SIGMA carried out a study on civil service professionalisation in five countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, thus focusing on one of the key areas of public administration reform. The main findings, conclusions and recommendations of the study are presented, and the draft report of the study is disseminated at this conference

1. CONFERENCE
CIVIL SERVICE PROFESSIONALISATION IN THE EUROPEAN EASTERN NEIGHBOURHOOD
PROGRAMME
4-5 November 2014 Tbilisi, Georgia

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1. Background of the conference
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, belonging to the Eastern Partnership, a joint initiative of the European Union and Eastern European partner countries under the European Neighbourhood Policy, aim to reform different key policy areas to support their democratic transformation. Public administration reform is identified as one of the priority areas of the European Neighbourhood Policy1. Professional civil service, in the focus of this conference, is one of the cornerstones for implementing public administration reform and for supporting good governance.
Although the Member States of the EU have wide autonomy regarding the way in which they organise their civil service, there are common European principles of administrative law and good administration that should be reflected in national administrative legal frameworks and followed by all institutions and civil servants2. These principles have formed a baseline of the EU’s and SIGMA’s technical assistance to the countries in the European neighbourhood on strengthening their governance systems for over 20 years. These principles have also framed the scope of the recent comparative study on “Civil Service Professionalisation in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine”, composed by SIGMA. The main conclusions of the study, regional and country-specific recommendations for sustainable civil service reforms and priorities of action for civil service professionalisation will be presented and discussed during the conference.
2. Purpose and format of the conference
The main purpose of the conference is to provide an opportunity for information sharing and networking for the central civil service bodies of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.
The central civil service co-ordination and management bodies play a key role in the civil service reform process since they are normally being responsible for the following functions: developing civil service policies and legislation; setting and monitoring homogeneous civil service management standards; participating in and monitoring the recruitment and promotion procedures; maintaining the human resource management (HRM) information system to support the strategic workforce planning, management and monitoring of HRM practices in the civil service, and regular analysis of the state of the civil service; promoting integrity and preventing corruption in the civil service.
The conference will focus on the main challenges of the civil service reforms in the Member States of the EU, in the accession and pre-accession countries of the EU as well as in the countries in the EU’s eastern neighbourhood. The interactive format of the conference will provide all participants with the opportunity to address the most crucial elements of the civil service reforms, compare national and regional experiences and discuss specific issues among peers and scholars to find sustainable and tailor-made solutions for each country.
1 European Commission and European External Action Service (27 March 2014), “Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy in 2013. Regional report: Eastern Partnership”,
http://eeas.europa.eu/enp/pdf/2014/regional/eastern_partnership_report.pdf.
2 OECD (1999), “European principles for public administration”, SIGMA Paper No. 27,
http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/governance/european-principles-for-public-administration_5kml60zwdr7h-en.

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3. Participants of the conference
Participation is by the invitation only.
The conference will be attended by senior officials responsible for designing and implementing civil service reforms in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine: usually heads of central civil service bodies and their key staff. From Georgia, as a host country, up to ten officials from the leading ministries and other administrative bodies in co-charge of civil service reform will be invited. Representatives of the national Programme Administration Offices, the EU Delegations, the European Commission and the European External Action Service as well as from the EU Member States represented in Georgia will be invited.
English and Russian are the active languages of the conference.
Each country will have four official delegates at the conference. Their travel and accommodation costs will be covered by SIGMA. In total, some 50 participants, including SIGMA staff and experts, are expected to attend.
4. Agenda for the conference
TUESDAY 4 NOVEMBER 2014 Chaired by Ms. Karen Hill, Head of Programme, SIGMA (Support for Improvement in Governance and Management) Moderated by Ms. Annika Uudelepp, Chairman of the Executive Board, Praxis Centre for Policy Studies (Independent Think Tank) 09:30 – 10:00 REGISTRATION AND WELCOME COFFEE 10:00 – 10:45 INTRODUCTION AND WELCOME ADDRESSES
Ms. Karen Hill, Head of Programme, SIGMA
Mr. János Herman, Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia
Mr. Alex Petriashvili, State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Government of Georgia
Ms. Maya Tskitishvili, Head of the Government’s Administration of Georgia
10:45 – 11:00
COFFEE BREAK

