CoE Workshop: National coordination for Calls for Contributions (CfCs)

The CoE organised a workshop on the topic National coordination for Calls for Contributions (CfCs) on 26 April 2022. The workshop provided a platform for EU Member States to exchange information and identify challenges and views on their respective national systems for coordination for CfCs. 

Responding timely and with eligible candidates to a CfC to second personnel to a civilian CSDP mission is a challenge that many EU Member States share. It requires a well-structured national secondment system where:  

  • relevant line ministries and agencies cooperate and closely coordinate their activities 

  • eligible candidates are pre-identified through internal roasters or other structures 

  • the national selection is balanced from a gender perspective and  

  • participating in civilian CSDP missions is an integrated part of expert’s career paths 

In addition, a proper legal and budgetary framework needs to be in place to support the system. 

© CoE - Seconded National Experts Tomas Meškauskas, Elisabetta Spoti and Karin Limdal (left to right)

Approximately 50 participants from 16 EU Member States discussed their respective systems regarding the coordination for CfCs and exchanged good practices. The Netherlands, Portugal and Romania outlined different aspects of their national systems when it comes to responding to CfCs. These included highlighting the flexibility offered by using expert pools, utilising a structured system of recording successful and not-successful candidates that can provide feedback to help increase the success rate, and underlining how strategic communication and a proper legislative framework are cornerstones of a successful national system for secondments.  

The operational headquarters of the currently 11 civilian CSDP missions, the Civilian Planning and Conduct Capability (CPCC), highlighted pitfalls to avoid for Member States when it comes to national coordination for CfCs and pointed out several potential solutions. Those included designating more administrators to the EU recruitment platform Goalkeeper, making sure to transfer national pools of experts into Goalkeeper, and preparing experts well for upcoming CfCs.  

Following the presentations, the participants engaged in discussions, including on the possibility to extend the contracts beyond the current one-year standard, longer deadlines in responding to CfCs, and the option to single out specific vacancies when they come up rather than waiting for the next regular CfC. There was a general sense that Member States should take the opportunity to discuss those matters in the process leading up to the agreement on a new civilian CSDP Compact early summer 2023.  

The workshop was organised by Elisabetta Spoti, Seconded National Expert from Italy, Tomas Meškauskas, Seconded National Expert from Lithuania and Karin Limdal, Seconded National Expert from Sweden in close collaboration with the Netherlands, represented by Sladjana Cemerikic, from the Dutch MFA and Portugal, represented by Vasco Ferreira from the Portugese MFA.  

To find out more about the workshop, please contact Tomas Meškauskas, tomas.meskaukas@coe-civ.eu 

 

Related on the Knowledge Hub:

Workshop Report: National Coordination for Calls for Contributions