Contenu du sommaire : Les fonctions publiques de l'Europe des douze

The Federal Republic of Germany Training of Top Civil Servants and Flexible Management : Towards a New Policy for Civil Service The move towards the modernization of public services in the Federal Republic of Germany stems less from a common strategy than from a variety of experiments, the progress of which differs according to the sectors. This effort to modernize tends to replace the negative view of the Civil Service (as a cost factor), with a positive view based on the «Human Resource Development» concept. There should be greater flexibility when recruiting as well as when managing staff. The creation of the Civil Service Academy in Baden-Wurttemberg and of a Civil Service College in Rhineland-Palatinate shows that there is a reform movement in the field of training civil service managers.

Belgium. The Civil Service and the Evolution of the State The shift in status from a single State to a federal State has resulted in the transfer of authority over certain areas and the creation of Community and Regional Civil Service administrations. In addition, unlike other countries, the weakening power of the Government has not been offset by a reinforcement of the role of the administration, even though the Civil Service is rather politicized. Though the Civil Service cannot be characterized by the existence of various "grands corps” or of a special professional training program, it suffers from compartmentalization and there is practically no mobility.

Denmark. Contract Employment and Decentralisation The convergence of the public and private sectors in Denmark is the result of a long-term process. Modernization policies implemented over the past 10 years have only accentuated this trend. Such policies have combined different methods such as the reform of budgetary procedures, decentralisation, etc. One of the aims is to achieve greater flexibility in the employment requirements and the further use of limited-term contracts. At the same time, a balance between autonomous action granted to those responsible for personnel management and the need to both coordinate and control public spending should be found.

Spain. The Impact of the Constitutional Reform on the Civil Service The Civil Service reform adopted in 1984 is the logical consequence of the formal proclamation of the Spanish Constitution in 1978. Its main objective was to allow the setting up of Autonomous Communities and the liberalization of the legal status of civil servants : greater flexibility in recruitment, limiting the arbitrary element within the advancement and promotion process, extending the rights and guarantees of civil servants. The same set of general principles were defined for staff under State authority and for those within the Autonomous Communities.

France. Results and prospects of the modernization of the Civil Service The Government guidelines of February 1989 (circulaire Rocard) laid the foundation for the “modernization” of the Civil Service ; it is now possible to examine what has been accomplished so far : starting up service projects, general agreement on further training, revamping of the salary scale, setting up a System for assessing staff performance etc. New developments have recently been undertaken in matters concerning the delegation of central authority to local State officiais, budgetary and accounting procedures and the policy for managers, as well as in the field of Civil Service staff management.

Greece. Civil Service and Politisation The Greek Civil Service is suffering from politization ; the principle of irremovability of civil servants that was laid down by the Constitution has not helped to improve the situation. Paradoxically, these two principles go together to the detriment of the quality of Public Service which is overstaffed, resulting in a general lack of confidence on the part of Greek citizens. The approach of the 1992 deadline makes it however necessary to envisage reforms that will modernize civil service. But nothing will be achieved unless there are modifications to the recruitment and training programs. Such changes should be backed by a strong political will.

Italy. Modernization of the Civil Service The reforms of the 1980s resulted in the increasing use of collective bargaining, the introduction of “professional profiles” in career planning and an effort to standardize civil service management methods as well as controlling such management costs. An assessment of the implementation of these reforms revealed that certain objectives were not attained : improvement in job efficiency, improvement in responsibility of civil servants, cost control. The more recent measures tend to corne doser to private sector management methods ; they also tend to encourage productivity and make top civil servants into self-reliant and responsible managers.

Ireland. Cost Control, Efficiency and Management Development at Senior Levels For the past few years drastic measures have been taken to reduce public expenditures and the size of Public Services. At the same time a study was undertaken that aimed at improving Civil Service management. A number of significant developments have occured over the past few years in order to improve management efficiency and to promote interdepartmental mobility at the senior levels. The use of financial incentives according to job performance and further-training policies for senior managers tend towards greater flexibility in human resources management and a change in culture within the Civil Service.

Luxembourg. Modernization and Management Development Luxembourg's Civil Service has expanded considerably in the last 20 years ; nowadays there is a reform movement which tends to improve the efficiency of civil servants through training and the reform of the System of advancement and promotion in which seniority is no longer a major criterion. Nevertheless, the reform movement will have to overcome two principal obstacles, namely the attitude of civil servants and the rigidity in the regulations.

The Netherlands. Job Classification and Merit in the Civil Service The Netherlands is the only EEC country where Civil Service is based on job classification. The Dutch System proves that the legal statute and the career System are not necessarily linked and that the non-career type System of employment is not incompatible with a career within the Civil Service. The resulting flexibility does not however go far enough towards solving all personnel management problems (e.g., instability among those in the top positions). However, such flexibility makes it easier to adapt to new developments such as eligibility of foreigners, and the use of certain management techniques common to the private sector (attempts to set up pay scales based on merit).

Portugal. Human Resources Management : The Period of Change Significant reform of human resources methods was undertaken in Portugal after a careful examination of the situation, carried out by an independant commission. This study emphasized the lack of fiexibility as well as an excess of obstructive official procedures and the low level of salaries. The reform scheme established for the period 1987-1991 aims at revamping the salary structure, improving the efficiency of civil servants, adapting training programs and setting up incentives that encourage creativity and performance. In addition, the reform tends to reinforce the role and power of senior managers.

United Kingdom. The Executive Agencies and their Impact on the Civil Service Following the publication of the report “The next steps” made by the Efficiency Unit, the Executive Agencies that have since been created (30 within 2 years) represent an in-depth reform in the style and methods of government. These executive agencies are managed by a chief executive and use management methods geared towards efficiency and improvement of services rendered to the public. This reform will have consequences on the civil service which already appears less monolithic.

EEC The Specificity of the Civil Service : the Case of the Commission Based on the career System, the Community Civil Service is divided into 4 categories, each of which resorts to compétitive examinations for recruitment. Its originality stems from the fact that it is a young and relatively small organisation with spécifie tasks and a multinational staff. Being committed to a modernization plan, the Community Civil Service administration maintains close ties with administrations of other countries, notably in the field of community affairs training for civil servants of the different countries within the Community.