Civil Services in the EU of 27 - Reform Outcomes and the Future of the Civil Service

Civil service systems are a constituent part of our government systems. Modern government still depends to a great extent on the work of the national civil services and their employees: the millions of civil servants. In fact, the quality of life in Europe depends in many ways on those who work for government and on how government works as such. Furthermore, civil services have a democratic and ethical function; they should serve the society and the law as well as protect the population and function in a sustainable manner. For all of these tasks and duties the Member States have established specific civil services. Despite the great importance of the civil services for the wellbeing of our societies, only very little comparative and empirical information exist about the nature of reforms and the reform paths of the national civil services.

The purpose of this interactive conference is to describe, compare and analyse the national civil services and the most important reform trends in the 27 Member States of the European Union.

As an introduction, two new comparative (empirical) studies on the reform of the national civil services in the EU Member States will be presented to the participants. Subsequently, academics as well as practitioners will examine the reform processes in status reforms, organisational reforms, recruitment policies, remuneration, decentralisation of HR responsibilities, job security and ethics. At the end of the conference the participants will discuss the main outcomes of the reform processes and potential reform trajectories with regard to the future of the civil service.

The conference is designed as a workshop. Speakers are invited to present short introductions and statements which will be followed by discussions in plenary. Moreover, all participants are invited to present new reforms from their home administrations, discuss the outcomes of the reforms, as well as present “good- or bad practices”.

Another objective of the workshop is to offer Members of the EUPAN (European Public Administration Network) an opportunity to exchange information, to learn from each other in an informal setting and to get engaged in an intensive workshop without the need to discuss procedural and technical issues.  

The conference will take place in the premises of the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) in Maastricht. The conference will be held in English.

Programme
The programme will commence on the first day at 09.00 hrs and finish on the second day at 16.30 hrs.

Training venue
The training will take place at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), O.L. Vrouweplein 22, NL-6211 HE Maastricht, tel.: +31.43.3296222, fax: +31.43.3296296.

Working language
The training will be conducted in English.

Fee
The participation fee for each training is €775 and includes participation in the training, documentation, 2 lunches, 1 dinner and refreshments.
Accommodation and travel costs are at the expense of the participants or their administration.

EIPA offers its members a reduction of 10% of the registration fee. This reduction is available to all civil servants working for one of EIPA’s member countries (i.e. AT, BE, CY, CZ, DK, EE, FI, FR, DE, GR, HU, IE, IT, LT, LU, MT, NL, PL, PT, ES, SE, UK) as well as civil servants working for an EU institution or agency. If you are eligible for a discount, please tick the box in the registration form. Please note that reductions cannot be accumulated. For more information, please visit EIPA’s website: www.eipa.eu (FAQ-special discounts).

EIPA offers EUPAN Members a reduction of 50% of the registration fee.

Hotel reservations
The European Institute of Public Administration will be pleased to make reservations for you at the following hotel in Maastricht:

Hotel Beaumont**** (www.beaumont.nl) at a rate of € 102 p.p.p.n*. (incl. breakfast and tourist).

Should you wish to make use of this possibility, please indicate as well as the dates of arrival and departure on the registration form. Payment is to be made directly and personally to the hotel on checking out. Please note that if you register after the closing date, hotel reservations cannot be guaranteed.

Meals
The lunches will be served at the Institute’s restaurant. Dinner on the first day will be served at a restaurant in town. Should you require a special menu (e.g. vegetarian, diabetic), please inform the Programme Organiser so that this can be arranged.

Registration
Kindly complete the online registration form and return it before 17 May 2010.

Confirmation
Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants on receipt of the completed registration form.

Payment
Prior payment is a condition for participation. Please indicate the method of payment on the registration form. For cancellations received after 17 May 2010 we will have to charge an administration fee of € 150 unless a replacement participant is found.