But what makes public administration truly capable?
This question was at the heart of our official URC 2026 side event, “Delivering Europe: Public Administration Reform and Civil Society as Enablers of Ukraine’s EU Accession and Recovery.”
Together with representatives of the Government of Ukraine, civil society, and international partners, we explored how leadership, organisational culture, human capital, trust, and cross-sector partnership can strengthen public administration and support Ukraine’s EU accession and recovery.
So, what does capable public administration require? Here are some of the key takeaways from the discussion. 👇
💬 A new culture of public leadership.
Leadership rooted in service, a strong sense of public purpose, accountability, and commitment to the common good builds a public service that people trust.
💬 Trust built through openness and dialogue.
Capable institutions operate transparently. Trust grows through meaningful engagement, responsive communication, and involving people in decision-making.
💬 Investment in people.
A strong public service depends on skilled professionals, a modern organisational culture, opportunities for continuous learning, and decent working conditions. Investing in people is investing in sustainable reform.
💬 Strong analytical capacity.
Successful EU integration is not about copying legislation. It requires the ability to analyse policies, assess their impact, adapt them to Ukraine’s context, and engage openly with citizens and businesses.
💬 Partnership with civil society.
Modern public administration cannot succeed in isolation. It relies on genuine collaboration with civil society, which contributes expertise, preserves institutional memory, strengthens accountability, and helps reforms endure.
As ISAR Ednannia Executive Director Volodymyr Sheihus noted, civil society is an indispensable pillar of effective public administration reform. It contributes by:
✅ promoting democratic and open governance;
✅ strengthening government accountability to citizens;
✅ improving the quality of public policymaking;
✅ safeguarding against the concentration of power;
✅ building public trust in state institutions.
Civil society serves as a trusted partner, an accountability mechanism, and a catalyst for change, helping build democratic, transparent, and accountable public institutions.
🤝 We sincerely thank all speakers, moderators, participants, and partners for an insightful discussion. There is still much work ahead, but conversations like these help shape a shared vision for a capable public administration that can lead Ukraine towards European Union membership.
ISAR Ednannia’s participation is supported within the framework of the project “Strong Civil Society of Ukraine — a Driver towards Reforms and Democracy”, implemented with the financial support of Norway and Sweden.
ISAR Ednannia’s participation is also supported within the framework of the EU Unity4Community project, co-funded by the European Union.
OECD SIGMA — Support for Improvement in Governance and Management — is a joint initiative of the OECD and the European Union, principally financed by the EU.
The PAR4UA Project, “Strengthening Ukraine’s Public Administration Reform for EU Integration”, is implemented by the Professional Government Association in partnership with Providus Public Policy Centre, Latvia, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.
