Between Discretion and Professionalism

The study identifies the key deficiencies of Serbian civil service system seen from the perspective of the accession process, with the particular focus on the recruitment policy.

The research has found that significant turnover of the civil servants, insufficient number of experts in specialised fields, the outflow of young civil servants and the lack of an essential understanding of European integration related affairs by managers at the political level, represent some of the problems which affect the Serbian public administration. Accession negotiations-related tasks, which concern the entire state administration, and not only the specific units in the ministries, are an impetus for sustainable public administration reforms which must remain the goal regardless of the outcome of the negotiations process. Noting the limits of the implementation of a legal framework in the area of recruitment policy, the study develops three possible options for improving the quality of human resources in state administration.

Download the study also in French language.