We often discuss about the decision-making system and whether the EU is ready for an enlargement to 30+ countries, but this discussion only takes place at a political level. The European public servant plays an very important role in this process, but there are not many who openly discuss their evolution.
It is already well-known that we have a special segment
of public servants who work within the various institutions and agencies of the
EU, contributing to the functioning and development of the Union. They can be
citizens of any EU Member State and are employed in various capacities within
the EU institutions, playing a crucial role in policymaking, law implementation
and administration. These public servants are usually recruited through
competitive examinations and selection procedures, ensuring a high level of
expertise and professionalism.
In the context of European institutions, especially when
we look at high-ranking officials and bureaucrats, some individuals could be
perceived as being in a "golden cage". Although they have prestigious
positions, job security and attractive benefits, there could be constraints
such as strict regulations, bureaucracy or limitations on personal freedom,
which can sometimes lead to a feeling of being confined within the system.
At the level of the European Union, a mobility program
exists between the national and the European structure. A national expert
seconded to the European institutions results in having a professional who is
temporarily appointed or seconded from the national administration to work
within one of the institutions or agencies of the European Union. This
arrangement allows Member States to contribute their expertise to EU activities
and initiatives, while promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing between
the EU and its member countries.
A much-debated concept, since the accession negotiations,
has been linked to the administrative capacity of European countries to
implement European policies. Of course, this can vary significantly from
country to country. A Member State's ability to effectively implement EU
policies depends on various factors, including the country's institutional
framework, administrative efficiency, legal systems, financial resources and
political will.
A more exciting topic is the connection between the
European official and their country of origin. There is an enormous potential
to ensure possible mobility from the European level to the national
administration with substantial benefits at the individual level, but also for
the entire European construction. In fact, these schemes operate ad hoc,
especially at the level of the EU Presidency of some member countries. To give
an example, in the first semester of 2019, Romania held the EU Presidency for
the first time. Several dozen European officials were seconded in priority
areas identified by the national administration in order to achieve a better
fluidity of the decided agenda. Of course, European officials have the
obligation to remain independent from their Member States, but all national
administrations keep in touch with those who can from the European
administration. Understanding as well as possible the priorities and possible
difficulties, but also looking at possible solutions together is useful for
both national as well as European public servants. The cooperation from those
coming from the European institutions is essential in order to facilitate
institutional communication, especially in case of emergencies or to clarify
some differences in approach.
To conclude we can see that there is now a giant
potential to launch a permanent program of mobility schemes for officials from
the European structure to be seconded in national administrations. Obviously,
we could expand their presence even to the ministries in the EU capitals. This
will certainly lead to a better understanding of the integration processes, but
it will also offer concrete possibilities for Europeans to directly help the
countries they originated from.
Dan LUCA / Brussels
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