The European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) cooperates with Ukraine in its public administration reform efforts.
The European Union places particular emphasis on Public Administration Reform as a prerequisite for successful EU Accession. With its unique expertise, EIPA is well placed to complement the efforts of national and international partners in these efforts.
Therefore, EIPA’s Programme Director, Martijn Pluim, spent a week in Ukraine for discussions with key counterparts and participating in two significant events showcasing the growing collaboration between EIPA and Ukraine.
In Kyiv, Martijn Pluim was welcomed by the Ukrainian Ombudsman’s office, the Head of the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights and the Commissioner’s Representative for Information Rights.
Discussions centred around how EIPA could support the Ukrainian Ombudsman and Secretariat with training, technical activities, and consultancy, particularly in the area of data protection and the strengthening of the national data protection authority.
During a meeting with the Director and his deputy of the Hennadii Udovenko Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine, Martijn Pluim discussed the trainings offered by EIPA under the long-running ‘Luxembourg Convention’ and agreed on concrete training needs for Ukrainian diplomats.
Quality Management for Successful Public Administration Reform
EIPA, hosting the European CAF Resource Centre also played a key role in the conference “Quality Management for Successful Public Administration Reform,” organised by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service (NADS) and the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to EU Standards.
Organised together with the OECD/SIGMA Programme and the GIZ Regional Fund for Administrative Reform in Eastern Partnership Countries, the conference gathered over 50 participants from 15 agencies and institutions. It provided a platform for discussing strategies to implement total quality management (TQM), and the CAF (Common Assessment Framework) in particular, as part of Ukraine’s broader public sector modernisation and reforming.
Martijn Pluim highlighted EIPA’s involvement in supporting administrative reform across Europe, highlighting the important role of the European CAF Resource Centre and the increased cooperation and support towards the Ukranian CAF National Centre, with coordinated actions between OECD/SIGMA and GIZ.
“CAF focuses on public administration reform at the organisational level, while SIGMA principles target reforms at the national level. Therefore, creating synergies between the two has a multilayered effect,”
Martijn Pluim emphasised, in line with OECD/SIGMA’s position.
The conference aligned with Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to meet EU accession standards, with CAF serving as a crucial model in modernising public administration and will be followed by further events in 2024.
EIPA remains committed to supporting Ukraine’s integration into the European Union through knowledge sharing, training programs, and collaboration on public administration reforms. We look forward to building our partnership with Ukrainian institutions further and contributing to their improvement and reform journey.
