BiH Civil Service Agency Director Neven Akšamija Delivers Lecture on Civil Service Legislation and Systems

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The Director of the Civil Service Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Mr. Neven Akšamija, held a lecture on Thursday, May 26, 2022 at the International University of Sarajevo (IUS) within a series of guest lectures organized by the IUS Faculty of Law. The lecture titled „Civil Service Legislation and Systems in BiH and Comparative Law“ gave a comprehensive overview of the civil service structure and its legislation as well as a comparison of the civil service systems around the world.

The initial part of the lecture was focused on the history of the civil service in the world and its importance. Contrary to the practice of the private and some segments of the public sector where the employees’ rights and responsibilities are regulated by labor legislations, civil servants' status is regulated by special legislation. The lecturer explained that the systems of modern civil service include position-based and career-based systems indicating their features, advantages and drawbacks.

Civil service in BiH has been subjected to intense reform and this process is still undergoing. Mr. Akšamija noted that currently there are more than 10 civil service laws in BiH with different categories of public servants on all levels of government. He added that after implementing the reforms, BiH civil service has adopted a classical European approach and moved away from the former socialist system. This implies greater responsibility for managers, career flexibility, position-based system for managerial civil servants, promotions based on merit and qualifications among other features. He acknowledged that there is a lot more room for improvement, but that civil service remains one of the most attractive job placements not only in BiH but in the Western Balkans as well.

The final part of the lecture presented a comparative view of the civil service systems in the UK, Germany, France, Ireland, Estonia, Croatia, Russia, the USA and Japan. Although they differ in many aspects, the common denominator for all the civil service systems is that they are continuously undergoing reforms.

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