Ministry of Science
of the Republic of Macedonia 

Macedonia is a small country with one quarter of its population (500,000 of two millions) concentrated in the capital city of Skopje. Macedonia has all the inherent attributes of a small country, both positive (minimal technological requirements, informal and relatively easy access to senior officials, both in the Government and business community) and negative (low economies of scale, limited availability of financial, human and technical resources). All sectors of the Macedonian economy depend on automated processes and information technology. As a landlocked country, it relies on communication, transport and other sectors for access to neighboring countries trade.

                                       Skopje, December 24, 1999

 Energy – Elektro Stopanstvo

The energy sector is one of the strongest sectors in Macedonia (Macedonia is self–sufficient and exports electricity to other countries), and the verification of embedded systems in control equipment for process control, dispatching, and distribution, is completed. The biggest problem was expected in a coal-based plants from where 70% of the electricity is generated. But after many visits and revisions as part of the NAP, we can say that there will be no problems with electricity supply considering Macedonian energy sources.

Nevertheless, Risk Management and Contingency Planning are developed and they are going to be implemented in the rollover period concerning continuity of the working. The Emergency Command Center set up during the critical pre rollover and post rollover period takes part of the National Y2K Monitoring System of the Republic of Macedonia that is responsible for the unexpected and expected disruption during the critical period.

Telecommunication and Mobile telephones

This is government institution working under Ministry of Transport and Communication. All the equipment in the National Telecom is recently provided as modern and up to date. All telecommunication lines are provided by Telecom Macedonia, which has recently (1996) replaced switches, routers, and other network components with new equipment; however, any equipment procured prior to June 1997 is likely to have non-compliant embedded chips. Macedonian Telecom has it’s own Y2K Committee that is dealing with planning and actively acting of Y2K activities.

The Macedonian Telecommunications located their Y2K impacts and has been working intensively more then a year. They have got the Y2K compliance confirmation of the actual vendors and SW providers. According to Telecommunications’ final official report they finished with remediation of Y2K critical equipment and they are Y2K ready concerning their continuity.

Telecommunication formed Emergency Command Center that will be set up during the critical period. This Center is also part of the Y2K Monitoring system in Macedonia (Y2KMS).

Water supplies

Y2K problem would not reflect on water, considering drinking water, its supplying all over the country and its quality as well.

That situation is overviewed last year by a responsible management for Y2Kand review National Y2K authorities reviewed as it was projected in the NAP. The situation is confirmed as stabile.

Air transport

Macedonia has two Airports in Skopje and Ohrid that in terms of Y2K problem are compatible, considering their critical services according to the Aeronautical Information Circulator (AIC) that is amendment of National AIP.

Ticket issuing is generally dependable of International Information System. The biggest and most important agencies are compatible according on the same AIC reports.

Civil Air Navigation. In purpose of the highest level of security, the Macedonian DGCA and its Y2K activities are highly cooperated with German expertise and few other international navigation services. As result of the intensive work the problem is completely analyzed and testing of the implemented solutions are in the final stage. In purpose to eliminate the possibility of any failure (because of the lack of the time) and because first of all it is a dependable service, the DGCA developed few contingency plans that assess any risk and any consequence, using alternate airports, remote navigation systems and air navigation of neighboring countries, on line communication with European Regional Y2K Coordination Unit for Air navigation and other undertaken prevention in case of energy and telecommunication failure etc.

The DGCA are prepared to be alternate navigation service for some neighboring countries if problems occurred in their countries.

They also planed a comprehensive set of actions for pre-rollover and especially post-rollover period to be executed by their Emergency Command Center as part of the Y2KMS in Macedonia.

According to DGCA the air traffic in Macedonia, will be safe.

