From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
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'Geographical Balance in the EU Institutions: Ireland’s Perspective'
Presidency
Commissioner Hahn
Commissioner Ferreira
Colleagues
I am pleased to join you for this important meeting of Public Administration Ministers which is very timely.
I regret that Government business has prevented me from joining you in Lisbon today. Instead I send you good wishes from Dublin and look forward to meeting colleagues as soon as circumstances permit. In particular, I look forward to travelling to Brussels in the autumn when I hope I will be able to meet Commissioners Hahn and Ferreira in person.
I would like to congratulate the Presidency on organising this Ministerial meeting. It is seven years since Ministers have met in this formation but I think it is important that we do so; we have many important issues to discuss and experiences to share. I hope it is not so long before we meet again.
And I was particularly pleased to receive your invitation to join with my Danish colleague, Nicolai Wammen, in this session on ‘Investing in People and Developing Management’.
Ireland, like Denmark, is in its fifth decade of membership of the European Union, something that has played an immense role in our social, economic and political development.
During that period we have also benefitted from the solidarity that comes with EU membership. That has been particularly evident over the last eighteen months as we have come to grips with the twin challenges presented by the global pandemic and the UK’s departure from the EU. Supports from the EU are real evidence of that solidarity, and I am pleased that agreement has now been reached on the Brexit Adjustment Reserve. I would like to congratulate the Presidency and also the Commissioners on their work in bringing this important proposal to fruition.
Irish membership of the European Union has been characterised by a very significant contribution by Irish people, at all levels, to the work of its institutions. As we approach our fiftieth anniversary of EU membership, it is important that that continues.
This is why our Programme for Government includes a commitment to developing a new strategy to increase the presence of Irish people in the ranks of the institutions. I regard this as a priority.
Last month the Irish Government approved this new strategy – A Career for EU. This marks a step change in the way the Irish Government is approaching this issue. It is the first time we have had such a Strategy and reflects our concern about the footprint of Irish officials in the Institutions.
The Strategy contains a number of important elements that are concrete and ambitious, but I would like to highlight a new departure, which is the creation within the Irish Civil Service of a special stream for EU specialists who will be supported in applying for posts in the Institutions.
The Strategy is backed by financial resources, reflecting the importance we attach to it.
But why is this important? Why is it a priority?
Because like all Member States, it is important that we see ourselves in the EU Institutions – Institutions which serve all EU citizens.
President, the Conclusions of this Meeting recognise the importance of the principle of geographical balance in the recruitment policies of the Institutions and the critical need to take appropriate measures and to promote best practices with a view to addressing existing shortfalls.
In Ireland we face a demographic cliff where the number of our officials in the Institutions will reduce significantly, as those who joined following our accession in 1973 retire and are not being replaced in the same numbers.
Without corrective measures we face being underrepresented for over 60 years – not just for one generation, but for two.
This is a structural problem. It may affect all Member States over time. It requires structural solutions.
Central to maintaining an appropriate balance must be setting targets for recruiting staff from significantly underrepresented Member States.
I recognise that is a sensitive issue. We all agree that recruitment to the Institutions should be based on merit and that no posts can be reserved for the nationals of any one Member State.
But as the Commission recognised in its 2018 report on the subject, a balanced geographical representation among staff is necessary for it to meet one of its fundamental goals – to be close to EU citizens and to reflect the diversity of Member States – and I know the Commission and the other institutions see this as a priority.
Important work has already been undertaken by the Commission and by EPSO and I would like to acknowledge that.
I also look forward to the Commission’s forthcoming HR Strategy and what it will mean for geographic balance
A key corrective measure Ireland is seeking is nationality-based competitions.
I believe this can be done in the short term while fully respecting the principles of transparency and merit-based recruitment. It is necessary to address the severity of the situation in which Ireland and other Member States find ourselves, and to ensure that imbalances are corrected in a timely manner.
As with our national EU Jobs Strategy, there are other steps that can be taken as well, and I look forward to the Commission including specific proposals in its Strategy.
President, this meeting is timely because these are issues we need to address now. Without appropriate measures we will find it difficult to correct geographic imbalance in the short, medium and long term and this we should not allow. Time is critical.
I look forward to working with you – Member States and Institutions – on developing these measures. We now have a unique opportunity to do so.
Thank you.
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