For the period 2014-2020, the Common Provisions Regulation (CPD) provides that the Managing Authorities prepare an evaluation plan to effectively manage the evaluation activities related to the Operational Programs financed by the Structural Funds and the European Investment Funds.
The transition from an implementation-oriented approach in the period 2007-2013 to a result-based one in the new programming period and the interest in determining the contribution of interventions to the results achieved required well-planned, easily tailored assessments according to the thematic needs and having an appropriate timetable and resources.
Article 54 of the Common Provisions Regulation provided the general framework on which the assessments were carried out for the 2014-2020 programming period. Thus, the evaluation mission was composed of two objectives: improving the quality of program development and implementation, as well analyzing their effectiveness, efficiency and impact.
The objectives of the evaluation plan were as follows:
– informing relevant stakeholders / stakeholders on how to implement and program outcomes, the level of performance in institutional capacity and the efficiency of public administration;
– ensuring that the various program stakeholders have a common understanding of the role assigned to evaluation in the implementation of the program;
– ensuring the allocation of the resources needed to carry out the various evaluations;
– capacity building among different stakeholders, promoting a stronger evaluation culture.
Operational Programme Administrative Capacity (OPAC) is anchored in the general and specific objectives of the Public Administration Reform Strategy 2014-2020, ex-ante conditionality for interventions under the Thematic Objective 11 Enhancing institutional capacity of public authorities and stakeholders and efficient public administration (TO 11), the Better Regulation Strategy 2014-2020, and the draft Strategy for the Development of the Judicial System 2015-2020.
The financial allocation under OPAC is exclusively focused on thematic objective 11 on the priority of investing in institutional capacity and the efficiency of public administrations and services with a view to implementing reforms, better lawmaking and good governance.
The programme has the goal of improving the efficiency, the transparency and the accessibility of Romania's public administration and judicial system. To attain this goal, investment will address the following priorities:
• Strengthening the key functions of public administration (strategic planning, programme budgeting, impact assessment, evaluation and monitoring, simplifying legislation, public procurement, reducing the red tape) and improving the administrative capacity to perform such functions, including through the development of human resources.
• Improving the functioning of the judicial system, including for the implementation of the new legal codes.
• Enhancing the decision-making in local public administration and judiciary, by introducing common standards and practices and quality management systems, with a view to improving the services provided to citizens and businesses.
• Setting up a preventive framework both in public administration and in the judicial system to address ethics and integrity challenges.
In the previous programming period 2007-2013, in order to identify the priority sectors for the Operational Programme Administrative Capacity Development (OPACD), there was a preliminary decision-making consultation, based on the stage of development of decentralization strategies at that time the increasing responsibilities of public administration and the general contribution to socio-economic development at national level.
At the sectoral level, for the programming period 2007 – 2013, there were several strategies, OPACD contributing to their objectives:
– Strategy for Accelerating Public Administration Reform 2004-2006,
– Public Administration Reform Strategy 2007-2013,
– Strategy for improving the public policy making process, the coordination system and the central public administration planning system,
– National evaluation strategy,
– Strategy for decentralization,
while
for the current 2014-2020 programming period there are four relevant strategic documents, the Operational Programme Administrative Capacity will contribute to achieve their objectives:
– Strategy for Consolidation of the Public Administration 2014-2020,
– Strategy for the Development of the Judicial System 2015-2020,
– Strategy for Better Regulation 2014-2020,
– National Strategy on the Digital Agenda for Romania 2014-2020.
The Ex-Ante evaluation report of the Operational Programme Administrative Capacity 2014-2020 was iterative and interactive providing ongoing support to programmers and carried out in accordance with the European Social Fund (ESF) Regulation and various guidance documents provided by the European Commission. Also,
The qualitative assessment reveals that OPAC makes a significant contribution to the SCPA in terms of coverage of the strategy objective through OPAC actions and is evidence that the Programme is in line with the relevant policy documents and comprises key elements of the national sectoral strategic framework. Lessons from previous programme, Operational Programme Development of Administrative Capacity 2007-2013, the stakeholder views and statistical evidence justifying the challenges have been considered adequately in the design of the Operational Programme Administrative Capacity 2014-2020. The thematic objective and investment priority were selected based upon the identification of the relevant development needs for the reform of the public administration and judiciary.
