Reform of public-sector appointments “will not necessarily bring in more competent people”

Wallonia is changing how it appoints senior public managers, but a university professor warns that the reform may not deliver a less politicized or more capable administration.

The governments of Wallonia and the French-speaking Community have tasked Public Service Minister Jacqueline Galant with implementing the changes. The stated goals include ending political appointments and opening leadership posts to candidates from civil society and the private sector.

One important requirement has been removed: candidates will no longer have to pass the public-management certificate. The opposition sees that change as a setback and as an invitation to excessive politicization. The reform also reduces the number of leadership mandates while increasing salaries and adding a performance-related bonus. Managers may be assessed up to three times a year.

The legislation introduces open-ended contracts for the posts. An independent operator, selected through public procurement, will prepare candidate assessments and send a shortlist to the Walloon government. The government will remain the final decision-maker.

Marek Hudon of the Solvay Brussels School at ULB views the direction as potentially positive, but says the details will determine whether the system works. He questions how long the shortlist will be and whether a broad list could give politicians greater influence than the assessment process. He also notes that political involvement would continue after recruitment because contracts could be terminated when governments change.

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The evolution seems positive. We must obviously see how the assessments will be conducted, but also how long the list of candidates sent to politicians will be.