Coordinator: Gikas Hardouvelis

HELLENIC PRESIDENCY OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

MINUTES

10th INFORMAL MEETING OF MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION

RHODES, 6 JUNE 2003

10th INFORMAL MEETING OF MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION – 6/6/2003

FRIDAY, 6 JUNE 2003

MINISTER: COSTAS SKANDALIDIS

MR. COSTAS SKANDALIDIS(Minister of Interior, Public Administration and Decentralisation- GREECE) welcomed the Ministers, the representatives of the Ministers of the Member States and Mr. Neil Kinnock, the Vice President of the Commission. He warmly welcomed the Ministers of the acceding Countries as they participated, for the first time, after the ceremony of the Accession Treaty in Athens, as well as the Ministers of the Candidate Countries. He said that he hoped that everyone had enjoyed the reception to Castello of Rhodes the night before and he proceeded to his presentation.

He addressed all participants stressing the importance of a single European administrative space.

“Dear colleagues, ladies and gentlemen, ten years have gone by since inspired Europeans began to set down the problematic of creating a single European administrative space as a gradual convergence of administrative structures, processes and values that would allow finally the shaping of a common model.

Traditionally Europeans are reserved or even hostile vis-à-vis the change of state systems that have been shaped through hard struggles that constitute social, political and cultural conquests and that are often exported as optimum models for other countries. Within the internal space of the Union of the fifteen Member States, it is known that we have had different starting points on the basis of which we have set up our administrative systems. The famous distinction between continental central state structures and the Anglo-Saxon system of common law constitute different models that have been shaped through the centuries and are based on different values.

Today furthermore, with the brave new enlargement, the Europe of twenty five Member States makes this administrative variety even more difficult, even more complicated. If we look back over the last 10 years and we take into account the fact that in contrast to the processes of economic unification and monetary unification national practices have prevented and still prevent to a great degree the processes of administrative convergence that are still lagging behind, then we realise how urgent this task is.

On the other hand, the pace of development in technology, administration of information and the economy, cause very deep changes in structures, operations and practices, setting at the centre the human potential of administration, the role of the modern state and its adjustment to the information society. These are developments that go beyond these very basic differences among us and they open bridges of understanding and communication that will shape favourable terms for administrative convergence.

Today we can see that we have in full process a discussion for the process and the substance of government on all levels, the political, the administrative and the economic, through us, through the White Paper and through the rest of the world.

Good governance incorporates values of legitimacy, of the state of law, the equality of opportunities, social justice and goes along with the values of effectiveness, efficiency and productivity. These are values that until recently were considered to be totally different to those of the classic European tradition and the Enlightenment.

However, they have already been incorporated into European legislation and Community law. Of course we have not yet come down to a common European charter, given that the European convention is still completing its work. We, the Ministers of Public Administration are expressing the hope and the wish that the work of the Convention will be completed quickly and at the same time we need to be preventive in our action and to reinforce the tendencies of administrative convergence.

We have already been conquering to a great degree a common European language as it arises from the conclusions set down by the Greek Presidency and which we will be discussing. The first question that we will have to answer is what is our role today.

I will try to explain this in simple words. We want to push the Commission to reduce and to control the great number of detailed provisions that have been adopted in the name of protecting national interests, and even more to capitalise politically the great effort made by the working groups in order to arrive at common points of understanding and at common proposals.

I would like to refer here one of the points of the conclusions that we will be discussing today, and it’s connected to the simplification of administrative procedures. I am happy to see in front of us a report that shows how European institutions and Member States implement the principles of better regulation. And I’m even happier because the result was the product of very good cooperation between the representatives of Member States and the Commission.

Isn't this a conquest? Isn't this a victory? Isn't it a clear indication that we have arrived at a point of natural convergence? I consider this cooperation as the first proof that administrative convergence is possible. The effort to strengthen the single European administrative space must be continued outside the prospect of administrative convergence in the reform of Community institutions. I have to say that we are waiting eagerly today the speech of the Vice President of the Commission, my friend Neil Kinnock, with whom I have worked closely and we have all worked closely recently and made great progress.

