State Target Program for Training, Refresher Training and In-Service Training of Experts in the Field of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration: Commentary by IRF European Program Expert

On November 5, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the 2008-2011 State Target Program for Training, Refresher Training and In-Service Training of Experts in the Field of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration.

Below is an assessment of the government’s Program by Dmytro Shulga, Senior Manager at the International Renaissance Foundation

Appropriateness of government financing of training for European integration experts

There needs to be a government program for training experts on European and Euro-Atlantic integration and its approval by the Cabinet was a long-awaited event. The first such program was approved by President Kuchma and ended in 2007. The preparation of the new program took a long time, but it has finally been approved. This is positive news because the lack of experts on European and Euro-Atlantic integration in government bodies remains a problem. 

Allocating financing for this program from the state budget is absolutely appropriate. If the government takes Ukraine’s European integration seriously then it should allocate money for this: Ukraine, not the EU or NATO, needs membership in the EU and NATO and respective domestic reforms. A significant drawback that complicated the implementation of the previous state program for training experts was the lack of financing from the state budget.

Involvement by civil society experts: independent assessment of the previous program and participation in the development of the 2008-2011 program

It should be noted that among the important European integration programs supported by the International Renaissance Foundation’s European Program was the Polish-Ukrainian Cooperation Foundation’s (PAUCI) (http://www.pauci.org/ua) independent public assessment of the implementation of the 2004-2007 state program for training, refresher training and in-service training of experts in the field of European and Euro-Atlantic integration.

In addition, experts from the IRF European Program and PAUCI took part in the preparation of the new program for 2008-2011.

How not to repeat the previous program’s negative experience

It’s worth noting that the program’s approval is only the first step. The main issue now is how to implement this program in practice. This depends on several organizational issues, so as not to repeat the unsuccessful experience of the previous training program.

For example, the previous program used the approach of teaching basic issues about the EU and NATO. The approach in the new program is different – to train experts on standards that Ukraine should adopt depending on the needs in each sphere. The actual program doesn’t and can’t define exactly what each of the 113,000 civil servants will be taught. Therefore, the most important step should be to develop a technique for determining training requirements so that every government body can indicate for whom, on what issues, and to what extent training is needed. The new program calls for the development of a technique for determining training needs because one does not currently exist.

Another priority issue to be addressed is who will be training such a large number of experts on such a wide range of specific topics. 

According to the previous program, civil servants were to be trained at institutions of higher education. However, it would be much more effective if in addition to universities, training services were provided by commercial training companies and civic organizations, and included international trainers, because there are simply no trainers in Ukraine on many highly specialized aspects of European integration. There currently exists definite legislative barriers to this – therefore, there need to be urgent legislative changes, otherwise the situation will not change for the better.  

There is also the issue of increasing the motivation of those experts who complete the training. So far, as a rule, there remains a rather formalized attitude among government bodies to trainings of any kind. Therefore, one of the priority tasks envisaged in the new program is to determine the qualification requirements related to European integration that officials in various posts need. But in general, this is part of the broader issue of civil service reform in Ukraine. 

The approved government program isn’t a guarantee of Ukraine’s entry into the EU and NATO

In the end, we shouldn’t be deceived into hoping that the civil servants trained through this program will guarantee Ukraine’s membership in the EU and NATO. Yes, civil servants who are familiar and trained to work according to European standards will help bring us closer to membership in these organizations, but we shouldn’t transfer responsibility to them because they are simply the executors. Politicians are the ones mainly responsible for implementing the state course – because they are the ones who set tasks for civil servants and are responsible for the domestic policy situation in the country, which, so far, does not promote progress in our path to the EU and NATO.

To sum up, the government’s approval of the 2008-2011 State Target Program for Training, Refresher Training and In-Service Training of Experts in the Field of European and Euro-Atlantic Integration needs to be assessed positively, but with the understanding of all challenges standing in the way of the program’s effective implementation.

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The International Renaissance Foundation’s European Program aims to improve the quality and effectiveness of state policy on Ukraine’s European and Euro-Atlantic integration and the formulation of social inquiry for Ukraine’s Europeanization by initiating and providing financial, expert and organization support to civic initiatives aimed at transforming Ukraine into a true European state. Since it was launched four years ago, the Program has provided more than $2.5 million in support to over 200 projects by civic organizations in the field of European integration. Program website:  www.irf.kiev.ua/ua/programs/eui/eu

			Daryna Nakonechna, European Program Project Coordinator tel: +380 (44) 461 9500 | fax: +380 (44) 486 0166 email: nakonechna@irf.kiev.ua office: Kyiv, Bekhterevsky Lane, 13-a, room 5