This study analyses the current system of decentralised administrative support and coordination within the European Commission, focussing particularly on organisational efficiency in Human resources management and in External Communication as well as on staff perceptions in general. It includes...

EU decentralised agencies are submitted to some financial and administrative requirements initially established for the EU Institutions (e.g. arising from Staff Regulation, Financial Regulation). Given the size of most of them, a significant proportion of their staff is dealing with...

This Final Report presents the outcome of the “Thematic global evaluation of the Commission support to decentralisation processes”. The Evaluation was commissioned by the DG DEVCO Evaluation Unit and was implemented between January 2010 and February 2012. The purpose of the evaluation is to...

This guidance provides a comprehensive overview of the TALD analytical framework that is meant to help EU delegations assess the policy, institutional and technical capacity constraints affecting territorial development in a given context; and to determine where and how they can best intervene...

This Country Focus discusses the relation between public investment and economic growth in Poland. Theoretical and empirical work has shown that improvements in the quantity and quality of public infrastructure have a positive impact on growth in the medium and, possibly, in the long run. The...

Following several years of low growth Germany is presently enjoying a relatively strong recovery. With unemployment falling at record speed and fiscal consolidation progressing, the upswing is set to continue in spite of uncertainties surrounding the VAT increase of January 2007. This Country...

The Czech financial sector has changed dramatically since transition. In fifteen years, it has developed from a state-owned mono-bank into a privatised bank-based financial system with developing capital and private equity markets. This country focus analyses the development of the financial...

Traditional theory about international business suggests that companies first establish a solid home market and go global only in later stages of their life cycle. However, this view is challenged by research that shows that some firms internationalise quickly after start-up – so-called...