The European Union (EU) Eastern Partnership initiative is an EU policy aimed at strengthening partnerships with the EU’s eastern neighbours. On May 7, 2009, at a summit held in Prague (Czech Republic), EU Member States and representatives of the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine decided to launch the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative with the aim of achieving political association and economic integration between the EU and its eastern partner countries. This policy was initiated by the Republic of Poland and the Kingdom of Sweden.
The Eastern Partnership is based on mutual interests and commitments of the parties, as well as on the principles of shared ownership and responsibility, transparency and existing bilateral contractual relations. Furthermore, cooperation within the Eastern Partnership is based on the principles of international law and fundamental values, including democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, market economy, sustainable development and good governance.
The Eastern Partnership aims to create a common space of shared democracy, prosperity, stability and enhanced cooperation. In addition, the commitments signed within the framework of the Eastern Partnership contribute to strengthening state and societal resilience: this makes the EU and its partners stronger and better equipped to address internal and external challenges.
The Eastern Partnership focuses on four priority areas of cooperation agreed at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga in 2015: strengthening governance: strengthening institutions and good governance; strengthening the economy: economic development and market opportunities; strengthening interaction: mobility and societal development: expanding people-to-people contacts.
Since 2011, NAUCS has been actively involved in the activities of the Working Panel on Governance and Public Administration Reform of Thematic Platform 1 on Strengthening Institutions and Ensuring Good Governance of the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative (hereinafter referred to as the Working Panel). in particular, it regularly participates in the meetings of the Working Panel and in events organised by the Eastern Partnership countries, and annually prepares proposals for the draft Action Plan of Thematic Platform 1 ‘Strengthening Institutions and Ensuring Good Governance’ for the relevant year.
Thematic Platform 1 “Democracy, Good Governance & Stability” aims to promote democratic and economic reforms in the Eastern Partnership partner countries. Its purpose is to develop stable democratic institutions (including electoral standards, media legislation, anti-corruption measures) and effective state structures. The objectives of this platform are security, ensuring the stability of sovereignty and territorial integrity of partner countries through the implementation of multilateral measures aimed at strengthening trust and creating early warning systems.
The Working Group (Panel) focuses on the following areas:
“Public service, public institutions and their functions (human resource management, general principles of admission to and career progression in public service, regulatory and legal acts)”;
“Transparency, e-governance and data protection”;
“Decentralisation of local/regional public authorities”;
“Effective management of technical assistance”.
Since 2012, Ukraine has been a leading country in the field of ‘Effective Management of Technical Assistance.’ Every year, the NAUCS prepares and approves, together with its Eastern Partnership partners, an action plan for the relevant year in the four areas mentioned above.
Since 2013, within the framework of cooperation with the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative, NAUCS has ensured the preparation and implementation of more than 20 communication events.
International scientific and practical conference “Professionalisation of public service in the context of European integration: institutional and personnel aspects” (June 6–7, 2013);
Annual Richelieu Academic Readings “Modernisation of Public Service in the Context of European Integration Policy” (September 25–27, 2013)
Eighth Annual Regional Conference on Institutional Development (November 6-7, 2014);
Conference “Current Issues of Civil Service Reform in the Context of Public Engagement” (November 27–28, 2014)
Conference “Interaction between public authorities and the public in the implementation of the Association Agreement” (May 14–15, 2015);
Seventh Annual Richelieu Academic Readings “Human Resource Management in Public Service: New Approaches and Technologies” (September 24–25, 2015);
Ninth Annual Regional Conference on Institution Building (November 12-13, 2015).
International Scientific and Practical Conference “Professionalism, Ethics and Values of Civil Service: Experience of the EU and Eastern Partnership Countries” (February 18-19, 2016);
International Forum “Interaction and Cooperation of Public Authorities and Civil Society in the Framework of Implementation of the Association Agreement in the Eastern Partnership Countries” (June 30-July 1, 2016);
Eighth Annual Richelieu Academic Readings: “Current Issues of Implementation of the New Civil Service Legislation” (September 22-23, 2016);
Tenth Annual Regional Conference on Institution Building (November 17-18, 2016);
Training “Organizing and conducting competency-based interviews (structured interviews, STAR, PARLA) and staff assessment using the Assessment Center and 360 degrees methods” (December 14-16, 2016);
Twelfth meeting of the Working Group (Panel) “Public Administration Reform” of the Thematic Platform No. 1 “Democracy, Good Governance and Stability” of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership initiative (March 16-17, 2017);
Two-day training “Building a professional, sustainable and politically impartial civil service: the role of transformational leadership and organizational culture” (June 01-02, 2017);
Two-day seminar “Professionalization of Service in Local Self-Government Bodies in the Context of Public Administration Reform and Decentralization” (September 07-08, 2017);
Ninth Annual Richelieu Academic Readings: “Professional Training and Development of Civil Servants and Local Self-Government Officials: Challenges, Tasks, Prospects” (September 21-22, 2017);
Annual Regional Conference on Institution Building (December 07-08, 2017);
Workshop “Ensuring Gender Parity in the Civil Service” (November 22, 2018);
Workshop “Evaluation of Strategies as an Integral Part of the Strategic Planning Process” (December 06, 2018);
Workshop “Digitalization of HR Process Management in the Civil Service” (November 28, 2019);
In addition, within the framework of cooperation with the EU’s Eastern Partnership initiative, the NAUCS has developed a number of information, analytical and methodological materials on civil service reform and its adaptation to EU standards, including some of the following:
brochure “Local Self-Government in the Eastern Partnership Countries”;
manual “Professional Development of Civil Servants in the Eastern Partnership Countries: Results of a Comparative Study of Civil Service Reform”;
manual “Civil Service of the Eastern Partnership Countries”;
materials of the participants of the training “Building a professional, sustainable and politically impartial civil service: the role of transformational leadership and organizational culture”;
manual “Gender Policy in the System of Public Administration of Ukraine.