Silina has a goal: to increase the level of trust by 50% 0 13

Today, the Cabinet of Ministers will consider and, apparently, take note of the report by the Prime Minister "On the progress in implementing the modernization plan for public administration for 2023-2027" as an additional item at its regular meeting. To clarify: starting from 2023, the process of creating a more efficient public administration system is underway. The goal is to make public administration more professional, compact, less bureaucratic, effective, and with a higher level of trust from the population.

By the way, regarding trust. The report presented today on the progress made states that back in 2022, the level of public trust in public administration in Latvia was one of the lowest in the EU - 34%. At the same time, Silina and her colleagues set a goal - to achieve an increase in residents' trust in public administration to 50% by next year! If we are to believe the report, then... the authorities are on the right track - in 2023, the level of trust increased to 39.1%.

There is also another important indicator - the level of satisfaction with public administration, which can be translated as the level of satisfaction with the services provided by public administration. In this regard, public administration is approaching the same magical 50 percent at a faster pace. Last year, the level of satisfaction with public administration reached 45.6%.

The report lists the main areas of action to improve the efficiency of public administration. One of the main areas is the centralization of public administration, so that decisions can be made more promptly. "The government center coordinates the planning of state work and crisis management more effectively, as well as provides analytical support in decision-making. The use of a team approach in projects strengthens unity and cooperation in public administration. Increased transparency and improvement of internal control processes contribute to the efficiency of public administration. Employees' understanding of the values and mission of public administration is growing, and this is reflected in their daily work and perception by society.

In this area of action, an additional productivity indicator provides for the use of a team approach in at least five strategically important inter-agency projects by 2027, thereby confirming that the team work model between agencies is implemented and actively used in addressing the government's priority tasks.

Unified, centralized, and standardized processes and support systems are being created in public administration. A centralized resource management system is being implemented, unified solutions in budgetary, accounting, and personnel record management are being developed, and a strategic human resource management system is being formed. The availability of administrative data in real-time is ensured, and costs are reduced.

By 2027, at least 20% of employees in direct public administration institutions will receive services from a unified service center. After 2027, further movement towards the centralization of support functions is also planned, with a review of opportunities for consolidating additional functions," the report states. However, the question remains open as to whether all these measures will lead to a real and tangible reduction in public administration.