"Smaller, more efficient public administration"

"Smaller, more efficient public administration"

NOVI SAD -- In order to make it more efficient, the public administration will as soon as possible downsize its workforce, "but not in a linear way."

That is according to Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Kori Udovicki.

After the Wednesday meeting with president of the Vojvodina provincial government Bojan Pajtic, Udovicki said that the downsizing process is just the first phase, the most important topic being the optimization of the public administration, which requires more discussions.

"Efforts are being invested in ensuring that the administration serves our citizens better," the Vojvodina government quoted Udovicki as saying.

"The state must serve its citizens, cost less, and have affordable pricing," she said.

Udovicki said that the talks were held in the provincial government about the forthcoming bill on salaries of employees in the autonomous provinces and local self-government units.

Pajtic noted that the provincial administration is the only in the country that had a downsizing of 10 percent in 2012.

"We are willing to take part in the downsizing of the public administration in Serbia, in cooperation with minister Udovicki, although our administration is very small when compared to the 440,000-strong workforce in the public administration, as we in the province have only 1,046 employees, according to the data collected on January 1 this year," he said.

Pajtic said that "when downsizing the workforce, an emphasis should be placed on public enterprises, and not the education and health systems."