We are particularly interested in the reforms of Member States, taking the clear position that national parameters as they are reflected in the common indicators that we have adopted make these reforms and their practical application different as to their starting point and as to their preconditions. Convergence must not lead to the abolition of autonomy or to the downgrading of national particular features on which the European tradition is based. Nobody wants this. We will move on through maintaining our differences through the valuable principle of a structural subsidiarity of administrative institutions. We will build putting one stone on the other, looking in a common direction, in a common objective. It is important to move quickly and effectively in shaping a single European administrative space, regardless of the ways provided by each national administrative act.

The second question is how to do this. Well, first of all we have to agree among ourselves, in my opinion. We have to make a decision in perspective of the wider strategy. We are not interested in labels. We are interested in the added value of reform. We are not interested in a single rhythm in implementing these reforms or the community of means. We are interested in serving the main objectives of the Union, as they were reflected following the Lisbon Summit.

The European dimension in the policy of administrative reform can only be based on the distribution of public goods in terms of social cohesion, in putting forward the quality of opportunity for all citizens, in disseminating knowledge in all directions, in giving emphasis in transparency, meritocracy and social consultation and of course in tolerating the differences that characterise social groups, areas, regions and citizens.

Administrative reforms have meaning for the society of citizens when they create and when they produce policy, when they open bridges of communication and consensus by promoting public European interest.

The public theory for government puts forward the collective element in setting down policy from its planning until its implementation and final evaluation. It is exactly this element that goes beyond time differences and that sets down as the objective of regulatory and legislative provisions this saying of Thucydides in the Funeral Oration of Pericles.

Centuries before Christ, Thucydides said: “They give to all the same rights. When they see someone making progress, not because of class but because of ability, this is why they prefer that this person should be involved in public things. Even when someone has to do something good for our city he should not be restricted because he doesn’t have any social influence. And while in our private life we can live by ignoring each other as citizens it is more out of self respect that we are not unlawful. We should obey our leaders and our laws, especially those laws that have been made to help those that have done injustice, and even those laws that have not been written but are commonly understood.”

I believe that these thousands of years that went by take nothing away from the originality and authenticity of this quote from Thucydides in the Funeral Oration of Pericles.

Now, what have we done so far? The European network of the Directors General of Public Administration has worked during the Greek Presidency and has promoted certain issues in all fields of cooperation. About Human resources “the Greek Presidency, continuing the work of the Spanish and the Danish Presidencies, set down studies that concern the remunerations on the productiveness and attractiveness of the public administration, the career systems, common educational needs and a methodology for detecting educational needs.

From these studies we remark that Member States are moving slowly away from the criterion of a service in the career and introduce criteria such as the achievement of objectives, transparency, meritocracy and effectiveness. Education is of course of primary interest of all administrations for developing human resources. Their objective is to make the public administration more attractive for all groups of citizens regardless of colour, religion, national origin or gender.

The free circulation of workers is facilitated all the time with the gradual lifting of restrictions that exist in national administrations by recognising professional experience, constant information for existing positions, posts to be filled, but also as to the legislation existing in each country on issues concerning the mobility of citizens of Member States of the European Union.

Insofar as innovation is concerned and on questions of administrative innovation, we have promoted the implementation of a common framework of evaluation and we have explored issues that concern the organisation and operation of comparative performance. An innovation for disseminating best practices is the beginning of the electronic newsletter as a means of informing all administrations.

We have to stress the added value that arises from quality conferences for disseminating best administrative practices and in this way we reinforce cooperation and mutual information between public administrations on administrative innovation that is being planned or applied.

Insofar as good legislation is concerned, the Greek Presidency, following the decisions of the Informal Council of Ministers of Public Administration in La Rioja, has set up a report on the progress that has been made by Member States and the Commission, trying to apply the Action Plan of the Mandelkern Report. This report is indicating that there is a progressive convergence of Member States and the Commission insofar as the value of good lawmaking is concerned.

To its great majority the Member States apply an analysis of regulatory consequences and they operate systems of social consultations that are included within it or are outside it. Programmes of simplifying administrative procedures are also applied to a great extent as well as codification programmes.