The programme structure appears complex despite the reduced number of specific objectives from earlier drafts. The specific objectives are formulated in broad terms and translated into a significant number of results. The choice for the broad approach is justified by the wide range of needs and funding priorities included in the Partnership Agreement for the administration and governance challenge. In these conditions prioritization of the actions is worthwhile and, during the implementation of the programme, it would be practical to concentrate the effects of various actions and various beneficiaries through integrated projects.
The Programme makes a direct contribution to the Europe 2020 flagship Digital Agenda for Europe through actions addressing interoperability between elements of the public administration and e- Government. It will make indirect contributions to other flagship initiatives through horizontal actions supporting the public institutions with responsibility for the various relevant policy areas.
The OPAC is by its nature a horizontal programme designed to support improvements to public administration. It will have a role in territorial development, general administrative development for the Integrated Territorial Investment of the Danube Delta. The Partnership Agreement sets the general framework for the coordination of OPs among themselves and with other EU and national programmes. A mechanism for coordination was designed and will be operationalized during the Partnership Agreement implementation.
However, a number of very important challenges remain for the public administration and the judiciary, and for their resolution, the operations financed from the financial year 2014-2020 will play a major role. The Operational Programme Administrative Capacity strategy addresses the main weaknesses identified in public administration and meets the needs and requirements deriving from both relevant European legislation and national legislation.
In this context, OPAC will use the results obtained from 2007-2013 funding through the Operational Program for Administrative Capacity Development and will continue to intervene in improving systems, structures and skills to improve decision-making, human resource management, management efficiency public services and transparency, integrity and ethics in public administration and judiciary in Romania. Evaluation of the monitoring systems was based on a review of the lessons learned from the implementation of the current period coupled with an analysis of the new mechanisms, tools and structures the Managing Authority has developed to address issues of reducing administrative burden. The Managing Authority will be supported in the preparation of an evaluation plan based on the requirements of the Fund and the information needs of the Programme managers.
In order to access these European funds, Romania will ensure, according to the principle of additionality of funds, a co-financing of at least 15% of the national budget, as well as a co-financing of the beneficiaries according to the categories of organizations they come from: public institutions, NGOs or private companies. After complying with all the eligibility rules agreed for these operations, the beneficiaries may request reimbursement of these funds.
For the new implementation period, the Commission has adopted a simplified cost methodology based on historical data to significantly reduce the duration of management checks and the nature of the financial audit for all project spending that favors focusing on project results. In this regard, the European Commission has proposed 3 ways of simplifying costs:
– fixed rates – for indirect costs;
– use of unit costs – reimbursement calculated on the basis of delivered quantities multiplied by a unit cost;
– application of lump sums.
These measures, although seem easy to accomplish, will determine the possibility for potential beneficiaries of ESF-funded projects to carry out very rigorous internal financial management and to set up an analytical accounting system before submitting applications, so that after receiving the grant of the ESF to use the financial resources with economy, efficiency and effectiveness at each transaction level and, in addition, to have actual own resources to be spent in favor of the target group or the community from which it originates.
Operational Programme Administrative Capacity 2014 -2020 is the continuation of the Operational Program Administrative Capacity Development 2007-2013, financed by the European Social Fund under the thematic objective no. 11, and it aims is to strengthen the administrative capacity of public authorities and institutions to support a modern and competitive economy, addressing challenge 5 "Governance and Governance" and Challenge 2 "People and Society" of the Romanian Partnership Agreement.
