Investing in employees for a more efficient public administration

Continuous investments in human resources of local self-governments are very important on the path to more efficient public administration. The development of a modern civil service system should be based on the knowledge and skills of employees. The whole process of training civil servants will contribute to the comprehensive reform of public administration, which is one of the requirements of the European Union in the accession process.

These are the main conclusions of the conference “Human Resources Management System in Local Self-Governments” held today, organized by the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, within the project “Human Resources Management in Local Self-Government – Phase 2” worth EUR 4 million.

Martin Klaucke, Head of Operations II of the EU Delegation to Serbia, said that the topic of human resources management in local self-governments is close to the broader agenda of public administration reform supported by the EU.

“Effective public administration leads to better services, greater trust of citizens, reduced corruption, better policy management, and ultimately leads to better development of the country. Effective public administration is not possible without the right people in the right place, at the right time, motivated, with the desire to work and with the right qualifications. That is why the professionalization and depoliticization of public servants at the local level is a central part of this project. We will continue to be present in this sector, and we are currently considering additional activities that need to be supported, “ Klaucke said.

Nadia Ćuk, Deputy Head of the Belgrade Office of the Council of Europe, emphasises the reforms that are taking place at the level of local self-governments.

“Everything starts from there. Reforms are moving from the bottom up because they are closest to the citizens. It is evident that the topic of human resources management in local self-government has been of interest for many years and that indicates the great importance, but also the numerous challenges and the long-lasting process that lies ahead. Local governments are the drivers of the development of each country and one of the most important pillars that indicate the decentralization of public administration as a whole. That is why the existence of strong, competent and efficient local self-governments is very important, which is also the goal we want to achieve through the reform of the civil service system at the local level in Serbia, ” said Ćuk.

In the municipalities and cities that received the support of the project, the quality of work of employees, i.e. the performance of human resources management, has even improved by 20%. The indicators for measurement are very clear and precise, and through them, it is possible to determine the extent to which the work has improved, i.e. how much the civil service system has been modernized by individual local self-government.

Jasmina Benmansur, Assistant Minister in the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government, reminds us that good cooperation and strategic approach are key.

“Together, we have managed to introduce modern instruments for human resource management, as well as for capacity building and professional development in all our cities and municipalities. The development of human resources management requires a continuous strategic approach, so we continue with the same dynamics after the adoption of the new Strategy on Public Administration Reform in the Republic of Serbia for the period from 2021 to 2030, “ said Benmansur.

Representatives of local self-governments that participated in the project received an online communication package from the Council of Europe that includes headphones, a microphone and a camera, which will help them monitor training for professional development, which is mostly online because of the pandemic.

Đorđe Staničić, Secretary-General of the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities emphasizes the importance of continuous improvement of knowledge at the local level.

“When we look at this entire activity, we need to improve our knowledge, but also to see where we have insufficient knowledge, where we cannot respond appropriately to the demand at the local level that comes in various areas, and that is where we create new training together. These are things that we as an organization especially insist on. It is necessary for us to quickly think about how to introduce the system of rewards and the system of salaries in the right way, as it was conceived at the beginning of the drafting of the reform documents “, said Staničić.

The project is funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe. The main project partners are the Ministry of State Administration and Local Self-Government and the Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities. The purpose of the project is to improve the system of human resources development and human resources management in local self-government units in Serbia.

The support of the European Union for the reform of public administration in Serbia has amounted to more than EUR 200 million since 2000. Funds allocated for public administration are used for the professionalisation of administration, development of electronic services, management of public finances and improvement of the work of local self-governments and independent institutions.

Public administration reform is one of the most important elements of Serbia’s EU accession process, and in 2014 it was put at the forefront of negotiations. Modern and professional public administration is a key element for each EU member state to effectively enforce laws and to manage EU funds transparently.