The activities determined by the Action Plan for implementation of the Administrative Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Public Administration Reform, Human Resources Management and Professional Development in Public Administration, signed in July 2019 during French President Emanuel Macron’s visit to Serbia, have been fully implemented, as concluded by a professional meeting named “Attractiveness of Public Administration and Public Administration Employer Brand”
Assistant Minister of European Integration and International Cooperation Sanja Putnik singled out the inclusion of the Ministry of Public Administration and the Local Self-Government in the EUPAN network as an observer as the result of France’s direct support. ”We also see room for inclusion of Serbia into international networks and organizations in order to integrate our public administration into international contexts”, she said, adding that what had proved significant in that cooperation was the possibility of direct insight into French practices organized for representatives of Serbian administration.
Jean-Louis Falconi, the Republic of France’s Ambassador to Serbia, said that France was a country with a long and successful tradition in civil service. “France is a country with a reputation for stable public administration, a stable pillar of common interest. Our cooperation can show what we know in this area, and it could inspire our partners in Serbia”, said the Ambassador.
Assistant Minister for the Sector for Professional Development Jasmina Benmansur pointed out that the cooperation in professional training was particularly important, as it started during the period when they started a comprehensive reform in this area.
“After almost four years since the introduction of innovations in professional development system, it is our assessment, as well as that of relevant international institutions monitoring our country’s progress in this and other areas, that we have achieved significant results in this area”, she said.
She also called attention to an agreement on cooperation between the National Academy for Public Administration and the National School of Administration (ENA) in the Republic of France, and that the cooperation “helped us innovatively approach the establishment of competencies of this institution, prepare and adopt new training programs and open a new training center”.
Assistant Minister of the Sector for Human Resource Management Ivana Savićević thanked France for its support and cooperation. “Exchange of experience and cooperation with our French colleagues on the practices and experiences of the French administration in professionalization and depoliticization of the administration will contribute to the strategic reform directions in Serbia”, Savićević said, expressing satisfaction that the cooperation would continue.
During the two-day conference attended by a group of French public administration experts, ways of making public administration a more attractive employer of professionals were discussed, as well as of building a good image of public administration and maintaining quality staff. The representatives of the Minister and their colleagues from France determined the activities for the new Action Plan which will continue the implementation of the Administrative agreement.