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Governments operate in an increasingly volatile environment, marked by disruptive crises and cross-cutting policy challenges. This context has highlighted the importance centres of government (CoG) in setting up effective co-ordination systems, capable of developing and implementing coherent, whole-of-government responses to immediate threats, while steering the country towards a sustainable and resilient future. This policy paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the current legal, organisational and policy framework and practices in Romania as they relate to policy co-ordination, within the CoG and between the CoG and ministries. It also provides recommendations for consolidating the General Secretariat of the Government’s capacity and role in policy development and co-ordination, to improve the coherence of government action and, ultimately, achieve government priorities and commitments.

L'édition 2023 du Panorama des administrations publiques donne un aperçu complet des pratiques de gouvernance et d'administration publiques dans les pays Membres et partenaires de l'OCDE. Elle comprend des indicateurs sur la confiance dans les institutions publiques et la satisfaction à l'égard des services publics, ainsi que des données sur les pratiques de bonne gouvernance dans des domaines tels que le cycle d'élaboration des politiques, la budgétisation, la passation des marchés publics, la planification et la mise en place d'infrastructures, la gouvernance réglementaire, l'administration numérique et les données ouvertes de l'administration. Enfin, ce rapport fournit des informations sur les ressources utilisées par les institutions publiques et sur la manière dont elles sont gérées, notamment les finances publiques, l'emploi public et la gestion des ressources humaines. Le Panorama des administrations publiques permet d'effectuer des comparaisons entre pays et d'identifier les tendances, les meilleures pratiques et les domaines à améliorer dans le secteur public.

The precautionary principle has been an important aspect of regulatory delivery for nearly four decades. Now widely applied and with a global reach, the principle is often invoked whenever the scientific evidence surrounding the safety of a given technology is not conclusive. It is often applied where a safety risk is known to exist, but the probability and magnitude of harm are uncertain or unknown. The principle thus supports — and is an important element of — risk-based regulation. It is an important principle for the energy transition, in particular, though it is complex to apply in practice. The safety risk of technologies supporting the energy transition is immediate, which can lead regulators to operate and apply the principle over-cautiously — sometimes to the extent of complete inaction. This report examines how the precautionary principle can be used to support flexible decision making by helping regulators and operators manage risk through positive action.

Lithuania is one of the fastest-ageing countries in Europe. Its working-age population is not only ageing, but also expected to decline significantly, giving rise to considerable economic, labour market, social and public governance challenges. The inclusion of older persons has improved in many areas in the past two decades. Yet, many Lithuanians aged 55 and over continue to lag in fully engaging in society relative to younger people and their peers in neighbouring countries. This report takes a holistic approach to analyse Active Ageing policies in Lithuania in three dimensions: labour market inclusion, social policies, and participation in public and political life. It provides tailored policy recommendations to improve the well-being of older people in Lithuania in terms of better employment and lifelong learning outcomes, stronger integration in society, and participation in democratic institutions and processes.

In Malta, public procurement accounted for approximately 6% of GDP in 2019 and is recognised as a strategic instrument for achieving government policy goals, including recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite recent efforts, the public procurement system still faces several challenges in several areas. This report provides an overview of the procurement system and tailored recommendations in six main areas: i) the organisational structure of the public procurement system, ii) public procurement processes, iii) risk management, iv) the strategic use of public procurement, v) the professionalisation of the procurement workforce, and vi) the performance measurement framework.

This report assesses Romania’s efforts to strengthen its integrity and anti-corruption system. It looks at the achievements of the 2021-2025 National Anticorruption Strategy (NAS) as well as the challenges that remain, including addressing structural issues such as political engagement, the role and placement of ethics offices and the design and review of integrity plans. The report provides recommendations for mainstreaming central government integrity policies into practical and concrete actions at the sectoral level, with a view to improving implementation of the 2021-2025 NAS as well as future strategies.

Dans un contexte marqué par une succession de crises globales et par des défis transverses de long terme, le Maroc s’est engagé dans la modernisation de l’administration et le renforcement du cadre et des outils de gouvernance. Ces efforts s’inscrivent plus largement dans le cadre de la mise en œuvre du Nouveau Modèle de Développement, document stratégique de référence et de long terme au Maroc qui érige la réforme de l’administration en levier prioritaire pour atteindre une croissance durable et inclusive. Cet Examen analyse plusieurs domaines de la gouvernance publique identifiés conjointement avec le Maroc et qui sont essentiels pour répondre à ces défis tels que le cadre de gouvernance et son adaptation au contexte actuel, le cadre budgétaire, la gestion de la fonction publique, l’intégrité publique et l’intégration des questions d’égalité femmes-hommes dans la gouvernance publique. Il fournit des recommandations concrètes pour moderniser l’administration publique, améliorer sa performance et lui donner les capacités de mener et d’appuyer les efforts de réformes actuels et la mise en œuvre des priorités du gouvernement afin d’atteindre les objectifs de développement du pays.

This paper investigates the role of fiscal federalism in driving ecological transition, a key challenge in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals agenda. The ecological transition seeks a sustainable society that prioritises natural resource preservation and reduces environmental impacts. The study investigates the link between fiscal federalism institutions and ecological transition policies, focusing on regional and local governments’ role in implementing environmental goals. Despite subnational governments’ commitment to green objectives, comprehensive plan implementation has been limited due to local governments’ incentive schemes and capacity constraints. The paper examines the potential of fiscal federalism institutions, such as fiscal rules, transfers and capacity-building programs, to support ecological transition policies. The research emphasises engaging regional and local governments in the green agenda and highlights the need for tailored approaches in multi-level fiscal governance to effectively achieve environmental goals. By investigating fiscal federalism’s potential contribution to ecological transition, the paper offers valuable insights for policymakers addressing environmental challenges through a multi-level governance approach.

Despite strong economic performance and significant governance reforms over the past few decades, Lithuania has a higher share of its population at-risk-of poverty than other EU countries (21.4% in 2020 compared to an EU average of 16.3%), with some people more at risk than others, particularly people with multiple and complex needs in vulnerable situations who tend to rely more on public services. The provision of personalised services is fundamental to addressing the needs of people in vulnerable situations and to improving their well-being. This report is part of a joint project between the OECD and the European Commission to develop a more integrated approach to personalised services for people with disabilities, young people leaving care, and people leaving prison in Lithuania and to increase the involvement of non-governmental organisations in the design and delivery of those services. The report provides an analysis and assessment of the governance arrangements and NGO involvement in Lithuanian public service provision, the associated operating models and information technology (IT) infrastructure of employment and social services; and service design and delivery methods for the three groups. Finally, the report proposes recommendations to deliver effective, well-integrated public services to people in vulnerable situations in Lithuania.

This OECD Public Governance Monitor (PGM) provides a concise analysis of Sweden’s public governance system, instruments and capabilities, and helps identify areas of opportunities for public governance reforms. The report provides an overview of public administration in Sweden looking at public governance mechanisms around six key themes: public sector effectiveness, spending, citizen participation, the governance of climate change and other cross-cutting priorities, digital transformation, and public integrity. The report suggests several priorities for reforms to improve public sector effectiveness, increase the impact of participatory mechanisms, reinforce the governance of cross-cutting topics, strengthen the steering of digital government policy and take a more holistic approach to public sector integrity, in particular by revising the national anti-corruption plan.