TAIEX Visit: Recognition of the Expertise of the Municipality of Novo mesto

date: 23. 09. 2025

Between 16 and 18 September 2025, the Municipality of Novo mesto hosted a study visit of representatives of local communities from North Macedonia within the framework of TAIEX, an instrument coordinated by the European Commission. TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange) is designed to facilitate the transfer of expertise and best practices from EU Member States to candidate and potential candidate countries. The selection of the Municipality of Novo mesto as the host of this study visit is a strong recognition of the professionalism and development-oriented approach of the municipal team, which is considered a leader in the field of digital transformation of local communities.

The purpose of the three-day visit, attended by five representatives of five of the ten municipalities operating within the capital city of Skopje and a representative of the Skopje Region, was to provide guidance and support for the digital transformation of local administrations in North Macedonia, helping them become more transparent, efficient, and inclusive.

Head of the Development Office of the Municipality of Novo mesto, Peter Geršič, presented the municipality’s development strategies up to 2030, its digital strategy, and the European guidelines on digital transformation. Together with Head of the IT Service Miroslav Strniša, he showcased the municipality’s digital systems, the SITIUM smart city platform, the development of the city’s digital twin, and the use of IoT technologies. Aleš Kuretič presented the development of internal digital systems and digital transition processes, while Mihael Udovč highlighted the use of GIS systems in spatial planning and digital spatial management.

The visitors also toured the Miran Jarac Library, where they were introduced to advanced digital services and their integration into municipal platforms, and the Novo mesto Development Centre, which houses the Podbreznik Business Incubator and Rudolfovo – Science and Technology Centre Novo mesto, with the LABTOP laboratory for the factories of the future. Special emphasis was given to the presentation of the European project VARCITIES, through which Novo mesto is developing smart solutions for the health and well-being of the local community at the Olympic Centre Novo mesto. The study visit concluded at Trška gora, where the North Macedonian guests learned how digitalisation is being connected with sustainable development and the creation of tourism offers in the local environment.