Inspectorate directors to be selected under Law on High‑Level Managers; term extended to five years

From 1 October 2026 state inspectorates will have their directors selected under the procedures of the Law on High‑Level Managers and the directors' term will be extended from the current four years to five years, according to proposed amendments to the Law on Inspection Supervision. The changes alter how directors are chosen, the conditions for appointment and the grounds and procedure for dismissal.

Key changes in selection, mandate and dismissal

One of the principal changes removes the current requirement that the Government publish a public advertisement for a director on its website and in at least two daily newspapers. Instead, the selection will follow the model established in the Law on High‑Level Managers.

The proposal keeps the director as the head of a state inspectorate, to be appointed and dismissed by the Government, but aligns the appointment procedure with the new legal framework. It also introduces a deadline for starting the appointment process: the procedure to appoint a new director must begin no later than six months before the expiry of the incumbent's mandate.

Mandates will be lengthened from four to five years, with the possibility of one additional consecutive reappointment. That means a director may serve at most two consecutive terms if reappointed.

The draft also changes dismissal rules. Prior to expiry, dismissals will be carried out in accordance with the Law on High‑Level Managers. The proposal further explicitly allows dismissal on the proposal of the competent minister, including in cases of insufficient implementation of the work programme or unsatisfactory performance of the inspectorate's duties. Under the current law a concrete threshold applied: a director could be dismissed if the inspectorate had not implemented at least 70 percent of its programme; other dismissal causes so far included the director's request, a final court conviction for a criminal offence or a ban on practising the profession, loss of legal capacity, and violations of conflict‑of‑interest and anti‑corruption rules.

To cover the interval between the end of a mandate and the appointment of a successor, the Government will name an acting director until a new director is selected, ensuring uninterrupted operation of the inspectorate. The draft law is to be adopted by a shortened procedure; it would enter into force on the eighth day after publication in the Official Gazette of the Republic of North Macedonia and begin to apply from 1 October 2026.

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