The Ukrainian Center for EU Civil Service Standards (known from its establishment in April 2004 until June 2008 as the Center for Support of Civil Service Institutional Development) was established under the Civil Service of Ukraine by Cabinet of Ukraine Decree #485 of 14 April 2004 to ensure information, analysis and expert organizational support for the development of public administration, strengthening the institutional capacity of the civil service in Ukraine and its adaptation to the standards of the European Union. It aims to contribution to the development of public institutions through improvement of their structure and the professional skills of their staffs and to implement principles and procedures of public policy to exercise the rights and freedoms of Ukrainian citizens.
Major activities include the introduction of new legislation in the sphere of public service, review of the central bodies of executive power, implementation of quality-management systems into the work of public bodies, improvement of staff capacity and human resources services of public bodies and publishing periodic analyses to spread new ideas and best practices in the sphere of public service and administrative reform:
Preparation of proposals on public policy-making and elaboration of strategic initiatives directed at increasing effectiveness and efficiency of public-institutions performance
Involvement of stakeholders in public-policy proposals
Organizational changes aimed at the improvement of civil-service quality and decrease in expenditure for providing services
Informing the community of public service, administrative reform and institutional development in the context of European integration
Organization of staff training on policy analysis, strategic planning and change management
Making studies and proposals on public policy in administrative reform and public service
Campaigns on public policy
Organizing the issue of informational and professional publications
Elaboration of terms and project management aimed at the modernization and improvement of the performance of central bodies of executive power
Maintaining a register of public and administrative services
Preparation of proposals on public policy- and rule-making in the spheres of public service, administrative reform and development of institutions in the context of European integration
Implementing up-to-date information technologies in public bodies and bodies of local self-government and improving professional skills of public servants
Center Twinning Programme Administration Office (institution responsible for coordination with EU functions
Implementation of the institution-building instruments Twinning, TAIEX and SIGMA in Ukraine
Network development of policy analysis groups
Proposals on public administration improvement (particularly on structuring executive bodies)
Maintenance of a register of public and administrative services
Drafting of legislation
Establishment of a national database of public servants
Studying the history of public service in Ukraine and contributing to the rebirth of democratic administrative traditions
Publishing proposals, performance results and studies of national and international trends in public service
14 April 2004 – The Center for Support of Civil Service Institutional Development was established under the jurisdiction of the Main Department of the Civil Service of Ukraine to contribute to the development of public service according to the standards of the European Union, to strengthen institutional capacity level in functional management of public service and to strengthen the potential for further administrative reform.
2004 – The Concept of Programme of Public Service Development for 2005–2010 was developed to take measures to support efficient activity and reach European standards of living for the citizens of Ukraine.
2004 – Work on the functional review of bodies of executive power was begun to develop proposals to improve bodies of executive power.
2005 – The center began the preparation of normative legal acts, including the draft laws "On Public Service" and "On Conflict of Interests in Public Service and in Service in Bodies of Self-Government".
2005 – The Twinning Programme Administration Office was established within the structure of the center, charged with all activity coordination related to the use of twinning in Ukraine.
15 June 2005 – The center began publishing a wide spectrum of publications on public service and its adaptation to the best world standards to synthesize expert recommendations and the experience of successful states to reform the public sector of Ukraine.
21 June 2005 – The "Reform of Public Service — Institutional Capacity Building to the European Union Membership" international conference was held, attended by officials of Ukraine and European Union states charged with public policy-making.
2–3 March 2006 – At a two-day International seminar, the EU and Ukraine jointly began the implementation of twinning in Ukraine.
22 November 2006 – Ukraine was first among TACIS states to benefit from TAIEX (a tool for external aid of the European Commission).
2006 – The center began work on implementing e-government into the public-service system of Ukraine.
2006 – Ukraine was alone among the states of the post-Soviet era to initiate and organize assessment of the public administration system according to Six Sigma indicators.
7 February 2007 – Activity of policy analysis groups was begun in the central bodies of executive power and the Secretariat of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine for improving the professional skills of public servants in preparing government decisions.
17–18 December 2007 – An annual conference on institution-building was introduced as a forum for discussing issues of current importance, such as the institutional building of public bodies in the Euro-integration process.
2007 – The center began studying public service history in Ukraine, to consider its historical traditions to reform the public sector.
4 June 2008 – The authority of the Center for Support of Civil Service Institutional Development was expanded, and it was renamed the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union.
23 June 2008 – The 90th anniversary of the implementation of public service in Ukraine was observed.
28 August 2008 – The Strategic Framework on Staff Management System was developed for defining development directions of human potential in public service.
April 2009 – Ukraine gained the status of coordinator country in the Working Group of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) on Institutional Renewal and Good Governance.
3–5 September 2009 – The Profession in Perspective: Political Neutrality of the Civil Service international annual conference, an annual meeting of public-service heads, was held.
2009 – Research of the civil-service history of Ukraine was completed and the five-volume History of the Civil Service in Ukraine was published, the first general, comprehensive research dedicated to the state building process, the political and administrative system and the organization of public service in Ukraine.
2009 – Paper-free document circulation and IP telephony were implemented in the Main Department of the Civil Service of Ukraine and its dependent structures
2009 – A register of public and administrative services was created, containing information on services, requirements, agencies and fees (if any).
27 September 2010 – The center was charged with providing organizational and logistic support for a Friendly Administration to provid administrative services in line with the functions and tasks of public authorities, encouraging administrations which provide services at a high professional level.
10 November 2010 – The Main Department of the Civil Service of Ukraine was designated coordinator of the Comprehensive Institutional Building Programme under the Eastern Partnership initiative of the European Union, directed to reform institutions which will implement the obligations stemming from the future association agreement between Ukraine and EU (including a comprehensive free-trade area).
December 2010 – The center developed and implemented a quality management system in line with requirements of DSTU ISO 9001:2009, and was granted a certificate of conformity issued by the PRYROST Inter-Sectoral Center of Quality.
