Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Branko Ružić presented today two draft laws which regulate employment relations and the salary system in public administration and on that occasion he emphasized that the objectives of amendments to laws were improvement of human resource management in government bodies, employment according to knowledge and skills and introduction of a merit-based evaluation and remuneration system. Talking about the proposed amendments to the Law on Civil Servants, he said that they were the next stage in the civil service system reform and were necessary to build a more efficient and professional pubic administration and to ensure implementation of the new salary system in public administration from 1 January 2019. The Minister added that, according to the most recent data, the public administration had about 470,000 employees for an indefinite term, without national public enterprises, and the entire reform related exactly to this number. Two draft laws, for which the Ministry announced a public debate, relate to 24,000 civil servants and are the last of a number of steps which should be taken in order to ensure introduction of the new salary system based on competencies and merits until 1 January 2019. “As regards determining salaries, salary compensations and costs, as well as other remuneration of civil servants, this Law goes beyond the existing remuneration arranging by introducing a new system of performance evaluation”, Mr. Ružić said. The Minister added: “By allowing for a higher initial coefficient and introducing a corrective coefficient, this Law will help attract and retain quality staff, which is in accordance with recommendations of the European Commission and SIGMA”. “Various acting positions in the public administration will no longer be able to keep that status for an indefinite period; instead, their term will be limited to maximum nine months”, Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Branko Ružić announced today. At the “Round Table on Draft Laws amending the Law on Civil Servants and the Law on Salaries of Civil Servants” Mr. Ružić explained that, for example, the status of acting director could no longer be prolonged indefinitely and would instead be limited to six months (plus possible additional three months), while a government body which appoints the director would has to announce a competition for that position within 30 days, after which the position remains vacant until it is staffed through a competition. “This novelty may cause various reactions, but I believe that this is one of the crucial issues where we show our willingness and readiness to implement the reform in the right way”, said Mr. Ružić.