Railway

The Y2K actions for Railway Y2K compatibility started since 1998. They have developed Y2K working plan considering measurements and activities for resolving this problem. Despite of the financial problem for reengineering that they had and which is late overcome, the Railway contingency plan is very early developed and basically oriented on manual switching. Encouraged by existing Y2K co-operation with Railway foreign and local experts, the contingency plan and not highly automated processes in Macedonian Railways, the Y2K problem will not cause any interruption in the national railway transport, concerning this company.

Financial area

The level of awareness on Y2K issues in finical area in Macedonia is fairly big. Actions that have been undertaken by biggest banks as economy, commercial and national bank are finished and few months are in full productivity. The 20 Banks in Macedonia are under the national coordination and revision and Macedonia do not expect any problems with their services and their internal and external financial transactions as well, considering the Macedonian Banks.

The Central Payment Office is a very important body for the financial stability of the country and it is Y2K ready for all his critical services, having few very good developed contingency plans that assess almost all possible risks. A Local Command Center is also planed and made, caring very important role in continuity of the Macedonian business and financials.

All of the mentioned banks and the payment office that are actually selected as most important for the financial transactions in Macedonia have Emergency Command Centers with the specified responsibility as part of their contingency plans. They are also part of the Y2KMS.

Generally speaking Macedonia do not expect problems related with Y2K that will reflect badly on financial working in and with the Republic of Macedonia.

Health sector

With intensive help of the national Coordination Unit and Italian experts for biomedical equipment sponsored by World Bank, Health sector is late but actively involved in Y2K solutions. The experts did the inventory of 60% of the medical equipment in Macedonian Health Sector, declaring their compliant and critical level. 3% of the equipment is specified as non-compliant and 15% is specified as high critical with insufficient information for the compatibility.

Unfortunately because of the complex and various equipment, lack of the staff, late assessment and financial problem the Y2K reengineering stared very late – what was actually expected. That is why nowadays the major activities were intensively lately concentrated on the improvement of the contingency pans for non replaced non compliant equipment, mitigation of the consequences and possible failures at the mission critical bio-medical equipment. In that purpose the Emergency Command Centers have been made since the beginning of this month, caring very high responsibility and being a part of the Y2KMS.

Sewage

The equipment does not have embedded chips with data calculation, and the Y2K consequences on sewage are not expected.

Oil refineries and the Oil storage

Macedonia has one oil refinery - OCTA. The refinery is included in the global manager Y2K structure and it is few times visited in purpose to assess the Y2K situation. Considering a report from the OCTA the refinery has no Y2K problems.

 Border crossing (passport control-custom control)

The Y2K problem will not reflect on the border custom control and passport control, because they are manually based. The minor border computerization would not cause any interruption to the current custom working and passport control, according to the Ministry of Interior Affairs.

All these mention sectors are included in the Y2K National Action Plan. The National Committee and National Y2K Co-ordination Unit pay special attention to these sectors selected as crucial ones for citizens and country.

ii) Potential Risks

Besides the optimistic compliant conclusion of the last meeting, considering the dependence of the sectors on the neighboring Y2K situation and possible failures, we have to be aware of any possible potential risks with certain probability that might occur:

1. Energy sector - In case of failures in neighboring countries the reduced electricity in Macedonia is possible low probability
2. Air and Railway transport – The security might be offended because of the very known general vulnerability of this critical sector. low probability
3. Oil and Refinery the problem might occur in supplying the refinery with oil if the neighboring countries has transport problem minor probability
4. Banking – financial transactions minor probability
5. Passport and custom control at the borders low probability

These were potential risks at sectors dependable by neighboring Y2K situation.

But the biggest potential risk we expect in the Health sector, because of the very different non replaced and incompliant equipment we have. medium probability – low impacts

Chemical factories declared that they are compatible but beside that we must be aware of the potential risks for the environment in case of the problems as result of the Y2K impacts on storage of the chemicals (for example in case of electrical failure etc). low probability

Telecommunications are very important that is why any minor potential risk should be eliminated. That is why we consider this sector besides the compliant status and evaluate the potential risk with minor probability

 The responsible bodies for Y2K problem in Republic of Macedonia is National Y2K Co-ordination Unit as national coordination body under the Ministry of Science and National Committee 2000 responsible for developing and implementation of National Action Plan and Y2K legislation. The strategy of the actions have been concentrated on three issues (as the Y2K problem is understood) from the management, technical and financial aspect.

