A GROWTH-FRIENDLY PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: THE ROLE OF TRAINING Spanish Public Administration and the decision making process at European, national and local level DISPA meeting, Rome October 2014

Outline : I.Brief introduction to the Spanish territorial model I.Decision making process: participation of the Autonomous Communities in European matters. Coordination between the State and the Autonomous Communites I.Decision making process: the INAP´s contribution

I. I. Spanish territorial model Spain has become one of the most decentralized countries in Europe The State is organized territorialy in municipalities, provinces and Autonomous Communities (regions) All of these bodies enjoy self-government for the management of their respective interests

17 Autonomous Communities and 2 Autonomous Cities (Ceuta and Mellilla)

The Constitution recognizes the right to self-government for the regions Each Autonomous Community has its own:  Statute of Autonomy  Parliament  Governing Council A complex model of distribution of powers (no closed list):  exclusive powers of the State (Defense, International Relations, European matters, etc)  exclusive powers of the Autonomous Communities (agriculture, social services, tourism, etc)  shared powers (health, education, public administration, civil service, etc)

Constitutional basic principles of the Spanish territorial model:  Unity  Autonomy or self-government  Solidarity (the Compensation Fund)  Differential features (special Civil Laws, special financial system, special institutions, own Languages) Relations between the Central and the Regional Governments: based on the collaboration, cooperation and coordination

Local Government entities:  Provinces: Diputaciones (Provincial Councils)  Municipalities: Municipios (Town Councils)  Islands: Cabildos (Islands Councils)  Others: Comarcas (counties), mancomunidades, metropolitan areas… There are municipalities in Spain

II.Decision making process: participation of the Autonomous Communities in European matters. Coordination between the State and the Autonomous Communites Spanish Constitution (articles 149 and 93):  International Relations as an exclusive power of the State (art )  The State has the sole responsibility for the compliance of the existing obligations with international organizations such as the European Union (art. 93.2)

Autonomous Communities are obliged to apply the Community Law within the scope of their powers Autonomous Communities may access EU programs and plans (co-financing structural actions) Participation in EU matters: two phases  Ascending phase: decision making process  Descending phase: implementation

Decision making process (ascending phase): coordination between the State and the Autonomous Communites in European matters: INTERNAL  Interministerial Commission for European Union matters  Conference for Matters related to the European Union  Special sectoral conferences EXTERNAL  Autonomous Commnunities have their own offices in Brussels  Section for Regional Affairs in the Permanent Representation of Spain before the EU  Participation of the regions, along with the State, in different commitee meetings of the European Commision  Participation in the Comittee of the Regions

III.Decision making process: INAP´s contributions INAP is the leading civil service training school in Spain, attached to the Ministry of Finance and Public Administration (MINHAP) Besides INAP, there are 16 Institutes of Public Administration in Spain : one in each Autonomous Community except in Madrid There are also training units in the Provincial Governments (Diputaciones) and in some municipalities

INAP main areas of responsibility:

INAP´s training in European Union matters for State, regional and local public employees: INAP has 2 units specialized in training:  Sub-Directorate of Training for General Administration Public employees  Sub-Directorate of Training Programs in Local Government for regional and local public employees Both units develop training programs in European Union matters such as:  decision-making process in the European Union,  European Funds management,  Council working groups,  functioning of the Internal Market any other subject related to European Union

Three kinds of training activities:  Centralized activities: in Madrid (26 activities in INAP´s venue in 2013)  Decentralized activities: outside Madrid and in collaboration with Autonomous Communities and Provincial e and Islands Governments (44 in their own venues in 2013)  On line training: open to all Spanish public employees (all levels of Administration) Topics: European Union Human Resources TICs Urban planning Environment

Mechanism of coordination in training activities: INAP coordinates the training activities both with Autonomous Communities, Diputaciones and municipalities through the following mechanisms: Regular meetings with the responsibles for training in different Administrations (training needs, costs,etc) Ongoing training agreements: inter-administrative cooperation agreements, training plans and joint training actions

Another coordination mechanism: INAP Sharing Project Aligned with INAP STRATEGIC PLAN 2012 – Mission: “create transformative knowledge in the public sector for the benefit of society as a way to promote social cohesion and a high quality democracy” Aligned with the proposals of the Commission for the Reform of Spanish Public Administration: unification of the general training (including European matters) for all the Spanish Public employees

A repository of on-line training for all the Public Administration Objective: share training activities among the different schools of Public Administration (INAP but also regional and local schools) Results:. Reduction of costs Increase of the number of training activities. Implementatio n of a collaborative culture

Linked with the Sharing Project is INAP´s Social and Knowledge Ecosystem: Professional Network, Knowledge Bank and Innovation Bank Improvement in internal communication Increased commitment Promoting a sense of belonging More productivity from an organizational and individual standpoint Better services through knowledge and experience sharing More professional development through connectivity