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Blerim Reka
Conclusions
The Ohrid Framework Agreement is not a Restaurant Menu, to choose what
we like or don’t like, but it is an internationally guaranteed document, with clear
legal obligations, with concrete carriers and precise implementing deadlines.
Nevertheless, after constitutional amendments, the Ohrid Framework Agreement
has constitutional power as well. Thus, its implementation or nonimplementation
proves the existence or non-existence of the political will for
building a new Euro-Atlantic Macedonia.
The Ohrid Framework Agreement should not be left open for free
interpretations, but to the full implementation of both its spirit and its norm.
provides for additional training for interpreters. The use of Albanian in oral procedure continued in
plenary and committee sessions and the parliamentary TV channel is interpreted into Albanian.
However, many state institutions as well as local entities have not made progress, and clear
responsibility for planning and monitoring implementation of the language law needs to be
established. Smaller ethnic communities continue to face a lack of facilities for teaching in their
mother tongue. As regards minorities, the Ohrid Framework Agreement (OFA) remains crucial for
ensuring continued inter-ethnic cooperation and political stability. The legislative framework for
protecting non-majority communities3 is largely in place. The government has engaged
constructively in dialogue with the OSCE High Commissioner for National Minorities on support for
the integration of ethnic communities through education. Subsequently, in early October the
government adopted a strategy on Integrated Education. This aims to follow a balanced and phased
approach aimed at raising the overall quality of education, promoting the learning of each others
languages and increasing inter-ethnic interaction between pupils. Nonetheless, so far, despite the
efforts of the government the separation of pupils along ethnic lines in several schools or language
shifts persists. The administrative capacity of SIOFA was slightly increased. Additional staff was
recruited, including one person transferred from the SEA. Training was provided to the newly
recruited staff. The government’s strategic plan for implementing the OFA over the period 2010-2012
was prepared by SIOFA in close cooperation with the OSCE. It assigns a much greater role to the
Secretariat in coordinating, promoting and monitoring implementation of the Ohrid Framework
Agreement. This concerns in particular integrated education, use of languages and decentralisation.
The Law on public servants established an obligation to prepare annual plans for non-majority
communities, which are to be submitted to the Civil Servants Agency. The overall number of civil
servants from the non-majority ethnic communities was 29% by December 2009. Nonetheless greater
efforts are needed to ensure that recruitments match the needs of the administration Committees
for relations among communities were not set up in all municipalities where they are required by
law. Their effectiveness continues to be limited by poor operational capacity, unclear competences
and weak status. Their role is still largely unknown by the public and their recommendations are
often disregarded. In many municipalities, the committees are not functional and their composition
does not reflect the ethnic structure of the local population. SIOFA still lacks administrative and
strategic planning capacities, while the application of the human resources and internal control
standards are insufficient. Nine years after the signature of the Ohrid Framework Agreement the
SIOFA has so far not produced a report on its activities and the progress achieved in implementing
the OFA. Monitoring and coordination of the implementation of the Ohrid Framework Agreement
among all administrative bodies concerned is still weak. Greater efforts are needed to ensure its
effective implementation and full respect for the spirit of the OFA. Efforts are also needed to foster
enhanced trust between the ethnic communities, especially in the areas of culture and language. The
agency for protecting the rights of minorities which represent less than 20% of the population is not
yet fully operational. In the absence of clear competences, budget andmandate, the agency did not
undertake any substantial activity or initiative to defend the interests of the smaller minorities. Little
progress was made on minority rights and cultural rights. The legislative framework for protection of
non-majority communities is largely in place, but its effective implementation is yet to be ensured,
together with a full respect of the spirit of the Ohrid Framework Agreement. Some progress was
made in implementing the strategy for equitable representation of non-majority communities in the
public sector. However smaller communities, notably Roma and Turks, remain at a disadvantage.
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