Andonovski announces 20 institutions will join the national digital archive

Stefan Andonovski, Minister of Digital Transformation, said at a press conference presenting the European Commission's 2026 progress report that the government will add 20 more state institutions to the central electronic document management system and archive within the next three months. The move, he said, aims to move administrative files through the full lifecycle — from receipt and processing to signing and final archiving — solely by digital means.

Andonovski highlighted the broader findings of the Commission's chapter on digital transformation and media, noting a "serious jump from moderate to a level between moderate and good preparedness" for the sector. He singled out five priority areas: e‑services, inter-institutional data exchange, electronic records management, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.

On availability of online services, the minister said that by the end of August the National Portal offered 338 services, some only partially electronic, and that the next objective is to complete every procedure so citizens can do everything from application to receipt of the final document from a computer or phone.

"Submitting an electronic request by itself means nothing if the document is then printed, carried from office to office, or waits for days for a physical signature. The system must enable full digital tracking of cases and clear responsibility for who holds the file and how it is processed," Andonovski said.

Data exchange and transactions

He pointed to a sharp rise in transactions on the national data-exchange platform as proof that institutions are increasingly communicating electronically. According to figures presented at the briefing, monthly transactions grew from 700,000 in 2024 to 1.4 million last year, and have reached 5.2 million so far in 2026.

Andonovski added that the central eDMS had been used by 44 institutions as of the end of June 2026, and the planned integration of another 20 bodies will expand that coverage. "Institutions must actively exchange data among themselves, and not have citizens act as couriers carrying documents from one counter to another," he stressed.

The minister also said the Ministry of Interior will need between six months and one year to begin accepting digital documents. As part of wider technological investments, the government and the ministry are backing the "Vezilka" project, coordinated by the Faculty of Computer Science and Engineering (FINKI) and linked to the European Faros network, to connect researchers, students and business with AI tools and to enable practical AI use in public administration.

Closing his remarks, Andonovski underlined that the European Commission's recommendations are not abstract demands but daily operational tasks, and that the true measure of success will be how much shorter queues become, how faster services reach citizens and how secure those systems prove to be.

Photo: Ministerstvo za digitalna transformacija