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Minutes and conclusions from the 36th meeting between the Director Generals responsible for public administration in the European Union
Uppsala 17-18 of May 2001
1.Opening of the meeting by the Presidency
Mr REXED, Director General of the Swedish Agency for Public Management and Mr HOLMQVIST, the Swedish State secretary for Democracy and public administration opened the meeting and welcomed the Director Generals from the EU Member States.
2.Approval of the report of the 35th meeting
The report was adopted without amendment.
- Approval of the agenda
The agenda was approved.
4.e-Government
The chairman of the working group, Mr JOHANSON (Swedish Agency for Public Management) reported on the group’s activities and stated the important measures taken by each Member State on e-Government. In addition, some reflections on e-Government benchmarks were given as well as a presentation of Pan-European e-services offered to facilitate freedom of movement.
The group proposed to the Director Generals that they will present an updated list of recent important measures taken on e-Government in the Member States and on European level, at the end of each Presidency. Further, to conduct e-Government study reports on the impact of ICT on the organisation and quality of work as well as electronic identification and Public Key Infrastructure (PKI). The group should promote the sharing of best practices on e-Government issues in twoworkshops on specific e-Government themes, open to others than working group delegates and to arrange mini seminars on specific e-Government themes as part of the meetings of the working group. Also, the group will prepare a proposal on the promotion of an exchange of e-Government advisors. In addition, the group will report to the Director Generals during the Spanish Presidency on how e-Government issues should be dealt with within a co-operative programme involving other working groups reporting to the Director Generals. Finally, the group will support the secretariat to start up a permanent web-site, based on the Commissions CIRCA-system.
The chairman of the working group ended the presentation by asking for prioritisation for the future work of the working group on e-Government.
The Director Generals commended the report presented by the working
group on e-Government.
The Director Generals welcomed and accepted the European Commission’s offer to use the CIRCA system for the Director Generals’ permanent web-site. It was decided that the secretariat should be responsible for the operation of the permanent web-site, and that it should be evaluated after two years.
The Director Generals requested the group to report regularly on developments and strategic issues in the field of e-Government and to promote the dissemination of good practices. They also requested the group to continue and intensify its work on strategic infrastructure issues and on the impact of new technologies on the organisation, structure and human resources of the public administration. The Director Generals also recognised the importance of promoting the development of e-democracy and transparency.
Finally, the Director Generals underlined the need for co-ordination of efforts by and in different organisations in order to avoid duplication.
5.Innovative Public Services
The chairman of the working group, Mr MURRAY (Swedish Agency for Public Management) informed about the work of the group.
The Innovative Public Services Group (IPSG) has been in existence since 1998. Its assignment by the Director Generals is to “promote best practices and excellence in the EU public administrations through various initiatives”. So far the following has been achieved:
- Survey of Performance Indicators
- 1st Quality Conference for European Public Administrations, held in Lisbon May 2000
- Creation of a pan-European TQM tool, the Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
- Accessible Services Knowledge Management Report
Mr MURRAY presented the proposal from the IPSG for setting up a resource centre at the European Institute for Public Administration (EIPA) and national correspondents for the CAF. The proposal has been prepared and adopted by the IPSG and is presented in the CAF memo 1.1.
Mr WOLF and Ms SÖRENSEN (DK) presented the proposed 2nd Quality Conference for European Public Administrations to be held on 2-4 October, 2002 for 1.200 participants.
Mr BARKER (UK) gave a presentation on the European Benchmarking Network (EBN) which already has contacts in ten countries. A common web-site ( is under construction and will be ready in mid June. It is intended to be a clearing house for benchmarking partners.
Ms MARCONI (I) presented the ongoing Italian project on reference indicators for public services. She proposed the IPSG to be given the task to explore the role of service indicators.
The Director Generals commended the report presented by the Working Group on Innovative Public Services, and the continued work done on the CAF. The Director Generals approved the proposed setting up of a CAF Resource Centre, located to the European Institute for Public Administration, and a set of national CAF correspondents. Some Member States (I,UK), commented that they were not in favour of CAF being used for quality awards as stated in the CAF memo. Mr van RIJN (NL), suggested the quality awards to become a reality when the Member States feel ready.
Furthermore, the Director Generals approved the setting up of a European Benchmarking Network as proposed by the Group.
Finally, the Director Generals approved the draft program for the 2nd Quality Conference for Public Administrations in the European union and thanked the Danish Government for its offer to host the Conference. They endorsed the Danish suggestion for subtitle “Innovation, change and partnership” and recognised that the Danish Government needed to have flexibility in determining the practical arrangements of the conference.
