“Good human resource management is a key component of a professional, effective and citizens-oriented local administration”, said Claus Neukirch, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Tirana, in addressing the workshop with HRM directors from Elbasan and Korçë, last week.

The workshop “Human resource management in local government units - organisational structures and standardised job descriptions” was organised within the framework of the project “Strengthening local government structures in Albania - Phase III” implemented by the Council of Europewith financial support provided by the Government of Switzerland. HRM directors from 12 municipalities and two regional councils, a representative of the Commissioner for the Oversight of Civil Service (COCS), the manager of the recent European Eunion twining project on public administration and members of the Council of Europe project team from Tirana and Strasbourg, contributed to the workshop.

This was the second of a series of six planned workshops with HRM directors from municipalities across Albania offering the opportunity to share experience and good practice and contribute to the development of tools to support HRM at the local level. The workshops also serve to disseminate the findings and recommendations of the COCS regarding the implementation of the civil servant law at local level and the handbooks for HRM developed through the European Union twinning project. The workshop was also attended by Mr Ilia Skëdi, Honorary Consul of France in Korçë.