Further politicization of clinically dead public administration reform

Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH), Foreign Policy Initiative BiH (VPI) and UG Why Do Not Invite the BiH Council of Ministers to reconsider the Proposal of the Decision on Amendments to the Decision on Establishment of Public Administration Reform Coordinator’s Offices in the Cabinet of the BiH Council of Ministers concerning the appointment of the Chief Public Administration Reform Coordinator.

Banja Luka, 10. February 2020 – Transparency International in BiH (TI BiH), Foreign Policy Initiative BiH (VPI) and UG Why Do Not Invite the BiH Council of Ministers to reconsider the Proposal of the Decision on Amendments to the Decision on Establishment of Public Administration Reform Coordinator’s Offices in the Cabinet of the BiH Council of Ministers concerning the appointment of the Chief Public Administration Reform Coordinator.

The mentioned amendment envisages that the main coordinator for public administration reform and his deputies will be appointed and dismissed by the chairman of the BiH Council of Ministers, instead of the BiH Council of Ministers as defined by the current Decision. By the same Decision, the Chief Coordinator would now be appointed in an advisory capacity. We believe that the amendment of the Decision should have gone in the direction of resolving the status of the institution, its scope of competence in accordance with SIGMA principles, and strengthening its role, and not just resolving the issue of appointing the head of the institution. Also, the proposed decision on appointment as an advisor does not contribute to ensuring the principle of merit in the selection of managers, but further politicizes public administration.

According to the Law on Administration, the advisor is not a senior civil servant, and his job description does not correspond to the tasks performed by the Public Administration Reform Coordinator and his deputies.

We warn that the Council of Ministers of BiH, instead of issues of personal status and appointments, should deal with the adoption of the Public Administration Reform Strategy and the Action Plan, given that the previous Strategy expired in 2014. year, it has been adopted for five years, and half of the period of its implementation has already expired.

Press rls 10.2.2020.