The Director Generals discussed the future priorities for the group and agreed that the group should serve as a focus for continued work on benchmarking activities including the Italian proposal to explore the role of service indicators. They welcomed the group’s plans to promote specific benchmarking studies on innovative ways of providing public services.
6.Modernisation of the European Commission and its effects on the national administrations
A presentation was given by Mr ZITO, (Deputy Director General of DG Administration and Personnel of the European Commission). An update was given on the on-going administrative reform process within the European Commission. One issue included in this process is mobility, not only between the national administrations but also between civil servants in the Member States and the Commission.
The focus of the presentation was on the Commission’s externalisation policy and on the forthcoming white paper on New Governance in the European Union, two processes that are likely to affect the national administrations in the Member States. The Director Generals warmly thanked the Commission for its efforts to co-operate with the network of Director Generals and encouraged a continued discussion on this topic in the permanent secretariat.
Mr FÄRM (Director at the Swedish Ministry of Justice), suggested that the discussions and the work done in this field ought to be more frequent than once per each Presidency. The Director Generals and the Commission should deepen the discussions in the field which is likely to affect both the Members State’s administrations and the administration within the Commission. Since the permanent secretariat includes both representatives of the Troïka and the Commission, it ought to co-ordinate these questions and serve as a think-tank.
7.Report on the development of the Social Dialogue
Ms ISAKSSON PÉREZ, (Director General of the Swedish Agency for Government Employers) informed about the development in the co-operation of the Social Dialogue referring to the resolutions made in Strasbourg on November 7, 2000. Two main questions were raised to the Director Generals. The first question was concerning the continuation of the dialogue with the European trade unions and the Troïka and which consequences should be drawn considering EPSU’s refusal to participate at the meeting in Brussels on April 27, 2001. The second questions was how the Director Generals should assess the various possibilities of being represented as employers in the intersectorial Social Dialogue. Sweden is a member of the European Centre of Enterprises with public participation and of Enterprises of General Economic Interest (CEEP) but this organisation should not be seen as the only suitable solution.
The Swedish Presidency’s paper on the Social Dialogue was very much welcomed. DK, P, FIN, UK are all being represented in CEEP and thought the organisation to be a possible solution. Some countries (A,P) are discussing the possibility to join in the near future. However, considering that CEEP is in the process of changing its strategy at the moment, due to the fact that many private organisations are leaving, it might be preferable to wait and see what happens in the future. Some Member States (D,F, and B) are not members of the CEEP and the enthusiasm for this organisation is weaker in their countries, therefore reservation was made to the idea of joining CEEP. It was suggested that perhaps the central national administrations at some point in the future could form their own association.
It was concluded that the Troïka will be given the mandate to organise an informal meeting with the CEEP .
Most Member States (A,B,D,DK,F,P,SF) expressed their gratefulness to the Swedish Presidency for continuing the meeting with the European trade unions and all agreed that there should be a continuation of the informal dialogue between the trade unions and the Troïka during the future Presidencies. The refusal of EPSU to join the meeting appeared to be an internal problem between the European trade unions, which probably will be solved in the near future.
The Belgian Presidency stated that they will meet EPSU for an informal discussion as soon as possible. In addition, the Belgian Presidency will invite all the European trade unions for a second informal meeting during the Belgian Presidency after the 37th Director General meeting.
8.Report on European schools of training
Mr BECKMAN, chairman of the working group on European Training Programmes presented the report on the progress made by the group.
During the last meeting between the Directors of schools in Stockholm on April 5-6, 2001 the following main issues were discussed; firstly the provision of basic information/CD-ROM procurement, secondly, the decision by the Commission to prepare a document for internal regulation on secondments for training; thirdly, the information exchange provided on the web-site and fourthly, the specific seminars to be organised each year. In addition, there was also a discussion on the possible need for a “Conference of Directors of Schools” which would function as a planning mechanism for collaboration. The last item on the agenda in Stockholm was the importance of including the Candidate Countries in as many areas as possible.
Several Member States (A, B, D, FIN,UK) expressed the wish to get substantial clarifications on the idea of establishing a “Conference of Directors of schools”, to serve as an arena and forum for co-ordination of training activities and link the meetings with the Scientific Council of EIPA. The already existing meetings taking place once a year ought to be sufficient. Mr BARKER (UK) highlighted the importance of the Director Generals determining and defining the training needs. Mr DRUESNE (EIPA), explained that the conference would only have the function as a consultative body that would organise seminars and discuss implementations not determine training and human resource policies.
