13. CONCLUSIONS

13.1 Final Comments by the NTF

By way of conclusion it is necessary to add a few notes. The Proposals reflect the situation described in the Introduction. The authors probably succeeded in getting as far as possible. None of the public administration bodies approached has refused co-operation, but there was nobody to communicate with in some instances and the establishment of contacts with heavily overloaded specialists was difficult in others. Characteristic was the lack of conceptual vision on the future of public administration in the country and the existence of a broad spectrum of different and sometimes totally contradictory opinions on what needs to be done. The very core of the whole reform - the decentralization of state administration and territorial administration reform - was also marked by a considerable difference of opinions on ideal solutions.

Consequently, the Proposals have the following features which should be taken into account in their assessment and further application:

• they emphasise the general and overall concept of necessary reforms and their basic mutual links (for this reason, they may appear too global, extensive and general to some practitioners),
• where required, they provide arguments justifying the proposed changes and point out a broader context,
• the degree of detail corresponds to the depth of knowledge of the problems at hand and the degree of their understanding and elaboration in Czech public administration (some chapters are therefore worded in more concrete terms and contain more detailed and more specific proposals than others),
• in some cases the authors have chosen to give principal different opinions on the respective issues, and comment on these opinions,
• in topics where experience of Czech public administration is modest they seek inspiration and guidance in relevant European programmes and institutions.

As stated in the Introduction, the authors regard their Proposals as a useful basis and starting point of further work on the strategy of public administration reform by the appropriate bodies designated and authorized by the Government. It is not a mandatory blueprint for these bodies to follow. The Government authorities will draft and implement their own strategy - they cannot merely adopt a strategy drafted by the NTF or any other institution.

13.2 How to Use the Proposals

The NTF is well aware of the fact that the decision on further work on reform strategy is beyond its competence. For this reason it takes the liberty to submit the Proposals with the following recommendations:

1. The Proposals should be reviewed and assessed by appropriate Government authorities. To this effect the NTF can provide further information and professional support, e.g. by preparing and organizing workshop discussions, inviting leading European experts in selected topics or training reform actors in various aspects of the content and methodology of reform programmes and processes.
2. Furthermore, other PHARE projects, already under discussion with the Ministry of the Interior, may be available to address issues such as decentralization, control systems and methods, application of information technology, information of the citizens, the training system, training of  change managers  in individual sectors, and similar.
3. In some areas the Proposals recommend more fact-finding and analytical work and further discussions to be undertaken before a final solution is selected. In spite of priorities, promises given and political pressures the public administration reform must not be hurried. Hasty adoption of debatable and half-baked measures may be the source of long-term difficulties.
4. As the capacity available for conceptual work and strategic planning within Czech public administration is limited and will not increase in the nearest future, it is desirable to identify and engage the best Czech experts also without public administration.
5. The decisions about the selection and sequencing of individual reform measures must always bear in mind the final objective, the general framework and the fundamental relationships of the reform. Isolated reform measures ignoring these links (even if strongly pushed by certain institutions or influential individuals) may appear attractive in the short run, but strategy should avoid them.
6. The reform strategy should remain living and open. It is not necessary to make detailed decisions in all reform areas at the very beginning. It is also necessary to anticipate that the deepening preparations for EU membership may reveal other problems and bring about further reform requirements. Therefore, the strategy must continue to be further developed even after its fundamental objectives, general framework and immediate reform priorities have been approved.