A training course on SIGMA Public Administration Principles has been launched at the NAUCS, organized jointly with the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union, the High School of Public Governance, and the SIGMA Programme.
The training course has been developed taking into account all six areas covered by the SIGMA Principles and will be delivered in five thematic modules from April to June 2025.
The aim of the course is to provide civil servants with a comprehensive understanding of modern public administration standards that meet the requirements of European integration and the best practices of EU Member States.
The event was opened by Head of the NAUCS Nataliia Aliushyna and Deputy State Secretary of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine Oleh Voitovych, who emphasized the importance of implementing the Principles of Public Administration as part of Ukraine’s European integration course.
According to Nataliia Aliushyna, the SIGMA Principles of Public Administration are a basic set of criteria on which reforms in EU candidate countries are based. They cover key aspects of public administration, from strategic planning to budgeting, from human resources policy to digitalization.
Oleh Voitovych added that compliance with the Principles of Public Administration is also a matter of trust in institutions, the effectiveness of decisions, and the quality of services for citizens.
The first training module brought together about 50 participants offline—civil servants involved in developing, coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating the implementation of Ukraine’s public administration reform strategies. Also, anyone who wanted to join the online training could do so — the training sessions were streamed live on the YouTube page of the High School of Public Governance.
The main focus of the first day of training was on the topic of strategy and policy formation and coordination. Participants had the opportunity to discuss strategic planning as a basis for policy, coordination of public policy at the central level, fiscal planning in government policy, evidence-based policy development, and more.
The main speaker was Martins Krievins, SIGMA Regional Manager for ENP EAST, Country Manager for Ukraine, Senior Policy Advisor, who consistently presented the first four principles of public administration. He emphasized the importance of an analytical approach, the integrity of the strategic vision, and the need to ensure that government actions are consistent with actual budgetary capabilities. He also provided specific examples and insights from international practice and proposed approaches that could be adapted to Ukrainian realities.
Gregor Virant, Head of the SIGMA Programme, joined the event online and emphasised that the updated Principles of Public Administration were the result of many years of experience and brought together the best practices of EU Member States.
