5. A modern State and Public Administration
5.1. Public administration
The authorities intend to modernise and significantly strengthen the Greek administration, and to put in place a programme, in close collaboration with the European Commission, for capacity-building and de-politicizing the Greek administration.
As prior action, the authorities will agree with the Institutions and approve legislation on depoliticisation of Secretaries General{a main pre-lection SYRIZA promise}.
Further actions include:
i. Selection of managers. By May 2016, all secondary legislation needed for implementation of the legislation on selection of managers will be issued. From [May] 2016, job descriptions will be required for the process of selection of managers. The authorities will finalise the appointments of Directors General by September 2016; of Directors by January 2017, and of Heads of Division by June 2017.
ii. Performance assessment. By June 2016, the authorities will issue all secondary legislation required to implement the reformed performance assessment scheme (key deliverable). The first assessment exercise will be performed by [June] 2017.
iii. Wage grids and curricula. By June 2016, the authorities will complete the first phase of the rationalisation of the specialised wage grids, which will include reducing their number, and reforming them following the same methodology used for the unified wage grid, with effect in 2017 (key deliverable). The authorities will also review the allowances and non-wage benefits of all employees covered by specialised wage grid, following the same methodology used for the unified wage grid, by September 2016. Allowances for dangerous and hazardous work will be aligned with the corresponding European legislation by June 2016.
iv. Curricula. By 2018 the current 'klados' system will be reformed to have a better articulation of job descriptions that will be reflected in the wage grid.
v. Staff mobility. By June 2016, the authorities will: introduce a new permanent mobility scheme (key deliverable), which will promote the use of job description and will be linked with an online database that will include all current vacancies. The new system will be implemented from January 1st 2017. Final decision on employee mobility will be taken by the receiving service with a vacant position, without involvement of the political level, and according to pre-defined rules to limit disruption in the departing service. This will rationalize the allocation of resources as well as the staffing across the General Government.
vi. Wage bill. The MTFS 2016-19 will establish ceilings for the wage bill and the level of public employment consistent with achieving the fiscal targets and ensuring a declining path of the wage bill relative to GDP during the period, inter alia through the use of the attrition rule (the wages of the EU appointed representatives are not included}. The attrition rule will be extended up to 2018 (as defined in section 2.1) and subject to annual revision in the context of the MTFS exercise, for the years following the next (t+2).
vii. Three-year strategy for reform. By June 2016, building on already approved legislation, the authorities will finalise and adopt a three-year strategy for reform, in agreement with the Commission and making the best use of technical assistance provided by the SRSS. The main elements of this strategy will be: the reorganisation of administrative structures; rationalisation of administrative processes; optimisation of human resources; strengthening transparency and accountability; e-government; and a communication strategy. It shall provide for (a) stronger coordination of policies, HR planning to timely asses and fulfil the hiring needs; strengthening of policy units in key sectors; (b) a substantial upgrade of the role of local government at both tiers with a view to reinforcing local autonomy and rationalising the administrative structures of local authorities; (c) rationalisation of SOEs and locally-owned enterprises; (d) modernization of recruitment procedures; (d) improved mobility in the public sector to promote better use of resources; (e) strengthen the existing Secretariat General for Coordination, to ensure effective planning and coordination of governmental work, of legislative initiatives, of monitoring of implementation of reforms, and of arbitrage functions on all policies.
viii. Illegal hires. The authorities will continue to identify illegal hires and temporary injunctions, as well as disciplinary cases, and take appropriate enforcement action.
ix. Internal audit. The authorities will implement a system of internal control and internal audit.
x. Access to law. The authorities will engage, with the help of technical assistance, in a programme to improve access to law by the citizen. This includes a long term plan of codification of the main legislations which will be proposed by June 2016 and fully implemented by June 2018. The programme also includes the creation of an electronic portal giving access to legislation, both in the form published in the Gazette (FEK form){at long last!} and in the consolidated version of the various provisions by December 2016.
