The Center for Development Policies IDEAS DePo and the Ministry of Information Society and Administration (MISA), signed a Memorandum of Cooperation for development of a pilot software solution for automation of the inspection procedures and inspection work, within the USAID Modernizing Inspection Authorities Project (MIA).

The memorandum was signed on December 19, 2020 by the Minister of Information Society and Administration, Damjan Manchevski and Aleksandar Shahov, director of IDEAS DePo.

The purpose of the Memorandum is to prepare a software solution for automation of the inspection procedures and inspection work. The Center for Development Policies IDEAS DePo, as an implementer of the USAID Modernizing Inspection Authorities Project (MIA), will provide support for the development of the pilot software solution, the necessary financial and technical support -, as well as hiring an ICT expert who will monitor the development of the software solution and will closely cooperate with the experts from MISA and other competent bodies during the implementation process of the Activity. Among other things, MISA, as the main coordinator, will enable the uninterrupted connection of the software solution with the interoperability platform.

With the signing of the Memorandum, MISA and IDEAS DePo will provide adequate close inter-institutional cooperation and share information and resources to achieve a high level of transparency and efficiency during the implementation of the Activity.

According to the Memorandum, IDEAS DePo will hand over the software solution and the developed modules to MIOA after the test period is finished, and the Ministry, directly, or by delegating the software solution and the developed modules, will continue the development process, in order to establish a comprehensive and functional solution for inspection work.

On December 13, 2019, a regional Conference on Inspection reforms was held in Tirana – Albania. The Conference was organized and hosted by the Central Inspectorate of Albania and it was attended by central inspectorates’ officials from North Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia, as well as representatives from the World Bank, EBRD, USAID and chambers of commerce’ heads, foreign and domestic.

The main idea of the Conference was to exchange experience in inspection reforms, acknowledge best practices and discuss further regional cooperation and exchange of practices in specific areas of the reforms. In addition, there was an initiative that was accepted by all participant countries – to create a regional network of inspection bodies. Furthermore, the countries agreed to work on an establishment such a document that will provide a framework for this kind of organization and its functioning.
The Macedonian delegation was represented by the President and 5 other members of the Inspection Council (IC) as well as representatives from the USAID – MIA Project.

The President of the IC, provided short speech where it was presented the progress of the reforms in N. Macedonia.

Towards the end of the conference future cooperation and exchange of experience was primary agreed among the neighboring Balkan countries.

The sub-activity Mentors’ program for inspectors includes useful mentoring guidance, emphasizing the notion, types of mentoring, the roles of mentor and mentee and the need for their mutual collaboration, implementation stages, formalization of mentoring, and of course the exceptional benefits of mentoring for developing work competencies. Based on the previous experience during the project life-span, it was concluded that the State Inspectorates should take advantage of their own knowledge and potential, in order to get young inspectors involved in independent/individual inspection supervision. Through instructions, case studies and given templates and close collaboration with counterparts, we (Modernizing Inspection Authorities project – MIA) developed a Handbook: “Mentors’ Program for Inspectors”. The Inspectorates must rely on their own resources in the first place in order to self-sustain and continue the legacy from MIA project after the project is done.

In November and December 2019, four (4) mentors’ trainings were held for the State Market Inspectorate. On December 24th, mentors’ trainings were held also for State Labor Inspectorate and State Administrative Inspectorate. The total number of participants was 86 inspectors. These working sessions were facilitated by Rozalija Vasilevska (MIA Project) and Risto Ivanov (external expert).

On October 31, 2019 Modernizing Inspection Authorities project (MIA) together with the State Market Inspectorate (SMI) organized series of trainings on trade, inspection supervision and product safety. These trainings were heavily based on the resources from the Market inspectorate itself. They were held in the SMI’s internal training center and coached by Senior SMI’s inspectors Mrs. Evgenija Paneva, Cvetko Ristevski and Elena Maneva. In coordination with the MIA project, the trainings consisted of a morning theoretical session and an afternoon practical session, where the junior inspectors were practicing inspection supervision.

The first training, was under the topic “Law on trade” and it was attended by 13 junior inspectors. Next was specific training on “Law on product safety” which was held on November 15, 2019 in SMI premises. Trainers were senior inspectors Elena Manevska and Zoran Janculovski, while the participants were newly employed inspectors. After a theoretical session in the morning, all inspectors went to one of the biggest market chains in the country on inspection supervision. This model was established by SMI and mainly funded by their resources. The MIA project, provided small support in these trainings, while everything else needed for the trainings was provided by the the SMI (conference room, trainers, training presentation, etc).

A Generic training on “Unification of the Inspection Supervision”, for young State Market inspectors was also delivered on 22 of November 2019 in their own premises. The trainer was senior SMI inspector Cvetko Risteski.

This training was one of the series of general/specialized trainings that a group of 12 young inspectors are receiving during their on-boarding program. This training modality is a great example of the self-sustainability, and the State Market Inspectorate is planning on continuing this successful stories of independence in capacity building of their inspectors.

