THE NEW MODEL FOR FILLING SENIOR POSITIONS IN THE CIVIL SERVICE IN POLAND

Abstract

he aim of this paper is to analyze the new model for filling senior positions in the civil service corps and to assess its compliance with the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. On January 23, 2016, under the provisions of the Act of December 30, 2015 amending the Act on Civil Service and some other acts, open and competitive recruitment for senior positions in the civil service was abolished and replaced by appointment. Simultaneously, the selection requirements have been lowered. The legislator revised the civil service career model by introducing elements of strict subordination and increasing arbitrariness in the processes of recruitment and termination of employment in senior positions.The new principles for filling senior positions in the civil service deserve critical assessment. The departure from open and competitive recruitment collides with the constitutional principles of professional, politically neutral and stable corps of civil service. The new model for filling senior positions does not guarantee an objective selection of the best candidate based on substantive criteria, and does not safeguard the professional status of the civil service corps.

Keywords

• civil service
• senior positions
• government administration
• poland
• politicization.