OPAC consists of three Priority Axes, of which two are operational (covering respectively strengthening the structures, processes and competencies of the public administration and improving the delivery of service of the citizen) and one of technical assistance.
OPAC 2014-2020 addresses all 8 development regions of Romania. Within the Program, the following types of beneficiaries will be eligible for financing: central public authorities and institutions, autonomous administrative authorities, NGOs, social partners, accredited and research higher education institutions, Romanian Academy, local public authorities and institutions at county level and municipalities, local authorities and public institutions benefiting from ITI (Integrated Territorial Investments), institutions in the judiciary. In terms of categories of regions, over 80% of the budget will be spent to improve institutional capacity in less developed regions, while the remaining 20% will be allocated for the Bucharest-Ilfov region.
The POCA strategy addresses the priorities of the Europe 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth (Europe 2020 Strategy). The OPAC will target the horizontal requirements for an efficient, predictable, consistent and transparent public administration and judiciary. As such, it will make indirect contributions to all of the flagship initiatives by strengthening sectoral management and policy making capacity.
In all there are eight national and regional programmes set up under the EU, where Romania has been allocated EUR 30.84 billion from European Structural and Investment Funds over the period 2014-2020. With a national contribution of EUR 5.63 billion, Romania will have a total budget of EUR 36.47 billion to be invested in various areas, from the creation of jobs for projects promoting growth, promoting innovation as well as protecting the environment and supporting social inclusion.
Therefore, the relationship between cohesion policy and the public administration system differs from one Member State to another depending on the degree of compatibility of EU requirements with the specificity of the national administrative-political system. However, what all Member States have in common is the constant concern about strengthening administrative absorption capacity.
Capacity building was a key priority for Romanian administration. The existence of a dedicated operational programme for administrative capacity development in 2007 makes noticeable that the importance of strengthening these capacities is considered as a noteworthy topic in Romania.
The mission of the public administration, through the multitude of state administrative authorities and local communities, is to enforce laws to meet the general and local needs and interests of human communities and to ensure the proper functioning of public services for the benefit of citizens. The development of administrative capacity refers to a set of structural and process changes that allow governments to improve the formulation and implementation of programs in order to achieve greater results.
The revised Lisbon Strategy affirms the need for better legislation as well as better policy-making and delivery to ensure conditions for growth and job creation. Developing administrative capacity can make a direct contribution to achieving these goals.
In the process of implementing cohesion policy, the administrative capacity of an EU Member State is one of the important factors contributing to the success of the policy, as it plays a key role in the absorption of European funds.
In the literature on the implementation of Cohesion Policy, we identify the administrative capacity as defined as "the ability of the public administration to fulfill its tasks effectively and efficiently and sustainably" or " the ability to perform functions, solve problems, establish and achieve fixed objectives."
In European studies, administrative capacity is part of a complex process, called the efficient and effective use of structural funds, which influences absorption capacity, alongside the macroeconomic situation and state co-financing capacity.
The concept of "administrative absorption capacity" is used in the implementation of cohesion policy to designate all the attributions granted by law to central, regional and local authorities that make up the system of management and control of European funds, rights and obligations to lead to carry out, in their own name and in the achievement of public power, in a certain period of time, a series of activities aimed at efficiently and effectively managing the funds allocated by the EU to a beneficiary State in order to meet needs in the general interest , for which the state does not have the necessary funds.
In the process of efficient and effective use of structural funds, administrative capacity is part of a complex system, alongside the macroeconomic situation and state co-financing capacity that influences absorption capacity. As a result, the success of cohesion policy lies in achieving the proposed objectives, not in fully spending the allocated amounts.
In this respect, the efficient functioning of the public administration system is of great importance, as the way in which the public administration authorities carry out the delegated activities leads to the achievement of the objective of economic, social and territorial cohesion within the European Union.