Mr SANTEL (F) wondered if the organisation of seminars had changed. The national institutions should open up for civil servants in addition to the seminars.
Mr ZITO (European Commission) stated that the seminars is a part of the training programme which the Commission supports. However, the call for proposal last year had been unsuccessful and a new one would be launched in the beginning of next year. One suggestion is to open up the call for proposal to all organisations, not only schools and institutions. This means there will be no seminars until next year.
It was concluded that it is important for the directors to clarify the goals and define the different roles and responsibilities of the national actors. The question concerning the “Conference of directors of schools” is an internal arrangement of EIPA and should not be decided upon today.
The Director Generals commended the report from the Directors of Schools and Institutes for Public Administrations, and the work done by this Group and by the European Institute for Public Administration.
The Director Generals approved the Open Programme of seminars and asked the secretariat to monitor its continued evolution and to take such initiatives as may be suitable. The Director Generals asked the Directors of Schools and Institutes for Public Administrations to report again on their work during the Greek Presidency.
9.Conclusions: Medium Term Programme
Mr SANTEL (F) stated that, in his opinion, the Director Generals could not adopt a Medium Term Programme unless the Ministers responsible for Public Administration had given them such a mandate. There is no criticism on the document itself. However, the co-operation between the Directors Generals is an informal co-operation, so when for the first time new issues are to be discussed, they need to be approved by the Ministers.
The Presidency stated that the co-operation between the Director Generals responsible for Public Administration was an informal co-operation, where each Director General acted under his or her national mandate. Consequently, the Director Generals could take decisions on their own working programme. In addition, the Presidency recalled that the Ministers for Public Administration, at their fifth informal meeting in Rome on 10 May 1996, had urged the Director Generals to pursue their engagement, and to elaborate and extend, where necessary, their work in order to improve the co-operation between public administrations in the activities relevant for the achievement of the treaty objectives.
Ms MARCONI (I) recalled that the Ministers responsible for Public Administration had decided to meet regularly, and asked about the implementation of this resolution. The Presidency noted that although the resolution spoke about ‘regular meetings’, a periodicity was not specified. The Presidency also noted that the Director Generals could not take any decisions on when and where to hold ministerial meetings.
During the discussion, a number of amendments were proposed and adopted.
The Director Generals commended the Secretariat on the work done in preparing a Medium Term Programme for their co-operation. The Director Generals then decided to adopt the Medium Term Programme as amended.
The Director Generals agreed that the working group on Mobility should be replaced by a working group for Human Resource issueswith a broader mandate. This group should continue the ongoing and planned work on mobility and, as appropriate, increase its scope of work to include issues related to training and to an informal social dialogue for the public sector.
10.Troïka meeting with the Candidate Countries
The Presidency informed the Director Generals about the meeting with the Candidate Countries in Stockholm on May 23, 2001.
The Director Generals welcomed the Swedish initiative and stated that it showed an effort to continue the dialogue with the Candidate Countries that started already during the Austrian Presidency.
11.Open forum
Ms BARAZZONI (I) informed about the 3rd Global Forum on e-Government which took place in Naples on March 17-18, 2001.
The chairman of the Mobility Working Group, Mr RODIN (the Ministry of Justice) reported that officials of the Commission, involved in the work of the group, had asked for a decision on making the Report of the Mobility Group to the Director Generals in Strasbourg 9-10 November 2000 available to the public. The Director Generals unanimously decided that the report may be made available to the public.
12.Programme of the Belgian Presidency
Mr DAMAR (B) presented the programme of the Belgian Presidency. Three topics will be addressed during the Belgian Presidency.
Within the first topic, “New approaches in the field of Human Resource Management (HRM) ”, the focus will be on four aspects, namely the attractiveness of the public service and the development of competence, recruitment and the development of competencies of top-officials, decentralisation /deconcentration in the field of Human Resource Management on the national level – reconciling flexibility with control and, finally, knowledge management. The second topic will be the methods of the change and modernisation in the public administrations and the third topic will be e-government and the electronic identification of citizens and organisations in the EU.
The 37th meeting between the Director Generals will take place in Bruges on the 26 and 27 November 2001.
13.Conclusions and closure of the meeting
Mr REXED concluded the meeting and thanked all the participants on behalf of the Swedish Presidency and expressed his wishes for success of the Belgian Presidency.
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