TEN TV Show: Citizens first

Who of us has not often felt so frustrated with the state and its most visible face - public administration, say, in front of a counter? How many times have we wished for a well-functioning public administration that would serve the citizens and not itself? Public administration reform is one of the pillars in the process of joining the European Union. As such, it represents a necessity, not only for citizens’ sake, but also for the well-being of the economy and the society as a whole. Reform of this kind has been underway in the Western Balkans for more than ten years, with varying degrees of success. The role of civil society should not be downplayed, as it not only strives to strengthen democracies and enable effective oversight of state bodies, but also represents an important component of the process of public administration reform. With the support of the European Union and the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the European Policy Centre (CEP), together with partners from the whole region, launched "WeBER" – the first project that is engaged in public administration reform at the regional level. In the episode "Citizens First", the findings and recommendations of WeBER are discussed: Majlinda Bregu, Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Simonida Kacarska, Director of the European Policy Institute (EPI), Skopje, and Milena Lazarevic, Programme Director at European Policy Centre (CEP), Belgrade. "Citizens first" is at the same time the first episode in "Think for Europe" television series. The series will deal with challenges, obstacles and problems that are common to the Western Balkan countries on their way to EU membership. The series is implemented by a regional network of research organizations, “Think for Europe – TEN,” led by CEP.