The quality of public services is one of the main components of the socio-economic development and prosperity of the population, which leads to the increase of the public trust in the Romanian public administration. The development of administrative capacity and support for the modernization efforts of the Romanian public administration was one of the PNR priorities that were supported through the Operational Program Administrative Capacity.
The administrative capacity to manage and use the funds and programs and projects co-financed by the European Union is considered a key factor contributing to the success of the Union's cohesion policy.
European Commission officials review operational programs submitted by Member States from an administrative point of view and assess them to determine whether they are in line with the objectives and priorities of the Partnership Agreements and the EU Strategic Guidelines. If the Commission considers that the program submitted by a Member State is incompatible, the Commission has the power to "invite" the State to revise the operational program, which can only be exercised once and subsequently with the adoption of the revised program. Under these circumstances, the relationship between bureaucracy in Brussels and national public authorities is characterized by interaction, negotiation, interdependence and coordination, which underpin the theory of multilevel governance.
In order to encourage and increase the use of financial instruments under the Cohesion Policy during the 2014-2020 programming period, the new legal and policy framework:
– provide greater flexibility to the EU Member States and regions with regard to the target sectors and implementation structures;
– provide a stable implementation framework based on a clear and detailed set of rules based on the existing guidelines and experiences;
– captures synergies between financial instruments and other forms of support, such as grants;
– ensures compatibility with the financial instruments established and implemented at EU level under direct management rules.
In the 2014-2020 programming period, European legislation limits the possibility for Member States to designate bodies with a management authority, certification authority and paying authority as bodies outside the public administration system, with the only exception being for intermediary bodies. At the same time, the partnership contract is introduced with a view to regulating the Commission's relationship with the Member States. In the case of the operational program, it is drawn up by the State and is mandatory to be implemented following approval by the Commission, so there is a relationship of subordination rather than collaboration. Instead, through the partnership contract, we can identify a collaborative relationship in which the Member State becomes a real partner rather than just an intermediary, which implies shared responsibility.
However, the Commission's position vis-à-vis the Member State is dominant, as it has the right to evaluate the Partnership Contract and the operational programs drawn up on the basis of it, and if it finds that one of the contractual conditions is not fulfilled, it has the power to suspend payments for that program.
Under these circumstances, cohesion policy appears to be a solidarity policy by which EU budget funds are redistributed to Member States according to the development needs and peculiarities of local authorities at the regional level, with a view to reducing economic development disparities and social. However, cohesion policy is, at the same time, the only solution identified by representatives of the European Community to correct the economic and social imbalances generated in the European construction process.
In order to be able to provide greater European added value, structural programs need to focus their contributions on EU priorities and ensure coordination with other EU policies and financial instruments. The Europe 2020 strategy provides a clear set of common objectives, including key targets and flagship initiatives, as a clear framework for identifying funding priorities.
Effective and efficient management of structural instruments requires adequate, effective and transparent systems involving all the administrations concerned. At the same time, the implementation system should be as simple and fluid as possible to ensure effective implementation and reduction of administrative burden for beneficiaries.
The three categories of regions are:
• less developed regions with a wealth level per head of less than 75 per cent of the EU mean,
• more developed regions with a level above 90 per cent of the EU mean,
• transition regions, is composed both of regions that have moved out of the lowest category and of regions that have fallen from the highest category and the wealth level per head is between 75 – 90 per cent of the EU mean.
A possible definition of Absorption capacity represents the extent to which a country is capable of effectively and efficiently spending its Structural Funds allocation, and is expressed in percentage of the total allocation.
Generally, the EU funds absorption rate is related to three main factors :
– macroeconomic capacity: the current Cohesion policy rules limit the transfer of EU funds to a maximum of 3.8% of the respective country's gross domestic product (GDP);
– financial capacity: the ability to co-finance the programs and projects supported by the EU;
– administrative capacity: the ability of central and local authorities to manage the EU programs and projects.