5.1. Public administration
The authorities intend to modernise and significantly strengthen the Greek administration, and to put in place a programme, in close collaboration with the European Commission, for capacity-building and de-politicizing the Greek administration.
To this extent, building on the letter sent on July 20th by the authorities to the European Commission, a comprehensive three-year strategy for reform will be defined by December 2015 (key deliverable) in agreement with the European Commission, and making the best use of all available technical assistance. The main elements of this strategy will be the reorganisation of administrative structures; rationalisation of administrative processes; optimisation of human resources; strengthening transparency and accountability; egovernment; and a communication strategy. Key deliverables will be stronger coordination of policies, better recruitment processes for managers, HR planning to timely assess and fulfil the hiring needs; a fiscally-neutral reform of the wage grid, a modern performance assessment system; strengthening of policy units in key sectors; a substantial upgrade of the role of local government at both tiers with a view to reinforcing local autonomy and rationalising the administrative structures of local authorities; rationalisation of SOEs and locally-owned enterprises; and modernization of recruitment procedures; improved mobility in the public sector to promote better use of resources.
As prior actions, the authorities will align non-wage benefits such as per diems, travel allowances and perks, with best practices in the EU, effective 1 January 2016. By September 2015, the authorities will adopt through legislation the restructuring plan for 'OASA - Transport for Athens' agreed with the institutions (key deliverable).
By October 2015, the authorities will reform the unified wage grid, effective 1 January 2016, setting the key parameters in a fiscally neutral manner and consistent with the agreed wage bill targets and with comprehensive application across the public sector, including decompressing the wage distribution across the wage spectrum in connection with the skill, performance, responsibility and position of staff (key deliverable); and align leave arrangements with best practices in the EU. By 2018 the current “klados” system will be reformed to have a better articulation of job descriptions that will be reflected in the wage grid. The authorities will adopt legislation by November 2015 to issue all secondary legislation to implement the wage grid reform and by June 2016 to rationalise the specialised wage grids with effect in 2017.
Drawing on international expert advice coordinated by the European Commission, the authorities will: i) by (October 2015), review and start implementation of legislation for selecting managers (key deliverable). The selection of new managers will be completed by the end of 2016, with Directors General to be selected by December 2015 and Directors by May 2016. The reform will base recruitment of managers on merit and competence, delinking technical implementation from political decision, and will also modify the statutes of Secretaries General and other top-tier levels in public entities, including SOEs, in order to provide for de-politicization and better institutional memory, while ensuring effectiveness and appropriate delegation of powers; ii) by November 2015, legislate the new framework for assessing performance of all employees, to build a results-oriented culture.
By October 2015, the authorities will establish, within the new MTFS, ceilings for the wage bill and the level of public employment consistent with achieving the fiscal targets and ensuring a declining path of the wage bill relative to GDP during the period 2016-2019 (key deliverable). To this end, the authorities commit to continue the attrition rule in 2016 while the ratio for the years 2017-2019 will be set in the MTFS adopted in October 2015. For following exercises, the attrition rule will be subject to annual revision in the context of the MTFS exercise, for the years following the next (t+2).
By November 2015, the existing Secretariat General for Coordination will be strengthened to ensure effective planning and coordination of governmental work, of legislative initiatives, of monitoring of implementation of reforms, and of arbitrage functions on all policies.
By December 2015, the authorities will introduce a new permanent mobility scheme. The scheme will promote the use of job description and will be linked with an online database that will include all current vacancies. Final decision on employee mobility will be taken by each service concerned. This will rationalize the allocation of resources as well as the staffing across the General Government.
The authorities will continue to identify illegal hires and temporary injunctions, as well as disciplinary cases, and take appropriate enforcement action.
The authorities will engage, with the help of technical assistance, in a programme to improve access to law by the citizen. This includes a long term plan of codification of the main legislations which will be proposed by March 2016 and fully implemented by June 2018. The programme also includes the creation of an electronic portal giving access to legislation, both in the form published in the Gazette (FEK form) and in the consolidated version of the various provisions by December 2016.