European Commission, World Bank, and Romanian Government Join Efforts to develop a digital competency framework for the Romanian civil servants

The European Commission, the World Bank, and the Government of Romania, through the National Agency for Civil Servants (NACS), the Authority for Digitalization of Romania (ADR), and the National Institute of Administration (NIA), are teaming up to boost the digital skills of the Romanian civil servants. Together, they are launching the project Developing a general digital competence framework for Civil Servants, aimed at closing current skill gaps and supporting Romania's and the EU's digitalization goals. The project is funded by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument, and it will run through January 2026.

“A digital-ready administration needs civil servants with the right digital skillset. We are looking forward to developing with the World Bank and the Romanian authorities a successful digital competence model to serve not only the Romanian civil service but also as good example for other EU Member States in seeking a digital-ready administration. DG REFORM is proud to continues its longtime support for structural reforms of the Romanian public administration.” said Kjartan BJÖRNSSON, Deputy Director & Head of Unit Governance and Public Administration, European Commission.

In close partnership with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) and beneficiary institutions, the World Bank will provide technical support to the Romanian Government in several key areas. This includes the design of a digital competency framework and support for preparing its testing and introduction, informed by successful models in similar contexts and tailored to meet the current and future needs of the Romanian civil service. This effort aims to modernize the Romanian public administration through improved digital capabilities, drawing on the World Bank's proven track record in facilitating digital transformation and reform. Technical support will also be provided for capacity-building programs to ensure the effective implementation of the digital competency framework in Romania as well as lessons for introducing similar digital competence framework in other EU Member States. 

“The World Bank is pleased to continue its support to the Government of Romania to build a high-performing public administration, in line with our new five-year Country Partnership Framework for Romania. Previous World Bank technical assistance helped the Government develop a competency framework for the civil service, a stepping stone towards a competency-based human resource management in Romania’s public administration. The digital competency framework to be developed under this partnership aims to further Romania’s ambitions to modernize the public administration by improving digital capabilities, in line with national and EU targets” said Alanna SIMPSON, Interim Country Manager for Romania, World Bank.

“Human resources management in public administration needs to be revitalized to attract and retain talented people in the civil service and to offer them adequate development opportunities, working environment and infrastructure to encourage performance at the highest level. The National Agency of Civil Servants has embarked on an extensive reform in this respect. The direction of all our endeavors is a citizen-oriented public administration, encompassing the transitions we are going through, with the speed of digital developments generating an increasingly urgent need to adapt our public sector. Our constant efforts carry on towards the professional development of civil servants: after introducing the competency framework into the Romanian system, we continue enhancing it with those essential digital skills on the path of transforming digital challenges into development opportunities”, said Vasile-Felix COZMA, President of the National Agency of Civil Servants.                                 

“The Authority for Digitalization of Romania is joining in the effort of augmenting digital skills in the public sector and builds its contribution on its previous relevant recent work and findings, on current digitalization projects as well as on the prospective evolution of technology. Digital knowledge, skills and competences across all economic sectors and layers of society are critical for supporting national competitiveness. The public administration is called to contribute greatly and swiftly to achieving this objective, given the rapid evolution of digital technologies and of societal expectations for modern public services, facilitated by secure and trustworthy technology.” said Dragos-Cristian Vlad, President.

”At INA, we are dedicated to not just keeping pace with digital transformation, but to actively shaping the future of public administration. We believe that empowering our civil servants with advanced digital skills is the cornerstone of creating an agile and innovative government. This initiative is a significant step towards building a forward-thinking administration, capable of delivering smarter, more effective public services. Our vision is to lay the foundation for a digitally advanced public sector that anticipates and meets the demands of tomorrow." said Ioana-Roxana MELENCIUC-IOAN, President, National Institute of Administration (INA).

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