The absorption capacity depends on the administrative and institutional capacity, namely on the existence of institutional structures capable of drafting and implementing the projects, as well as on the capacity for coordination and correlation between the involved institutions. The experience of performing states confirms that absorption capacity is closely linked to administrative and institutional capacity.
The importance of administrative absorption capacity in the management of structural funds is based on the idea that "the implementation process of operational programs at national level is very complex, requiring the existence of high performance public administration authorities.”
The current absorption rate is the ratio between the value of all statements of expenditure sent to the European Commission so far (including both the EC already repaid and those under analysis at the Commission) and the total EU allocation for the programming period.
The actual absorption rate is the ratio between the amount of the amounts actually reimbursed by the EC to Romania and the total EU allocation related to the operational programs.
The rate of European Commission (EC) cash amounts is the ratio of the total amount of the EC reimbursements as well as the EC advance payment for the 2014-2020 programming period and the total EU allocation for operational programs.
According to statistical data, on February 02, 2018, the state of absorption of European funds was so :
• OP Regional – 0,37%
• OP large infrastructure – 9,11%
• OP Competitiveness – 5,83%
• National Rural Development Program– 24,50%
• OP Administrative Capacity – 3,74%
• OP Human Capital – 0,00%
• OP Technical Assistance – 20,96%
• Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Program – 5,81%
The actual absorption rate, ie the amounts reimbursed by the European Commission is 10.07% from the European Structural and Investment Funds.
Efficient and effective management of ESI funds over the period 2014-2020 is expected to be a major administrative challenge, with increased demands on administrative capacity compared to the 2007-2013 period. Member States have the possibility to introduce simplification measures for the 2014-2020 period and studies indicate a commitment of management authorities towards improving administrative capacity, the most common features being: measures to reduce administrative burden for beneficiaries by harmonizing rules in priorities and themes, streamlining processes and procedures, reducing reporting requirements and improving data management (including through e-Cohesion).
In recent years, the topic of administrative simplification has been one of the preferred topics of discussion, with the new cohesion policy 2014-2020 focusing on the development of instruments to reduce discrepancies between Member States, especially management and impact.
The Commission has begun to place more and more emphasis on the absorption capacity and administrative capacity of Member States to manage projects with non-repayable funding. Starting in 2014, increased attention is being paid to it by increasing funding for technical assistance programs. At the same time, the new regulations will allow the Commission to intervene through different methods at national level in cases of force majeure and mismanagement of funds.
There are currently major differences between the capacities of certain states, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, in terms of managing these funds. A generalized hypothesis argues, however, that in order to function, this capacity must be correlated with the principles of "good governance". Thus, the more efficient, responsible and transparent the state, its performance in fund management is increasing. The issue of absorption capacity will be crucial to the efficiency of the use of funds.
Due to the significant volume it represents, relative to a country's gross domestic product, the structural funds nowadays have an increasingly political dimension. Often policy interference has affected the stability of the fund management system. However, the administrative capacity of a country can not function without political responsibility on the part of the governors.
CAP 3
Public administration represents the backbone of any political system. Involved at all stages of the policy-making process, it also plays a significant role of an interface between citizens and the political system. Furthermore, in the context of European Union, the national public administrations acquire an increasing relevance, with a high role, as they become key players in the mechanism of European policy-making.
With the integration of Romania into the European Union, the process of transformation from the public administration had new dimensions. Public administration reform has involved substantial substance changes in its major components, both at central government level, as well as from local government and public services in general. On the other hand, the development of democracy calls for the establishment of a new relationship between citizens and administration, the growth and strengthening of the role of the authorities, and the reconsideration of the partnership with civil society and local elected representatives
Public administration in Romania and the administrative capacity of the central and local government has undergone a significant progress since 2007. The development of the administrative capacity deals with a set of structural and process changes that allow governments to improve the formulation and implementation of policies in order to achieve enhanced results. Identifying, developing and using management tools for a proper implementation of an operational programme dedicated to consolidate a performing public administration it was a challenging task, taking into account the types of interventions within Operational Programme Administrative Capacity Development 2007 – 2013 and further in the Operational Programme Administrative Capacity 2014 – 2020.
