EU allocates €12 mn to support public administration reform in Lebanon

On the occasion of the International Anti-Corruption Day, the European Union and Expertise France, the French public agency for international technical cooperation, launched a EUR 12 million project to support progress in key areas of public administration reform in Lebanon.

The four-year project, funded by the European Union, is aligned with the National Anti-Corruption Strategy (2020-2025), the opportunities of reform identified by the IMF Staff-Level Agreement and the principles of modern public administration. It also complements the current work done through the Lebanon Financing Facility for the Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Framework (3RF).

Through the project, the European Union and Expertise France will continue accompanying oversight bodies that serve as critical safeguards against corruption, malfeasance, and inefficiency in the public sector. By holding government entities accountable, they contribute to the overall trust and confidence of the public in the government's ability to serve citizens’ interests.

Support to the Public Procurement Reform will also be at the core of the project. "A coherent and clear public procurement system regulated by independent authorities, in line with international standards, is essential to improve competitiveness, attract quality service providers and strengthen accountability and transparency. An effective public procurement system would further generate savings on a yearly basis, allowing for more resources to finance public investments and to enhance public service delivery," the Delegation of the European Union to Lebanon said in a statement.

The project similarly intends to safeguard the integrity of the public administration, mainly in the area of public human resources management (roles and responsibilities of public officials, standards of transparency in appointments, promotion and non-discriminatory recruitment of public officials, etc.).

In coordination with the Government, the project intends to adapt its approach to the challenging context in Lebanon, by:

- Strengthening the cooperation between the project beneficiaries (Civil Service Board, Public Procurement Authority, Central Inspection, Court of Account, and National Anti-Corruption Commission).

- Reinforcing the dialogue between authorities and civil society, which has a key role to play in combatting corruption and promoting transparency and accountability.

- Having project beneficiaries select pilot administrations (Ministry, public administration, Municipality) and seeking convergence of project activities (civil service reform, public procurement reform, preventing and fighting corruption).

- Strengthening the coordination with related programs and projects to build synergies and to efficiently implement the project.