Press release

Portugal will host public administration managers from France, Spain, Belgium and Slovenia, in the first half of 2022, through the European Leadership Exchange Program, proposed under the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The program designed received contributions from the various Member States of the European Union, the European Commission, the European Public Administration Network (EUPAN), the CIO Network, the Network of Directors of Institutes and Schools of Public Administration (DISPA) and was presented at the Informal Meeting of Ministers of Public Administration, which took place today in Lisbon, for the first time in seven years.

The pilot project, which will take place in Portugal next year, aims to test and evaluate the functionality of the European Leadership Exchange Program, as well as identify and implement the necessary improvements before its expansion.

The program will place Public Administration middle managers from Member States and/or from European Institutions in different contexts of collaboration, promoting the sharing of knowledge and learning experiences. It is intended that there is an effective exchange of good practices in policies, programs, management instruments and public services, hoping that the participants will then be able to import the learning into their services.

During the meeting, in which the countries adopted conclusions for a “close, innovative, participative, open and transparent Public Administration”, the digital transformation in Public Administration, framed by the values of European societies, was also addressed. Within the framework of this debate, Portugal made available a Guide of Principles for an approach to Human Rights in Public Services, having as guidelines the universal declaration of human rights and European social and fundamental rights.

 

Member States were also offered a toolbox to support leaders and public workers in adopting remote work. Guides for team leadership in digital environments were made available in English, French and Portuguese; for experimentation and collaboration in the context of remote work and for health and safety in Public Administration.