The public administration reform in Romania was lunched and developed in a strong connection with the country’s process of accession to the European Union. Consequently, it was designed to fulfill the European rules and standards and to enable Romania system to face the challenges of being an EU Member State.
In the process of implementing cohesion policy, the administrative capacity of a Member State of the European Union is one of the important factors contributing to the success of the policy, as it plays a key role in the absorption of European funds.
3.1.
The process of Europeanizing Romania is advanced and has had positive and visible results such as the growth in GDP per capita, the presence of multinational corporations, significant progress in infrastructure, and the development of public administration. In all fairness, even if there are shortcomings and aspects that require improvement, significant progress has been made on varying fronts. This Europeanization process, as analyzed in the previous chapters, has had a significant impact on the public administration of Romania. The legal framework is in place along with the Commissions’ monitoring reports verifying the progress of the nation and the adoption of the European public administrative space.
Public administration represents the backbone of any political system. Involved in all stages of the policy-making process, it also plays a major role of an interface between citizens and the political system. It’s role goes, beyond that of a pure bureaucracy, into that of an efficient catalyst for the process of transferring political measures towards society. Also, in he context of the European Union, the national public administrations aquire an increasing relevance, as they become key players in the European policy-making mechanism.
The public administration in Romania, both at central and local level, has undergone major transformations since 1989, culminating in the accession to the European Union in 2007, a process that led to the connection of the public administration to the European governance mechanisms and to the correlation with other administrations in EU Member States. In order to adapt and, implicitly, to respond as effectively as possible to the needs of the current socio-economic context in which Romania is located, the public administration must focus the essence of its classic mission, law enforcement and public service provision, towards a modern and innovative approach, focused on facilitating the socio-economic development of the country through public services, investment and quality regulations.
In this regard, coherent decision-making processes, competent and well-managed human resources, efficient and transparent management of public spending, adequate institutional-administrative structure, clear, simple and predictable operating procedures, as well as organizational attitude and culture promoting public interest.
Despite positive developments, it still presents a number of substantial deficiencies, mainly in terms of efficiency, effectiveness and image, caused by structural factors such as:
• excessive politicization, which is a hindrance to good governance;
• political and organizational culture that regards the state as a promoter of economic development capable of contributing to the well-being of its citizens who cease to be regarded as mere contributors;
• the lack of a strategic vision of Romania's future in the long run;
• insufficient trust in the administration among citizens, officials, officials and policy-makers, generating resilience to change, focusing decision-making on as high a level as possible, especially politically;
• insufficient involvement of the partners from the academic, business or civil society, and even of the associative structures of the administrative-territorial units in the definition of strategic visions or in the actual consultation in the decision-making process.
Over the past few years, Romania has been facing a great challenge as it has to enhance its public management for achieving the European standards and values of transparency, predictability, accountability, adaptability and efficiency. The necessity of a modern administration at European standards exists both at the level of the citizen, and at the level of institutions delivering public services. Within the process of changing the public administration, administrative simplification is fundamental for the modernization and reform of the administration. Complicated procedures, long and sinuous circuits of documents, delayed deadlines to solution an action and the multitude of required forms are certainly decreasing productivity. Bureaucracy and resulting complications are remediable deficiencies when the manner to approach administrative actions changes. This translates into new working methods, thus simplifying administrative procedures. Today, the trend in building a sound public management service is to have a more direct approach toward the matter, relying on a fairly new perspective: the expertise of the private sector. This new angle is standing as a response to the continuously changing public arena, the barometer of the country evolution socially economically and politically. Romania has understood that values of the public service lie in the human resources and the investment that are to be made to insure a high quality of this precious asset are actually money well spent for insuring an efficient and European public system. The Romanian Government is bringing in the public arena tomorrow’s leaders by putting on the spot young Romanian nationals offering them the possibility to pursue undergraduate, graduate and doctoral studies at prestigious international universities, in a wide range of fields from public administration, public health policy to business administration. This undergoing is a valuable investment in the future of the pubic management and its sustainable development in Romania.