The sub-activity ‘Study tour’ for selected group of senior inspectors was conducted in Tirana – Albania. In the period between November 25 and November 27, a group of 12 trainers from the inspection authorities, together with Inspection Council (IC) representatives visited the Central Inspectorate of Albania.

As a part of a study tour, they met the Inspection system and procedures of Albania and discussed the following topics and activities:

• The functionality of the online inspection system in practice
• Implementation of the specific Risk Based Methodologies
• Experiences from using ‘’Checklists’’
• Organization of bilateral meetings with respective Inspectorates according to the list of participants (Labor Inspectorate, Health and Sanitary Inspectorate, Culture Inspectorate, etc.)

Modernization Inspection Authorities project (MIA) continued to support the drafting process by directly engaging in drafting new and improved legislation and/or amendments to the existing legislation. Completing the drafting of the Law on Administrative Inspection was on the agenda during the period of 2019. First draft of this law was prepared by MIA project experts in parallel with the Law on Inspection Supervision. In order to finalize the Law on Administrative Inspection, the drafting group comprised of State Administrative Inspectorate (SAI) and Ministry of Information Society and Administration (MISA) representatives, as well as MIA project staff and contracted experts had a working session on November 11, 2019. Following a constructive discussion, the text was improved and official draft submitted to the MISA as responsible line ministry for this area.

According to the new Law on Inspection Supervision, the Inspection Council (IC) is obligated to organize regular and continuous training system that will improve the efficiency of the inspectors. Modernization Inspection Authorities Project (MIA), implemented by IDEAS DePo supported this activity by developing 5year Strategy and Business Plan for the Training Center. During the process of development of the documents, close collaboration between the counterparts was essential. In that sense, MIA together with IC organized 2 workshops to discuss the relevant topics. The main purpose was to harmonize the details and the strategic framework of the business plan and the action plan. The first workshop was held in the Inspection Council premises on 29th of August 2019. The main focus was detailed presentation about the strategic framework, the training center and the action plan. After gathering all the information and feedback from the inspection representatives a second workshop was organized in order to wrap up and finalize the documents. On 26th and 27th of September 2019, the working group was gathered once again. This time, the main focus was budget and specific funds in order to start the training center, including the private-public opportunities.

During the last week of September (23-27) 2019, high officials from the Central Inspectorate of Albania visited the Macedonian Inspection Council and several inspection authorities, as a return visit and further expanding the cooperation and exchange of experience between the neighboring countries. One part of the visit was dedicated to the Modernization Inspection Authorities Project (MIA ) and exchange of information and experience regarding inspection reforms, especially in the areas and aspects of the USAID supports through the MIA Project.

Modernization Inspection Authorities Project (MIA) drafted official Instruction for creating and completing (using) checklists. The primary purpose was to facilitate the work of the inspection authorities in preparing the check-lists. The Instruction should enable harmonized approach in the creation of the check-lists among the various inspection authorities. After many meetings with the Inspection Council (IC) to discuss the Instruction and finalizing the text, IC officially adopted the document on June 5, 2019. Later, based on the feedback from the inspections authorities, MIA helped the IC to amend the Instruction so that it gives clearer directions to the check – lists creators in terms of the type of legal provisions (obligations for the inspected entities) to be entered, points to be defined on a scale from-to, and corresponding sanctions.

MIA project and IC organized training for group of inspectors representing all 28 inspection authorities. For that purpose, the consultant prepared training materials – agenda, ppt presentation and exercises. MIA consultant delivered four trainings between 1-4 July 2019 in the meeting room of the IC. In addition to the practical exercises, the participants raised some questions and comments; the answers to some of them were later reflected in the revised version of the Instruction.

State Labor Inspectorate (SLI) had two specific trainings in April and June 2019, on the following topics: “Changes in Labor law”, “Law on private employment agencies”, “Law on smoking protection” and “Law on internship”. Since these laws have been changed and updated in the past period, there was a need for novelties (news) to be presented to the labor inspectors.
The Law on Internship is a new law, developed with USAID Partnership for Better Business Regulation Project support. This new law required careful and detailed discussion in order to be understood in essence by the inspectors, which from now one will inspect and supervise whether the entities act in accordance with the law.

The trainings were organized together with SLI, and one of the trainers was senior inspector Zlate Stojanovski. Modernization Inspection Authorities project (MIA) also hired trainers – Professors from Faculty of Law, Todor Kalamatiev and Aleksandar Ristovski to deliver trainings for the Labor Law.
During the training sessions, Darko Velkov from employment agency Vrabotuvanje.mk was also hired for training of the “Law on private employment agencies”.

Based on mutual partnership and collaboration with USAID Partnership for Better Business Regulation Project, Ms. Pavlina Dimovska conducted session for new ‘’Law on Internship’’ for inspectors from SLI.