 civil servants and experts engaged, the event demonstrated that investing in knowledge, leadership, and innovation is an investment in the future of the public sector. By combining insights from all three modules – change management, innovation strategies, and project management – and bringing together leading national and international voices, the conference reaffirmed a strong collective commitment to building a modern, efficient, and citizen-centred administration in North Macedonia and the wider region.