Public administration, even if it is not directly related to the Europe 2020 targets , plays a key role in coordinating, regulating, promoting and implementing policies and actions that create the framework for their achievement. In this context, there needs to be an efficient, coherent, stable and predictable public administration capable of making decision-making (public policies and regulations) in a substantive, realistic and coordinated way, the implementation of adopted measures, the monitoring and evaluation system, thus so that deviations can be quickly identified and corrective measures taken in a timely manner.
Due to the fact that the main objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy involve harmonization and joint efforts from central and local levels, in line with the principle of subsidiarity, it is necessary to address the issues of administrative capacity in an integrated manner.
The development of the public administration reform strategy was an ample modernization process and aimed at an objective assessment of four important issues, namely:
• the analysis of the specific missions of the administration and how they are carried out, allowing general reflections on the place and role of public administration in the current political, economic and social system;
• analysis of the existing organizational framework of the public administration;
• analysis of the social effectiveness of the specific activity of the public administration, and
• analyzing the level of democratization of public administration.
Public administration reform focuses on pursuing the objectives set out in the Strategy on Strengthening Public Administration 2014-2020. The interventions on financing the reform measures comprised in the strategy, supported by European funds, play a particularly important role in creating a modern public administration, capable of facilitating the socio-economic development of the country. Thus, the public administration is a determining factor in coordinating, regulating, promoting and implementing policies and actions that create the framework for achieving the Europe 2020 Strategy targets. To strengthen the administrative capacity and the autonomy of the local public administration authorities, as well as to improve the public institutions capacity to formulate and implement policies in a strategic and coordinated manner, the decentralization process will be continued.
In the context of the economic-financial crisis in recent years and the reduction of public expenditures, the financial allocations focused mainly on the performance of the basic functions of the public administration. The Government of Romania has appealed for support from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Commission, including in analyzing and strengthening the capacity of public administration, particularly at central level, in order to identify the main weaknesses as well as the solutions for reducing or eliminating them. The analyzes resulted in Action Plans assumed by the Government of Romania and in various stages of implementation by the concerned institutions.
The Operational Programme Administrative Capacity Development (OPACD) was designed to substantially contribute to the implementation of the methodologies and procedures that have been prepared under the PAR process to date and to invest significantly in the training of personnel who hold responsibility for the new administrative methods.
The Strategy for Strengthening Public Administration Capacity was elaborated in the context of the programming process for European funds for the period 2014-2020 and is an integrated document that addresses to the follow key elements:
• Continuing the decentralization process
• Prioritizing Government policies and strategic planning
• Ensuring free access to information of public interest and increasing transparency in the decision-making process
• Establishing an unitary legal framework for the central and local administration
• Better regulation
• Increasing the absorption capacity of the European funds
• Improvement of e-government solutions
• Continuing the reform of the public procurement system
• Reducing and preventing corruption at all levels of the administration.
The strategy is accompanied by an action plan that includes both short-term goals that target the 2016 time horizon, a timeframe until which Romania will have to fully meet the conditionality of the public administration, as well as long-term strategic objectives that will target time horizon 2020, term correlated with the implementation of the Administrative Capacity Operational Program.
Better Regulation policies are one of the components of the process of modernizing public administration. The quality, frequency and profile of the regulation indicates the level of performance of public administration and its capacity to initiate, substantiate and implement public policies. Initiatives that form part of this policy are aimed at providing the premises for sustainable socio-economic development. Better regulation policies are a condition of good governance in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, but also of the level of democratization.
