December 12, 2012

It should be noted that one of the most important topics in the country policy nowadays is the development of the final revision and implementation of the concept for the reform of civil service. The development of the standards, instructions and other methodical or normative documents and projects of legislative initiatives for civil service is part of the responsibilities of the Civil Service Bureau. Apart from this, the competencies of the Bureau include other important issues, in particular submitting and publishing of property declarations of public officials, the study of the existing practices of acceptance, attestation, promotion and dismissal of civil servants and development of appropriate recommendations. Generally, the effective, transparent and consistent work of the Civil Service Bureau significantly influences public policy of the country.        

The Civil Service Bureau does not have a Head since 21 September 2013. For several months now the position of the Head of Bureau is occupied by an acting Head, and a new one has still not been appointed. According to the last constitutional change, the Head of the Bureau is appointed by the Prime Minister of Georgia, instead of the President.

Taking into account the abovementioned factors, a candidate for the position of the Head of Civil Service Bureau should be selected and appointed as soon as possible so that the institution can fulfill its duties appropriately and implement its stated goals and projects consistently. It is equally important that the criteria and procedure for selecting the candidates for the position be open and that the selection process be transparent.

We think that it is very important for the Prime Minister of Georgia to ensure maximum engagement of the civil society during the selection process of the Head of the Civil Service Bureau. The participation of the civil society in the candidate selection process will be beneficial for the transparency of the process and will ensure higher trust of the general public towards the process.

Accelerating the selection process of the Head of Civil Service Bureau and the transparency of the said process should be taken as one of the prerequisites for the effective and timely implementation of the planned reform in civil service. At the same time, proper execution of its duties by the public institution will be ensured.

 Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI)

Transparency International - Georgia

Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association

Human Rights Education and Monitoring Center

Open Society Georgia Foundation