The handbook "The Civil Service in Europe: A Research Companion" has been published

Over 50 experts from various European countries analyse the changes and reform needs of the civil service in Europe comparatively in about thousand pages. The handbook aims to establish civil service law as part of European constitutional and administrative law and promote a European public administration perspective.

Public service issues were long treated primarily at the national level, which was understandable given the predominantly domestic legal foundations and tasks. However, European legal norms and standards now exert a growing influence on national public service systems. The harmonisation and alignment of national provisions are increasingly gaining importance to effectively carry out supranational tasks. The increasing intertwining of national and European legal systems, as well as the growing role of cross-border administrative cooperation, underscore the need for a thorough analysis of these developments, especially as comprehensive studies on this issue have been lacking thus far.

The handbook aims to fill this research gap and is therefore of great relevance to both academia and practice. Written by experts from different European countries, it offers a transnational and interdisciplinary perspective on the civil service by combining legal analysis with insights from public management, political science, and sociology. It addresses the growing complexity of public administration tasks and the increasing requirements related to the qualification of civil servants, amidst global challenges such as climate change, migration, and technological progress.

The international research project began in early 2021 with the establishment of a network of scholars from different legal traditions and the involvement of practitioners. It was led by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Karl-Peter Sommermann, apl. Prof. Dr. Cristina Fraenkel-Haeberle, and Assistant Professor Dr. habil. Adam Krzywon (University of Warsaw/German Research Institute for Public Administration). In March 2022, the Fritz Thyssen Foundation approved the funding application for the project implementation. Subsequently, an authors’ meeting took place in Speyer from 30 June to 1 July 2022, paving the way for the English-language publication.

The book has been published by Routledge (London) and is also available as an open access publication thanks to a grant from the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Community (BMI). The work aims to be a valuable resource for academia and practice in the field of public service.