Government debates Portugal’s “representation deficit” in Brussels
ONE The issue was addressed at a meeting between the European commissioner for the responsible administration, the Austrian Johannes Hahn, and the new Secretary of State for European Affairs, Tiago Antunes, who, in statements to Lusa after the meeting, guarantees that this will be “an approval” of your mandatory.
“It went very well, it was an initial meeting in which I congratulated the European Commission on the recent presentation of a new human resources strategy and expressed Portugal’s availability and interest in being one of the first Member States with a national action plan to combat o Deficit of representation of Portuguese in the structures of the European Commission”, indicated.
According to the Secretary of State, “Portugal in fact has a significant body for the presence of Portuguese nationals in the structures of the Commission”, which he says has been recognized by the European Commissioner himself.
“Commissioner Hahn who does not recognize that there is a Portuguese problem, which is not just Portugal’s, but Portugal is one of the member states that has, in fact, a representation deficit. We are significantly below the things that would be our ideal quota , which justifies the need for a national action plan for the Portuguese reality”, he said.
“We are going to work together with Commissioner Hahn’s office and his services to build this national action plan. Therefore, he was receptive to my willingness and availability and interest that Portugal be one of the Member States at the forefront of the looking for solutions to this problem”, he continued.
Stressing that he should count on Johannes Hahn that this will be “a priority” of his term, Tiago Antunes told Lusa that, in this beginning of his duties as Secretary of State for European Affairs – a charge now under the direct responsibility of the Prime Minister, António Costa -, intends “in this matter and to help correct this representation deficit”.
The official highlighted “the problem in fact of being a problem that becomes difficult for several years the public service for several years, because they have few access to enter the more community levels, after that also people who reach levels to reach community levels “of greater seniority and leadership positions”.
“And this, without a doubt, management number, one of the biggest posts. dedicates myself, identifying strategies to correct”, this representation deficit said.
The Secretary of State met today with the same representative of the European State (REPER) with some officials in the Commission to address a topic and “map an already of measures that can be chosen as access for these candidates elected to functions”, designated as accessory Portuguese as trainers of competitions for the competitions of representatives to the civil service.
Tiago Antune explained that the strategy now proposed by the Commission is the “idea of, for Member States that are less, there are plans, to respond to difficulties, which are different”, that “Portugal has reasons for difficulties, which are different”, specific, and therefore justify a specific action plan”.
Asked what are the specific reasons for this Portuguese underrepresentation, the official said that a “diagnosis” is still being made, but a clue may not actually have the number of candidates “nor compare poorly, but then the number of applications” successful applications in the entrance exams are indeed low”.
“This will most likely have computers with which these contests are not in fact more suitable for the education system that we have in Portugal. elaborated document”, detailed.
According to the Secretary of State, “probably the Commission’s access and recruitment procedures need to be rethought, and the Commission is operating like this”, but Portugal must also do “homework, through specific preparation courses, to better prepare candidates for this type of selection procedures”.
“This is an immediate problem, but it is a problem that leaves the last one, it can leave the last one for many years, and that is why it has to be tackled now. And there is a great sense of urgency here to solve this problem, not only with the benefit of immediate need to bring these younger people into lower levels, but with that also create a kind of ‘nursery’ of people who are then able to compete for internal promotions and come in the future to occupy positions of interest in the middle management”, stressed.
For Tiago Antunes, this is a “very important” issue, because although Commission officials do not defend the interests of the Member States, but rather the European interest, “their nationality, the understanding and understanding they have for the Member States to open up interests, realities and national specificity”.
In the current «Von der Leyen Commission», there is no Portuguese in a position of director-general and several of the Portuguese employees working in the executive have recently retired or are in the process of doing so.
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