TIRANA, Oct 9 /ATA/Prime Minister Edi Rama said today that the need to strengthen meritocracy in public administration must be directly linked to civil servants’ work and results.
Speaking at the presentation of the “Merit Scale” reform, aimed at building a professional and accountable public administration worthy of “Albania 2030” as a member of the European Union, Rama referred to the findings of an internal civil service survey. He said a key concern was the lack of distinction in performance assessments between employees who are committed to their work and those who fail to fulfil their duties properly.
Rama said the “Merit Scale” reform is based on an internal survey in which civil servants confidentially shared their views on public administration. He stressed that despite improvements and salary increases, concerns remain over the limited role of performance in employee assessments and career progression, while salary satisfaction has increased
Rama said that despite significant salary increases and improved satisfaction with pay, most civil servants believe that work performance has little impact on evaluations and career advancement. He stressed that employees who fail to perform face no negative consequences, while those who carry a heavier workload see little difference in how their contributions are assessed.
The prime minister also highlighted the role of general secretaries in the performance assessment process, stressing that accountability must start at management level.
“General secretaries are the starting point of a top-down assessment process, and if they fail, the entire system fails. I remember an extraordinary meeting during our first term, if I am not mistaken, when the assessments were shockingly positive for everyone,” he said.
According to Rama, salary increases, special bonuses and incentive packages must be accompanied by a clear system in which professional assessments are based on tangible results.
Rama said that salary increases and incentive schemes must be accompanied by a merit-based assessment system that recognises employees’ contributions, as EU integration will require higher professional standards and greater accountability from Albania’s public administration.
“This is a key priority for us today. By motivating people through merit and making it a fundamental principle of public administration that encourages competition, while ensuring that anyone seeking to join public service is assessed on their own merits, we can achieve a breakthrough that until recently seemed impossible to even discuss. Today, we are discussing it, but we need everyone to work together to make it a reality,” Rama said.
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