Insofar as e-government is concerned, in the field of cooperation on e-government we have drawn up two studies. The first refers to the creation and use of the e-signature of public officials. The study stresses the need for the use of modern identification and recognition procedures in order to guarantee e-transactions between administration and citizens, as well as transactions between public services themselves.

The study has also underlined that we must restrict technical, legal and economic obstacles in order to make the practice of electronic transactions more secure in the public sector.

The second study is exploring methods of making optimum the use of e-government, to work out criteria on decisions concerning investments for example in projects of e-government. It also explores the basic principles that have to guide projects of e-government and it underlines the need for a systematic and scientific evaluation of the cost, vis-à-vis the benefits and the means of financing.

Concluding, I have already expressed the view and conviction of many in Europe that the single European administrative space is something, possible and that we are in the process of constantly reinforcing it.

The questions that remain open are quite a few and today I believe that we have an opportunity to discuss some of them contributing in the discussion that will be carried out. Is the objective of reform in Europe in recent years, something that is distinct and visible? Can we say that we have shaped a European model of administrative reform in parallel with other reform models, and what is its difference from them?

Secondly, are the fields of policy that we have outlined so far sufficient? Can we say that our progress and results in these can allow us to draw up a united European administrative space?

Thirdly, from results so far in the fields of policy that are included also in our agenda – better regulation, human resources, innovation, e-government – can we evaluate the degree of convergence of administrations of Member States?

And fourthly, the procedures that we have followed so far promoting our common policies and actions in the previous fields of policy – well, are they sufficient? I should say of course that on questions of enlargement and administrative convergence with the acceding Countries which we will be proceed later on this issue.

On these thoughts I believe that today’s Council can move on decisively in shaping certain resolutions and conclusions that will provide the opportunity for us to see that the Greek Presidency and this Ministerial meeting in particular has moved one step forward this issue of administrative convergence.”

Mr. Costas SKANDALIDIS invited Mr Luigi MAZZELLA, Minister of Public Administration (Italy), to address his speech.

MR. LUIGI MAZZELLA (Minister of Public Administration –ITALY) Thank you, President. I’d like to start by thanking the Greek Presidency for organising this very important meeting. This follows on from the meeting in La Rioja, just over a year ago, and it comes in the wake of the signature of the Accession Treaty as a very important event.

National programmes for reforming and promoting administrative innovation benefit from learning from the experiences of other countries and from setting up joint cooperation initiatives. Cooperation between ministers responsible for public administration in the European Union is the natural backdrop for a profitable exchange with a view to setting up joint concrete initiatives.

It’s in this context that we need to work towards the convergence that we were mentioning at the beginning. We have to move forward together in adjusting and reforming our administrations. We have two commitments here. First of all obviously we are committed to what’s happening at a national level. We need to cater for the needs of our own citizens in all senses of the word, depending on the individual member states, depending on their individual aspirations. Citizens can be students, employees, employers, a parent, a grandparent, a retired person, a pensioner and the public administration needs to respond quickly and in a straightforward manner to meet the needs of all those citizens.

National citizens have legitimate expectations in this area. But we must not forget that these national citizens are also European citizens and therefore European institutions need to pursue the same objectives. We don’t want to have static bureaucratic machines at European level. We don’t want the European Union to be seen as a brake on personal development in all its facets.

So it’s a great pleasure for me to welcome the political agreement in Strasbourg on the inter-institutional agreement on improving the quality of legislation. I very much welcome that development and we can all build on this very important foundation stone.

So, in a nutshell we should work at two levels, two complementary levels, the national level and the European level. And we should make the most of synergies that arise from cooperation between member states so that we can create a multiplier effect.

The Greek Presidency’s programme very much reflected this need. The Greek government has done an awful lot to meet these objectives whilst catering for the human factor. The achievement of that objective depends at the end of the day on the skills and capabilities of the individuals involved. Technological advance is very much the fruit of human efforts. Material resources are extremely important; we need to make best use of those material resources but those material resources would be inert if the people using them don’t have the necessary motivation. Hence the importance of training, not just acquiring skills, but also in terms of assessing the role of individuals in achieving those objectives.