4. 11:00 – 12:30 FIRST SESSION: CIVIL SERVICE REFORM CHALLENGES IN THE MEMBER STATES OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Dr. Christoph Demmke, Senior Academic Advisor of the Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate, OECD
 Presentation
 Questions and answers
 Joint discussion
Background paper: SIGMA Expert Paper “Civil Service Reform Challenges in the Member States of the European Union”
12:30 – 12:45
FAMILY PHOTO
12:45 – 14:00
LUNCH 14:00 – 15:30 SECOND SESSION: CIVIL SERVICE PROFESSIONALISATION IN THE EUROPEAN EASTERN NEIGHBOURHOOD COUNTRIES
Dr. Salvador Parrado, Professor of public management at the Spanish Distance Learning University; Visiting Professor at the Hertie School of Governance
 Presentation on the main conclusions and recommendations of the comparative study on civil service professionalisation in the European eastern neighbourhood countries
 Questions and answers
 Joint discussion
Background paper: SIGMA Comparative Study “Civil Service Professionalisation in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine”
15:30 – 16:00
COFFEE BREAK 16:00 – 17:30 THIRD SESSION: OBSTACLES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF CIVIL SERVICE REFORMS IN THE WESTERN BALKANS, LESSONS LEARNED FOR THE EASTERN NEIGHBOURHOOD
Dr. Jan-Hinrik Meyer-Sahling, Associate Professor of European Politics at the University of Nottingham
 Presentation
 Questions and answers
 Joint discussion
Background paper: SIGMA Paper No. 48 “Civil Service Professionalisation in the Western Balkans”
18:30 – 22:00
DINNER IN MTSKHETA , the capital of the early Georgian Kingdom of Iberia during the 3rd century BC – 5th century AD
Restaurant “GUJARI”

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WEDNESDAY 5 NOVEMBER 2014 Moderated by Dr. Hans-Achim Roll, former Director General in the Federal Chancellery of Germany
09:15 – 9:30
WELCOME COFFEE 9:30 – 12:15 FOURTH SESSION: CIVIL SERVICE REFORM AGENDAS OF ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN, GEORGIA, MOLDOVA AND UKRAINE
9:30 – 9:45
Dr. Hans-Achim Roll, SIGMA expert, former Director General in the Federal Chancellery of Germany
 Reflections from the first day of the conference
 Introduction to the panel session
9:45 – 12:15
Mr. Manvel Badalyan, Chairman of the Civil Service Council of Armenia
Mr. Vugar Asgarov, Head of the Legal Department of the Civil Service Commission under the President of Azerbaijan
Ms. Catherine Kardava, Head of the Civil Service Bureau of Georgia
Ms. Tamara Gheorghita, Head of the Central Public Administration Reform Department of the State Chancellery of the Republic of Moldova
Mr. Kostiantyn Vashchenko, Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service
 Civil service reform agendas of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine
 Lessons learned from the comparative study on civil service professionalisation in the European eastern neighbourhood countries
 Joint discussion 12:15 – 12:45 CONCLUSIONS AND CLOSURE OF THE CONFERENCE
Ms. Karen Hill, Head of Programme, SIGMA
Ms. Catherine Kardava, Head of the Civil Service Bureau of Georgia
 Conclusions and closure of the conference
12:45 – 14:00
LUNCH