Better regulation also includes identifying measures to improve the values of these indicators, namely to improve the position occupied in the ranking and, implicitly, to increase the attractiveness of the business environment for investments, with direct implications for the level of socio- that State.
The main themes of Better Regulation policies are:
• Improving the regulatory framework – refers to measures aimed at improving
public policy implementation tools (normative acts, procedures, etc.);
• the quality of regulations – carrying out impact analyzes in order to substantiate public policies / normative acts;
• Improving stakeholder consultation process in setting up the content of different public policy initiatives;
• administrative capacity – improving the training of civil servants and those involved in drafting regulations and impact assessments.
In defining the strategic objectives for 2014-2020 it was necessary to adopt by Government decision, in addition to the Strategy for Strengthening the Capacity of Public Administration and the Better Regulation Strategy 2014-2020.
In identifying future action directions for Better Strategy Regulation 2014-2020 also took into account the results of about 10 years of reform in the field of public policy formulation. The measures proposed during this period had implications for the Romanian administration, as part of a process of democratization, together with the effort to increase its performance.
In this strategy, the term "regulatory" broadly designates both the process of elaboration, monitoring and implementation, as well as the documents drawn up after its implementation and adopted at the level of the Government, the content of which is binding. These include both the obligations established by a legislative act and those resulting from public policy documents (strategies and public policy proposals).
At the same time, the basis of the strategy was the “burden hunter methodology” consists of a wide variety of methods that involves businesses in the creation of smart regulation. Burden hunting is an integral part of the Danish better regulation effort. It is a mindset:as well as a method: Always keep the end users in mind, and involve them systematically in the legislative process.
Burden hunters focus on innovative methods and aim at reducing the costs for businesses in complying with regulation. You can hunt burdens in many ways. The methods include: interviews with businesses and observation of their administrative processes, mapping of user journeys, service design and user-centered innovation. The burden hunter methods allow the authorities to focus on simplifying the regulation that businesses perceive as the most costly and burdensome.
These targets are interrelated and critical to our overall success. To ensure that each Member State tailors the Europe 2020 strategy to its particular situation, the Commission proposes that EU goals are translated into national targets and trajectories. Integrated guidelines will be adopted at EU level to cover the scope of EU priorities and targets. Country-specific recommendations will be addressed to Member States. Policy warnings could be issued in case of inadequate response. Finally, Europe 2020 identifies seven flagship initiatives to boost innovation and growth and to catalyze progress under each priority theme:
• “Innovation Union” to improve framework conditions and access to finance for research and innovation so as to ensure that innovative ideas can be turned into products and services that create growth and jobs.
• “Youth on the move” to enhance the performance of education systems and to facilitate the entry of young people to the labour market.
• “A digital agenda for Europe” to speed up the roll-out of high-speed internet and reap the benefits of a digital single market for households and firms.
• “Resource efficient Europe” to help decouple economic growth from the use of resources, support the shift towards a low carbon economy, increase the use of renewable energy sources, modernise our transport sector and promote energy efficiency.
• “An industrial policy for the globalisation era” to improve the business environment, notably for SMEs, and to support the development of a strong and sustainable industrial base able to compete globally.
• “An agenda for new skills and jobs” to modernise labour markets and empower people by developing their of skills throughout the lifecycle with a view to increase labour participation and better match labour supply and demand, including through labour mobility.
• “European platform against poverty” to ensure social and territorial cohesion such that the benefits of growth and jobs are widely shared and people experiencing poverty and social exclusion are enabled to live in dignity and take an active part in society.
The European Economic and Social Committee endorses the priorities set out in the European Commission’s 2017 Annual Growth Survey, the primacy given to fostering job creation and growth, through the three pillars of the AGS: pursuing structural reforms, ensuring responsible fiscal policies, and boosting investment. This annual survey provides a suitable basis for launching the European Semester process and, subsequently, drafting the “country-specific recommendations”.