European Union

Giorgio Butini

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R
Focus Area(s)
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1
Country of Reform
Interviewers
Matthew Devlin
Name
Giorgio Butini
Interviewee's Position
Former Central Coordinator and Deputy Head of Program
Interviewee's Organization
Proxima (EU police mission in Macedonia)
Language
English
Nationality of Interviewee
Italian
Town/City
Skopje
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Abstract

Giorgio Butini, police adviser to the Office of the EUSR/EU Commission Delegation in Skopje, Macedonia, recounts his experiences while serving as central coordinator and deputy head of program for Proxima, the European Union police mission in the former Yugoslav republic.  During 18 years with the Italian State Police, he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel.  Butini discusses the coordination of efforts of various external organizations in the transition from a military to civilian police force in Macedonia.  His reflections about the representation of ethnic Albanians and Macedonians in the reformed police force and his insights into the coordination of efforts between and among external and internal actors contribute to the conversation on structural components of policing reform.

Profile

At the time of this interview, Giorgio Butini was police adviser to the Office of the EUSR/ EU Commission Delegation in Skopje, Macedonia. A lieutenant colonel of the Italian State Police with 18 years of active service, in 2001 he joined the United Nations mission in Kosovo, where he served for more than a year as deputy regional commander in the Pec/Peja Region.  In 2003 he went to Brussels as a police expert during the Italian presidency of the European Union.  In October 2003 he was part of the planning team in Brussels and Skopje that launched Proxima,  the EU police mission in the former Yugoslav republic, where he served for two years, first as central coordinator and then as deputy head of program.  Co-author of a manual on international police missions, he was also a trainer at the European Police Academy beginning in 2002.

Full Audio File Size
37.5MB
Full Audio Title
Giorgio Butini- Full Interview

Ylli Manjani

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Focus Area(s)
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1
Country of Reform
Interviewers
Michael Scharff and Amy Mawson
Name
Ylli Manjani
Language
English/Spanish
Nationality of Interviewee
Albanian
Place (Building/Street)
Gjergji Center
Town/City
Tirana
Country
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Abstract
Ylli Manjani discusses the aim of establishing the Albanian Central Election Commission (CEC) as a constitutional, non-political, body with a clear mandate and immunity.  Manjani goes on to discuss the establishment of a single electoral code as a legal framework for local, parliamentary and national elections.   He cites the involvement of civil society, particularly the Soros Foundation, as well as intergovernmental organizations such as the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), and the Council of Europe as advisors to the committees charged with the design of the CEC and the electoral code.   Manjani discusses challenges with voter registration stemming from the lack of credible civil registries and the resultant duplicate voting. Although Manjani expresses disappointment with what he sees as a step backwards in the politicization of the CEC’s composition, he notes improvement in the area of voter registration, for which he largely credits Ilirjan Celibashi as Chairman of the CEC. Brief mention is made of the role of the police in the security surrounding elections, specifically the government’s decision to keep the police out of polling stations unless invited in by the election commissioners.
 
Profile

At the time of this interview, Ylli Manjani was a legal program assistant with the Institute for Policy and Legal Studies (IPLS), designing and co-managing the IPLS legal policy program and its various projects.  Previous to this position he served as the secretary general of the Council of Ministers and legal adviser to the Albanian Prime Minister.  In this interview, he speaks largely to his work in 1999-2000 as adviser to the Minister for Legislative Reform and later on as head of the Approximation of Legislation Department in the Council of Ministers.  A lawyer by training, Manjani went on to become the deputy minister of Public Work and Transport in Albania.

Full Audio File Size
86MB
Full Audio Title
Ylli Manjani Interview

Focusing on Priority Goals: Strategic Planning in Lithuania, 2000-2004

Author
Jonathan (Yoni) Friedman
Focus Area(s)
Core Challenge
Country of Reform
Abstract

When Andrius Kubilius became prime minister of Lithuania in November 1999, he faced dual crises. Russia’s economic crash a year earlier had thrown Lithuania’s economy into a tailspin, and the government was in danger of losing its ability to borrow on international financial markets after running a large deficit the previous year. Furthermore, the European Commission had informed Lithuania that the country was falling short in its efforts to join the European Union (EU)—a key element in the Baltic state’s economic and political future. Kubilius’ government devised a plan to manage those crises, but systemic weaknesses in the center of government made it difficult to execute the agenda. The government was unable to ensure that line ministries set aside pet projects, was focused on supporting the goal of EU accession, and was unable to channel the government’s diminished resources to the most important projects. To address these challenges, Kubilius instructed State Chancellor Petras Auštrevi?ius and Government Secretary Algirdas Šemeta to reform the policy planning process to focus ministries on EU accession and other strategic goals, and to synchronize the budget and policy planning processes so that government spending flowed more reliably to where it was most needed. With less than a year until elections that were widely expected to bring in new leadership, Auštrevi?ius and Šemeta implemented reforms that put Lithuania back on track in negotiations to join the EU and back on its feet financially. Successive governments led by Lithuania’s other major political parties helped sustain and institutionalize the early gains.

 
Jonathan Friedman drafted this case study based on interviews conducted in Vilnius, Lithuania, during January and February 2012. Case published May 2012.  A separate case study, "Improving the Quality of Decision Making: Fighting Reform Fatigue in Lithuania, 2006-2012," deals with later efforts to engage ministries in strengthening strategic planning.
 
Associated Interview(s):  Gord Evans, Kestutis Rekerta

Improving the Quality of Decision Making: Fighting Reform Fatigue in Lithuania, 2006-2012

Author
Jonathan (Yoni) Friedman
Core Challenge
Country of Reform
Abstract
In 2006, Lithuania was in the midst of its most robust period of economic growth and political stability since independence. The Baltic nation was a model of administrative capacity among new European Union members. But after years of energetic reform, weaknesses started to emerge in the strategic planning system the government had developed to meet the requirements for European Union accession. Civil servants increasingly viewed planning procedures as technical requirements rather than useful tools. And although planning documents proliferated, the system did not provide decision makers with the information required to assess policy impacts and performance. Officials from the prime minister’s office and the Ministry of Finance engaged other ministries in an effort to strengthen the strategic planning system. They refocused government on priority policies and improved the quality of information that decision makers needed. They improved the data management systems, reduced the number of policy priorities and impact assessments required, and empowered ministers in their sectors. In 2008, when a global financial crisis hit, new leaders endorsed and expanded the reform effort. 
 

Jonathan (Yoni) Friedman drafted this case study based on interviews conducted in Vilnius, Lithuania, during January and February 2012. Case published June 2012.  A separate case study, Focusing on Priority Goals: Strategic Planning in Lithuania, 2000-2004,” deals with the initial implementation of the strategic planning system in Lithuania.

Associated Interview(s):  Giedrius Kazakevicius, Kestutis Rekerta