Michael Steffens, Helen Conefrey
In any change management process, there will be casualties. Posts will be frozen and eventually suppressed. Expatriate Staff will be redeployed from one EU DEL to another or repatriated to HQ. Local Agents will be dismissed. No need to sugar-coat the impact.
DG INTPA plans to regionalise Delegations and create up to eighteen regional hubs in an effort to be more efficient and effective. EU Delegations are in the spotlight as Managers aim to be geopolitical, more efficient, more effective and yes, more strategic. Whilst NO decisions have been taken yet, USHU firmly believes that Trade Unions and elected staff representatives must be fully consulted. Any restructuring will have an impact on all staff categories including Local Agents, Contract Agents, Temporary Agents and Officials.
We need a meaningful exchange with HQ managers on the future of the EU DEL network. Failure to communicate with staff is not an option !
There will be both opportunities and casualties therefore USHU has requested the Commission and the EEAS to organise a social dialogue meeting to inform all Trade Unions of what lies ahead for EU Delegations. Local and expatriate Staff who have served the institution well and loyally for many years, deserve to have greater clarity over their future. Expatriates working in EU Del commit both themselves and their dependents and need to know what is around the corner. Local Agents must safeguard their livelihoods and need to know how secure their jobs really are!
We encourage colleagues to provide their views by contacting us on our functional mailbox REP-PERS-USHU@eeas.europa.eu.
The new Commissioner for INTPA needs to ensure that the EU Delegation network delivers on its development goals including Global Gateway and the growing use of new instruments such as EFSD+ in the context of budgetary constraints. Any change process must be handled transparently and humanely to ensure that staff have access to information and a level of certainty for their professional future.
Reorganization will be centred on the specialisation of activities. Policy-focused activities will be implemented by specialised INTPA sections in EU Delegations, who will no longer be responsible for the execution of the budget and will focus primarily on policy issues and policy dialogue. Business relating to the management of external programmes will be pooled into a system of regionalised “INTPA Budget Implementation Hubs”.
The new look for DG INTPA in EU Delegations
Current Cooperation Sections will become “Partnership Sections” and be resourced by a small team of INTPA staff within each EU Delegation. Typical teams will include a Head of Partnerships, one or two Partnership officer(s) (CAs), and two to three local agents (e.g. Liaison Agent, secretary, …). There will be an assessment of the size needed to operate in country and this will be based on efficiency considerations rather than political factors. Not all EU DEL will necessarily have Partnership sections.
EU Delegations will continue to serve as the main entry point for day-to-day, country-specific engagement with local partners, ensuring their role in managing relations in country, even as progressively operational and F/C functions are moved to regionalised hubs. The Head of Partnership and the Head of Delegation would remain in charge of managing relations with the authorities in each country. This structure would require close coordination between EU DEL and regional INTPA Budget Implementation Hubs.
Partnership Sections would function under the leadership of the Head of Delegation. The One Delegation principle will be applied further as all staff (including INTPA Commission staff) must be available to work on any tasks allocated by the Head of Delegation. Heads of Delegation will become more involved in strategic decisions and will be expected to attend INTPA Strategic Steering Committees.
INTPA Regional Budget Implementation Hubs
The location of the hubs will be decided upon the strategic importance, connectivity and accessibility, cost effectiveness, safety and quality of life, time zones, infrastructure and network synergies present in the host countries.
USHU’s take on the proposed regionalisation strategy
The proposals will profoundly change the way we work. We ask how this will affect the essence of our work, the understanding and the expertise that is gathered on the ground. If members of staff working from a third country (the regional hub) are getting involved in identification and formulation processes as well as project management and oversight remotely, without having regular access to a local network, it is questionable whether the same quality of work can be achieved. Claims this could be mitigated by frequent missions to a country, are unconvincing as we know what it takes to have regular exposure to local counterparts (national authorities, implementers, other donors, civil society, experts, etc.) and how critical this is to our everyday tasks and results.
Regionalisation could weaken the EU in the world and undermine the effectiveness of development cooperation. The geopolitical influence of the European Union could be weakened rather than strengthened.
Future staffing and job opportunities in EU DEL
Non-hub EU DEL will face considerable job cuts. Hubs will have additional posts. Overall costs will be lowered and there will be considerable disruption for both Local Agents and Expatriates. There will be fewer opportunities for officials in EU Delegations as AD/AST posts are reduced worldwide.
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