Slovenian Criteria on Top Public Officials Selection: Theory, Regulation, Implementation and Case Law 2003-2011

The paper presents the procedures for the selection of top-ranking officials pursuant to the Civil Servants Act, applied in the work of the Officials Council of the Republic of Slovenia and its special competition commissions between 2003 and 2011. Seven years from the adoption of the Civil Servants Act and the first Standards of Professional Qualifications, Selection Criteria and Testing Methods, the Officials Council revised the Standards with due consideration of the development of human resource management, the experience in administration, and case law. The new Standards apply to all open competitions published since January 2011 and relate to both selection criteria and methods for the evaluation of candidates’ eligibility, since a legitimate and most suitable recruitment is only possible based on a combination of both substantive and procedural law. The revised Standards redefine the elements of candidates’ qualification for top positions, bringing professional knowledge of the field concerned and managerial experience or skills on an equal footing. The procedure is now more flexible and particular attention is paid to non-discrimination of candidates. The revision of the Standards contributes to meeting the constitutional objective of the selection of the best candidate for the performance of public tasks, while an amendment of the above Act will be necessary for any further development.