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BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Christoph Demmke
Dr. Christoph Demmke, a German national, is working as a Senior Academic Advisor of the Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate of the OECD. Beforehand, he acted as Head of Unit in the field of HRM for the OECD and led work on public sector HRM and the Public Employment and Management Working Party (PEM).
For the past decade, Christoph Demmke was a Professor of Comparative Public Management at the European Institute of Public Administration at Maastricht and Visiting Professor at the College of Europe (B) and the University of Maastricht. He also taught Comparative Public Administration, HRM and Ethics at several European Universities, national civil service academies and European institutions.
Christoph Demmke was a scientific advisor to the Directors-General of the Member States of the EU with responsibilities for the Reform of the Public Service, and a permanent member of the EUPAN HRM-working group of the rotating EU Presidency.
He has worked as a consultant to various ministries of the EU Member States as well as for the EU Institutions, and as a Fellow of the German Ministry of the Interior.
Christoph Demmke holds Masters' degrees in Political Science and International Relations, and a PhD in Administrative Sciences from the German Postgraduate School of Administrative Sciences. He was an Emile Noel Fellow at Harvard Law School and a Visiting Fellow at American University (USA) and the University of Georgia (USA).
He has published many books and articles on comparative public service reforms, the effects of HR reforms and public service ethics, among others topics.
Salvador Parrado
Dr. Salvador Parrado, a Spanish national, is currently teaching in the department of Political Science and Public Administration at the Spanish Distance Learning University (UNED), Madrid. He is also adjunct faculty of Hertie School of Governance, (Berlin). He has published several books and articles on comparative administrative systems, the civil service, the senior civil service, public management and public sector reform.
Commissioned by national public agencies and international organisations like OECD, SIGMA, Inter-American Bank for Development, World Bank and UNDP, he has authored or co-authored numerous policy reports and evidence-based research. His empirical work on the civil service covers the following countries: Azerbaijan, Chile, France, Italy, Moldova, Serbia, Spain, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Salvador Parrado holds a PhD in Political Science from the University Complutense Madrid.
At present, he is a European editor of the journal of Public Administration and the Director of Governance International (www.govint.org).

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Jan-Hinrik Meyer-Sahling
Dr. Jan-Hinrik Meyer-Sahling, a German national, is an Associate Professor of European Politics at the University of Nottingham, School of Politics and International Relations. His research concentrates on the reform of the state in Central and Eastern Europe and the Western Balkans.
Jan-Hinrik Meyer-Sahling holds a Master’s degree in European Politics and Policy, and a PhD in Political Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
He currently works on problems surrounding the establishment of professional civil service systems, the contribution of the EU to civil service reform, and the consequences of (a lack) of professional bureaucracies for corruption.
Annika Uudelepp
Ms. Annika Uudelepp, an Estonian national, is the CEO of Estonian leading think-tank Praxis Centre for Policy Studies, and expert on modern governance.
Annika Uudelepp previously served as Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment (2004-2008) and held various posts in Tallinn University.
Annika Uudelepp holds Master’s Degree in Political Science and is currently a PhD Student in Tallinn University.
Her research topics and expertise are related to modern governance: civil service reform, policy co-ordination, public sector strategic management and public engagement in policy making.
Hans-Achim Roll
Dr. Hans-Achim Roll, a German national, is a lawyer and international consultant based in Hamburg.
His professional experience includes 6 years as a lecturer and researcher in the Law Faculty of Kiel University (1972-1978), 14 years in various leading positions in the administration of the German Parliament (1978-1992), 6 years as Director General in the Office of the German Chancellor Dr. Helmut Kohl (1992-1998), and 15 years as short term consultant for policy development, constitutional and public administration reform, civil service, minority inclusion in the public sector, and other reform projects in transition countries (1999-2014). These projects include work in: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Egypt, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, and Ukraine.
Hans-Achim Roll studied law in the Universities of Marburg, Kiel (Germany), and Lausanne (Switzerland). He holds a law degree (Dr. Juris) of Kiel University.

8. PARTICIPANTS LIST ARMENIA Mr. Manvel Badalyan Chairman Civil Service Council of the Republic of Armenia Mr. Gegham Sargsyan Head Science and Education Department Civil Service Council of the Republic of Armenia Ms. Ruzanna Khachatryan Head External Relations Department Civil Service Council of the Republic of Armenia Mr. Garush Davtyan Head Legal Department Civil Service Council of the Republic of Armenia

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AZERBAIJAN
Mr Vugar Asgarov
Head
Legal Department
Civil Service Commission under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Mr Azad Aydinli
Chief Advisor
Human Resources and Training Department
State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Ms Firuza Poladova
Department of Human Resources
The Ministry of Transport of the Republic of Azerbaijan
Ms Afag Huseyn
Director of Human Resources Management and Civil Service HR Recruitement Department
Civil Service Commission under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