From the management aspect, about 180 institutions were selected as vital and 32 as most crucial in almost all of them a management structure is established. In bigger institutions, the local Y2K Committees were formed caring out the responsibility for the Y2K problem, and in smaller and not very well computerized institutions, the contact person is appointed. Most of them has their own computer teams responsible for the IT development and nowadays for remediation of Y2K problem.

From the technical support the CU initiated and gathered the list of computer firms and computer biggest vendors that are prepared with their services to help in the Y2K problem in every phase (assessment, inventory, implementation, testing) wherever the help is needed. This list is published on the National Web Page www.Y2K.zic.gov.mk. A database with experts that help in specific fields was established, in purpose to provide technical support. The certain contact and support is gotten by foreign experts for biomedical equipment and for international air and railway transport. Few experts for telecommunications, finances, air transport, health hold lectures about their Y2K experience and how the Contingency Planning, Risk Management and Command Center is preparing.

From Financial aspect the certain amount of financials from the national budget is allocated for Y2K problem for the public most purest organizations/institutions. The another financial support are: Y2K Grant from World Bank for Planning and another Grant for Implementation. Also World Bank financed the expertise for biomedical equipment that assessed the Y2K problem in 60% of the Health Sector and sponsored the Regional Conference devoted on the zero day strategies for Telecommunication, Finance and Health Sector organized by Y2K National Coordination Unit hold on 03-05 October 1999 in Ohrid. With the initiative of the Y2KNCU, USAID financed short seminar devoted on Contingency Planning, Risk Management and Command Center that took place on 06th of December 1999 in Skopje. Besides that some useful contracts from financial aspect and help are signed with some world computer enterprises as Compaq and IBM, Oracle through their Macedonian vendors, that are explained before. The need of more financials is still present.

The low for the Y2K readiness on the organizations/institutions/companies is proposed and ratify by the Macedonian Government on 16 of July 1999 that points on Y2K preparedness and nessesserity of contingency plans in purpose to keep continuity of the business and services.

In November 1999 the neighboring countries initiative were initiated form Y2K NCU in purpose to share information for dependable sectors as Energy sector, Water supply, Gas supply, Oil storage and refineries, Transport, Telecommunications, Banking concerning finical transactions and passport and custom control with Albania, Greece, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia.

Unfortunately the response of the initiative was not satisfactory.

iv)    National Y2K Monitoring system - pre rollover and post rollover period

Since December 1999, National Y2K Command Center (NY2KCC) is formed to monitor the situations in the essential companies being in on–line contact with their Command Centers, answering the already established SOS telephone line, conduct community ongoing risks, collecting data, controlling and coordinating the use of resources at the essential institutions, etc.

The NY2KCC and Emergency Command Centers from 7 essential sectors creates the National Y2K Monitoring system monitoring and mitigating the consequences in the pre roll over and post rollover period.

Monitoring system in rollover period

The NCY2KCC is consisted of 10 people responsible for the set of activities in pre rollover and post rollover period starting form 30^th of December until 4 of the January. The actions are integrated with continuity and contingency plans of the 7 crucial sectors and their Emergency Command centers responsible for the critical period. The global frequency of communication (time and date) in the critical period is specified and extended in the post critical period until 01 of April Year 2000.

The NCY2KCC takes part of the Regional Monitoring System form Bulgaria - Sofia and International Monitoring System form USA - New York.

The major tasks of this Monitoring System is mitigation of any community consequence that my occur and result badly for every citizen and country in this rollover period and post rollover period as the result of the Y2K problem.

mastery2k@zic.gov.mk