Center for Adaptation of Civil Service to the Standards of EU

Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union (since its establishment in April 2004 till June 2008 – Center for Support of Civil Service Institutional Development) was established under the Main Department of the Civil Service of Ukraine by the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine # 485 of 14 April 2004 in order to ensure informational and analytical, expert and organizational support for development of public administration, strengthening institutional capacity of the public service in Ukraine and its adaptation to the standards of the European Union.

Mission

Contribution to the development of public institutions through improvement of their structures and professional skills of staff as well as implementation of principles and procedures of public policy with a view of exercising rights and freedoms of citizens of Ukraine.

Main directions of activity

Elaboration of new legislation in the sphere of public service, functional review of central bodies of executive power, implementation of quality management system into the work of public bodies, improvement of staff capacity and of human resources services of public bodies, publishing periodical publications of analytical and informational character with a view of spreading new ideas and best practices in the sphere of public service and administrative reform.

Aims of activity

Preparation of proposals on public policy making and elaboration of strategic initiatives directed at increasing effectiveness and efficiency of public institutions performance.
Involvement of stakeholders pending preparation of proposals on public policy.
Stimulation of organizational changes aimed at improvement of services quality and decrease of expenditures of public administration for rendering them.
Informing community on public service, administrative reform and on institutional development in the context of the European integration.
Organization of staff trainings on policy analysis, strategic planning and changes management.

Services

Carrying on studies and proposals elaboration on public policy in the sphere of administrative reform and public service.
Organization of public campaigns on public policy.
Elaboration of concept and organizing the issue of informational and professional publications.
Elaboration of terms of reference and project management aimed at modernization and improvement of apparatus performance of central bodies of executive power.
Maintaining register of public and administrative services.

Functions

Center takes part in preparation of proposals on public policy making and rule-making in the sphere of public service, administrative reform and development of institutions in the context of the European integration;
Center provides scientific, expert, informational and analytical, organizational and other support for preparing and implementing programmes and events in the sphere of public service, administrative reform and development of institutions in the context of the European integration;
Center takes part in implementation of up-to-date informational technologies in work practice of public bodies and bodies of local self-government as well as in improvements of professional skills of public servants;
Center contribute to the dissemination of legal, scientific and other information on public service, administrative reform and development of institutions in the context of the European integration and informs community on public policy and events as for its implementation in the sphere of public service, administrative reform and development of institutions in the context of the European integration;
Center provides consultative support as for activity of public bodies and bodies of local self-government on public service, administrative reform and development of institutions in the context of the European integration;
Center exercises of Twinning Programme Administration Office functions — institution which is responsible for coordination of the EU institutional building instruments.

Achievements

Implementation of institutional building instruments Twinning, TAIEX and SIGMA in Ukraine, network development of policy analysis groups, proposals on the public administration improvement, particularly on system and structure building of executive bodies according to the functional principle, maintenance of Register of public and administrative services, legislation elaboration in the sphere of public service, establishment of national database of electronic personal files of public servants, study of public service history in Ukraine as well as contribution to the renaissance of democratic administrative traditions. Our proposals and tangible results of performance along with study of world and domestic trends in public service functioning have become subjects for a number of publications, inter alia, for informational bulletin „Bureaucrat” as well as they are discussed by the leading experts pending different communicative events.

Milestones of development

14 April 2004 – Center for Support of Civil Service Institutional Development within the jurisdiction of the Main Department of the Civil Service of Ukraine was established for the purpose of contributing to the development of public service and its approximation to the standards of the European Union, strengthening institutional capacity level in the sphere of functional management of public service, strengthening intellectual potential for conducting further administrative reform;
2004 – Concept of Programme of Public Service Development for 2005–2010 was worked out with a view of determination and taking a number of measures directed at supporting of public bodies efficient activity, other public bodies as well as reaching European standards of living by the citizens of Ukraine;
2004 – work on functional review of bodies of executive power was started with a view to developing proposals on the optimization of bodies of executive power;
2005 – Center began regular work on preparation of normative legal acts. Draft Law of Ukraine "On Public Service" (new redaction) and Draft Law of Ukraine "On Conflict of Interests in Public Service and in Service in Bodies of Self-Government" are key among them;
2005 – Twinning Programme Administration Office was established within the structure of the Center, which is in charge of all activity coordination related to the use of Twinning instrument in Ukraine;
15 June 2005 – functioning of the Center was started as a publishing house of a wide spectrum of publications on public service, its adaptation to the best world standards with a view of synthesizing numerous experts recommendations and experience of successful states of the world for familiarizing them among as many as possible public servants and all concerned circles in reforming of public sector of Ukraine.
21 June 2005 – International Conference "Reform of Public Service — Institutional Capacity Building to the European Union Membership" was held with the participation of officials of Ukraine and the states of the European Union which are in charge of public policy making;
2–3 March 2006 – at two-day International seminar, the EU and Ukraine jointly started implementation of Twinning instrument in Ukraine;
22 November 2006 – Ukraine was first among Tacis states to become beneficiary of TAIEX – instrument of the external assistance of the European Commission.
2006 – Center started work on implementation of e-government into the public service system of Ukraine;
2006 – Ukraine was single among the states of the post-soviet area to initiate and organize assessment of the public administration system according to the basic SIGMA indicators;

7 February 2007 – activity of policy analysis groups was started in central bodies of executive power and Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for improving professional skills of public servants on governmental decisions preparation;
17–18 December 2007 – Annual conferences on institutional building was introduced as forum for discussion of issues of current importance as for institutional building of public bodies within the scope of Euro integration processes;
2007 – Center started work on studying public service history in Ukraine with a view of taking into consideration its own historical traditions on reforming public sector;
4 June 2008 – authority of the Center for Support of Civil Service Institutional Development was expanded and it was renamed the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union;
23 June 2008 – ninetieth anniversary of implementation of public service in Ukraine was observed;
28 August 2008 – Strategic Framework on Staff Management System was developed for defining development directions of human potential in public service;
April 2009 – Ukraine gained status of a coordinator country of the Working Group of the Organization of the Black See Economic Cooperation (BSEC) on Institutional Renewal and Good Governance;
3–5 September 2009 – International Annual Conference “Profession in Perspective: Political Neutrality of the Civil Service” was held. This conference is traditional annual meeting of public service heads.

2009 – comprehensive research of the civil service history in Ukraine was completed and academic edition in 5 volumes “History of the Civil Service in Ukraine” was published. This is first of its kind generalized and comprehensive research in the Ukrainian historiography which contains numerous works dedicated to the state building process, political and administrative system, organization of public service in Ukraine;
2009 – paper free documents circulation and IP telephony were implemented in the apparatus of the Main Department of the Civil Service of Ukraine and in its dependant structures;
2009 – Register of public and administrative services was created. It contains information on name of public service, normative and legal base in order to be provided it; subject which provide it; level of fees (in case of providing paid services);
27 September 2010 – Center was charged with providing organizational and logistic support for preparation and carrying out concourse “Friendly Administration” with a view of detecting and spreading best experience of providing administrative services in line with functions and tasks of public authorities, encouraging and stimulating administrations which provide services at a high professional level;
10 November 2010 – Main Department of the Civil Service of Ukraine was designated to be a coordinator of Comprehensive Institutional Building Programme under the Eastern Partnership initiative of the European Union which is directed at reforming institutions that will commit to implement the obligations stemming from the future Association Agreement between Ukraine and EU, including comprehensive free trade area;
December 2010 – Center developed and implemented quality management system in line with requirements of DSTU ISO 9001:2009 and was granted certificate of conformity, issued by the certifying body ”Intersectoral Center of Quality “PRYROST”.