Administrative space

Enhancing the European Administrative Space (ComPAct)

ECON-VII/036
Tom JUNGEN
 Adoption: 19/06/2024
The communication on "Enhancing the European Administrative Space (ComPAct)" is the European Commission's first comprehensive set of actions to support the modernization of public administrations across the EU. The ComPAct includes a total of 25 actions clustered under three pillars, with the aim of reinforcing the capacity of Member States' public administrations to tackle common challenges together.
The CoR opinion seeks to address several issues:
Role of Public Administrations: The communication emphasizes the crucial role of public administrations in delivering EU policies. It aimes to provide an overarching framework for actions to help reinforce the capacity of Member States' public administrations;
Comprehensive Actions: The ComPAct has been presented as a comprehensive set of actions to support the modernization of public administrations across the EU. This includes scaling up the Public Administration Cooperation Exchange (PACE) and other initiatives.
The communication has an ambitious title and promises to enhance the European Administrative Space. However, it is noted that the communication appeares to be a mere list of existing initiatives, budgetary measures, and tools merged under a promising title. The analysis suggestes that a true European Administrative Space would require a vision that spans across national interests.

Therefore, the opinion's general objective is to critically assess and enhance the proposed actions to ensure they effectively support the modernization of public administrations across the EU.
On 9 October 2024, the CoR received a Follow-up report provided by the European Commission to the opinions adopted at the June 2024 CoR Plenary session.

The Commission provided the following feedback to the CoR opinion on *Enhancing the European Administrative Space (ComPAct) *.

With ComPAct, the Commission promotes the common set of values, tasks and understanding of good administration shared by the Member States and reinforces its support for the administrative modernisation of the Member States contributing to the consolidation of a European Administrative Space. The concept of the European Administrative Space is not to converge towards a common model, but to promote good practices and work across borders. The EU vision is to have a high quality of policies and services across all Member States, including at subnational level. It is a means leading to the strengthening of the Union’s economic, social, territorial cohesion.

The Commission has agreed with the CoR that public administrations at regional and local level should better benefit from the opportunities offered under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) and be closely involved in the implementation of ComPAct. The Commission has already launched several awareness-raising activities since the adoption of ComPAct, including a dedicated roll-out event of TSI 2025 flagships for regional and local administration, the involvement of the CoR as an observer in the Expert Group on Public Administration and Governance as well as active participation in the ComPAct High-level Conference "A growth enhancing public administrative space". Further actions like an annual local public administration day on the occasion of the European Week of Regions and Cities will follow. National TSI coordinating authorities are encouraged by the Commission to coordinate and communicate with regional and local level authorities to maximise benefits for all levels of administration.

The Commission has agreed that sufficient funding is necessary. The modernisation of public administrations features prominently in several Recovery and Resilience Plans for Member States for an estimated budget of EUR 1.8 billion.

The Commission has welcomed the suggestion by the CoR to prioritise the mobility of civil servants across the Member States, as provided for in Article 197(2) TFEU. The Public Administration Cooperation Exchange (PACE) already provides this dedicated support to public administrations and the Commission will scale up this exchange to an annual programme, including for regional and local public administration.

On the interaction between ComPAct and the EU interoperability act and other related acts, the Commission has clarified that the Technical Support Instrument aims to support the implementation of Union law. Under the 2025 Technical Support Instrument, the Commission established a flagship on ComPAct pillar II ʻCapacity for Europe’s Digital Decade’ with the implementation of EU legislation in the digital realm and specifically the EU Interoperability Act at its centre.

Finally the Commission has noted that in preparation of ComPAct, the Commission followed the Better regulation toolbox and provides the results of its call for evidence published on its "Have your say portal". The Commission will continue to interact with local and regional governments and EU social partners in implementation of ComPAct.
THE EUROPEAN COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS

 welcomes the fact that in its communication, the European Commission acknowledges the CoR’s past opinion in this field, and the fact that certain ideas from its opinion can be found in this communication;
 regrets that local and regional governments and EU social partners were not formally consulted during the drafting of the ComPAct. Underlines the importance, as part of the better regulation agenda, to include feedback from the subnational level by means of the CoR’s network of regional hubs, rural proofing tools or the territorial impact assessment;
 suggests that a true European administrative space does not exist yet, and cannot be created (as part of the single market) without a European vision that spans across national interests;
 welcomes the strong support for a strengthened administrative capacity for greater impact in Enrico Letta’s report ‘Much more than a Market’. Welcomes in this respect the proposal to establish a new facility for a Pact enhancing European Administrations Cooperation and Expertise (PEACE), which could boost investments and reforms of public administrations and provide support to individuals or to a group of public administrations with similar issues or similar ambitions;
 welcomes the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) as the key EU programme to provide support to public administrations, including at the regional and local levels. Warns, however, that many public administrations, particularly at the regional and local levels, are not aware of all possibilities offered by the TSI. Calls on the European Commission to increase its communication efforts and awareness-raising campaigns.