Principles of Public Administration

Ministers from Western Balkan countries and Turkey welcomed the new framework and introduced good public administration reform practices and the main challenges of their countries.

The Principles define what good governance entails in practice, and outline the main requirements to be followed by countries during the EU integration process. The Principles also feature a monitoring framework enabling regular analysis of the progress made in applying the Principles and setting country benchmarks.

Although general good governance criteria are universal, these Principles are designed for countries that seek EU accession and receive EU assistance through the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA). The acquis requirements, as well as other EU guidelines and instructions, are the core of the Principles in the areas where acquis is in place. In other areas, the Principles are derived from international standards and requirements, as well as good practices in EU Member States and/or OECD countries. As a minimum benchmark of good administration, countries should ensure compliance with these fundamental Principles.