The European Principles of Public Administration Services Delivery From the Perspective of Digitalization and Simplification : Normative Framework and Practise in the Republic of Serbia

Abstract

European Union principle of Public administration service delivery is a key principle underpinning the efficiency principle and simplification of administrative procedures. Serbian government has done a lot of efforts and made a progress in the last five years in the sphere of public services digitalization, through strategic, institutional, normative changes, but some weaknesses still remain in terms of realizing the full potential of the different strategies and legislation. The purpose of the paper is to elaborate the application of quality and efficient public service delivery through analysis of Serbian strategic and normative framework de lege ferenda, simplification of administration procedures, focusing to main concerns for effective implementation of general procedure legislation and applying consistent practice. In the Introduction authors emphasize the progressing importance of digitalization of public services, from the perspective of European Union principles. This part also addresses conceptual issues of efficiency and effectiveness for ensuring high quality of public service delivery. The second part reveals the analysis of Serbian normative and strategic framework towards reducing bureaucratic burdens, simplification of administrative procedures through one-stop-shops, coordinating and “connecting” procedures from the jurisdiction of one or more administrative organs or organizations in the way the they provide better access to public services across the country. This part contains analysis of general legal framework from the aspect of reducing bureaucratic burdens for citizens and business entities, by imposing the obligation for public authorities to provide the documents ex officio and use them in administrative procedures. The authors analyze the provisions of the General Administrative Procedure Act de lege ferenda and its weaknesses for effective implementation. In Conclusion authors will summarize results of research in the way to point out to contemporary tendencies regarding digitalization of public services and means of application of efficiency, transparency, accessibility, openness and quality of public services in practice. Dominant methods of scientific research are dogmatic, comparative, content analysis, analysis and synthesis.