Yes, Global Minister: Towards Modernization of EU-Global Public Administration
Yes, Global Minister: Towards Modernization of EU-Global Public Administration

Summary/Abstract: Public servants are at times portrayed as appeasing political masters while aiming for illegitimate political and personal interests (an example that was featured in the British comedy “Yes, Minister”). This misperception demonstrates the balancing act required by public administrations, especially if they truly seek to serve the public. Adding inter- national law, global governance and modernization to the melting pot of EU members renders matters particularly challenging. The paper explores the issues’ theoretical and practical perspectives.Debate begins by examining international law and globalization components of global governance relevant to domestic public administration, including global administra- tive law. This definitional stage is followed by theorizing on how developments affect EU members’ public administration. Moving from theory to practice, the paper next discusses influences of the new global governance, non-state actors on public adminis- tration structures, legal environments and interrelationships. We end the discussion by offering policy proposals, food for thought and proposals for future research directions. In the past, European public servants were subject only to local laws serving local con- stituencies. Today, the same public servants are an integral part of an EU-Global mod- ern public administration serving the globe. This development creates great uncertain- ties, but with proper policies it can be a true blessing for both public administration and the EU-Global public.

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