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GEORGIA
Mr. Alex Petriashvili
State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration
Ms. Maia Tskitishvili
Head
Administration of the Government of Georgia
Mr. Georgi Kakhiani
Chairman of the Procedural Issues and Rules Committee at the Parliament of Georgia
Administration of the Government of Georgia
Ms. Catherine Kadrava
Director
Civil Service Bureau of Georgia
Ms. Mariam Turmanidze
Assistant to the Director
Civil Service Bureau of Georgia
Mr. Alexandre Baramidze
Deputy Minister of Justice of Georgia
Ms. Rusudan Mikhelidze
Head of Analytical Department
Ministry of Justice of Georgia
Mr. Giorgi Javakhishvili
Deputy Minister of Finance of Georgia

11. Mr. Roman Kakulia
Head
EU Assistance Coordination Department
Office of the State Minister of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration
Ms. Nino Mujiri
Project Expert
Office of the State Ministry of Georgia on European and Euro-Atlantic Integration
Mr. Giorgi Kldiashvili
Director
Institute for Development of Freedom of Information
Ms. Mary Gabashvili
Manager
NATO-Georgia Professional Development Programme
Ms. Tekla Rurua
Intern, Civil Service Reform
NATO-Georgia Professional Development Programme

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MOLDOVA
Ms. Tamara Gheorghita
Head
Central Public Administration Reform Department
State Chancellery
Ms. Nina Manoulache
Head
Human Resources Division
Ministry of Labour, Social Protection and Family
Ms. Natalia Graur
Head
Human Resources Division
Ministry of Justice
Mr. Andrei Prisacari
Head
Public Authorities Finances Division
Ministry of Finance

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UKRAINE
Mr. Volodymyr Fedorchuk
Deputy Minister
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
Mr. Kostiantyn Vashchenko
Head
National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service
Mr. Oleksii Perevezentsev
Head of Legal Department
Ministry of Economic Development and Trade
Ms. Valentyna Nehiievych
Assistant to the Head
National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service

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EU DELEGATIONS
Mr. János Herman
Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia
Ms. Nino Kochishvili
Programme Manager
Delegation of the European Union to Georgia
Ms. Sophie Huet Guerriche
Programme Manager
Delegation of the European Union to Georgia
Mr. Alessandro Zanotta
Economic Adviser
Cooperation Section
Delegation of the European Union to Armenia
Mr. Volodymyr Kondrachuk
Sector Manager "Public Administration Reform"
Twinning, SIGMA, CIB Coordinator
Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine

15. EU MEMBER STATES
H.E. Mr. Plamen Bonchev
Ambassador of Bulgaria to Georgia
Mr. Iassen Tomov
Second Secretary
Embassy of Bulgaria to Georgia
H.E. Mr. Andrzej Cieszkowski
Ambassador of Poland to Georgia
H.E. Mr. Priit Turk
Ambassador of Estonia to Georgia
H.E. Mr. Sándor Szabó
Ambassador of Hungary to Georgia
Mr. István Gyebnár
Deputy to the Ambassador
Ambassador of Hungary to Georgia
Ms. Helena Sancho
First Secretary
Embassy of Sweden to Georgia
Mr. Kakha Khimshiashvili
Programme Manager
Embassy of Sweden to Georgia
Mr. Antti Karttunen
Resident Twinning Adviser “Capacity Builting of the Academy of the Ministry of Finance of Georgia”
Finland

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EXPERTS/MODERATORS
Mr. Christoph Demmke
Senior Academic Advisor of the Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate/OECD
Mr. Jan-Hinrik Meyer-Sahling
Associate Professor of European Politics
University of Nottingham
Mr. Salvador Parrado
Professor of Public Management
Spanish Distance Learning University, Madrid
Visiting Professor
Hertie School of Governance, Berlin
Mr. Hans-Achim Roll
International Consultant
Former Director General in the Federal Chancellery of Germany
Ms. Annika Uudelepp
Chairman of the Executive Board
Praxis Centre for Policy Studies

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SIGMA
Ms. Karen Hill
Head of Programme
Ms. Airi Alakivi
Senior Adviser
Civil service and public administration organisation and functioning
Mr. Julio Nabais
Senior Adviser
Civil service and public administration organisation and functioning
Mr. Xavier Sisternas
Senior Adviser
Civil service and public administration organisation and functioning
Mr. Wojciech Zielinski
Senior Adviser
Civil service and public administration organisation and functioning
Ms. Ilana Demal
Project Co-ordinator
Ms. Aleksandra Bogusz
Project Co-ordinator