Blockage in the system
Bureaucrats are not supposed to be fortune-tellers; that was the one sure thing we learned when trying to persuade civil servants to explain what is going to happen to specific businesses once the country has joined the EU. The Business Journal called a number of ministries and official bodies and asked questions concerning EU accession, with specific inquiries, such as the future of small companies or a dentist wanting to get closer to his patients by establishing a practice in a neighbouring German city. What we immediately learned is that if you want to find answers to questions like these, don't bother asking government sources most of the time.
There is a long history of pre-accession countries setting up specific departments staffed with functionaries fresh from crash courses, here and in Brussels, on how to get ready for the EU challenge. Finland, at this stage of the game, had a task force of 8,000 in place. The other joiners in the last round, Sweden and Austria, had similar programmes. Look in vain for one in our country, at least so far.
Hardly any answers contained meaningful content, as we were passed from one office to another, and bounced from one ministry to another. In one case, we were even referred to the TV and radio, because "they know everything." It is clear that the majority of civil servants has simply not been prepared to deal with EU regulations, which raises highly unsettling questions as to what will happen if we actually do join the club. Another puzzle is where do the funds for training civil servants actually end up? Last year, €6 million from the PHARE 2002 programme was transferred for non-government organisations (NGOs) to back up government information programmes. The results are not encouraging.
In order to find out how much money has been spent on bringing the civil servants' knowledge up to the highest standards on EU matters, we tackled the Office of Personnel, Training and Professional Development at the ministry of internal affairs and administration, (pause for breath), and we were bluntly informed: "This is not our business. If it's a European thing, you should call the Office of the Committee for European Integration (OCEI). They organise training courses on Europe for us."
By this stage we were quite used to being treated as a burden to be shifted on to somebody else, so it came as no surprise that at the OCEI we were told that each ministry has its own budget and that is where we should look for information. "They sent you to us?" said an employee at the OCEI. "Ah, you must have spoken to the wrong people. That's the most important thing: to know who to talk to. The best people are the Offices of Personnel, Training and Professional Development at each ministry. Personally, I find that I have no trouble getting this sort of information from the ministries." In this respect, he must be the only person in the country.
We tried to find examples which were not malicious, as we did not want to make the lives of ministry people miserable. We just asked typical questions that could come from real businessmen. Some of the bureaucrats reacted with fright, others on the contrary, adopted a pose designed to deter us.
The Office of the Committee for European Integration and the Delegation of the European Commission were the offices that answered most of our questions promptly and with competence. In other cases, such as at the ministries of finance, agriculture and economy, some of our questions were answered, while some were not. The worst performance was delivered by the ministry of infrastructure, where none of our questions was answered in a way that would at least suggest the intention to be helpful on the part of the civil service. It was also the employees of that ministry whose manners left the most to be desired.
First targeted was the ministry of economy, where we asked what the consequences of EU accession would be for a small transport company. The Department of European Integration was quick to send us to the ministry of infrastructure "because they are connected with transport. The right thing to do is to call them."
At the infrastructure ministry the Department of European Integration's immediate answer was: "Ah, transport. Then I can give you the number to the Department of Road Transport." In reply to our: "Good morning, I have a small company in War-mińsko-Mazurskie voivodship, and I'd like to know about the EU accession and its effect on my company," a voice answered ringing with hope: "Then it's international transport?" We replied: "Well, one of the things I do is transport people to Kaliningrad and I want to ..." Sigh of relief at the other end: "Then it's not my department. Now I can pass you on. Just a moment." The International Road Transport Department told us: "Look here, I don't know. How am I to know what the impact on your company will be? I'm not a fortune-teller. So far as it's transport of passengers, it's another department's business. But I don't know for now, I don't have any information on the effects of the accession. If you really want, I can give you a number to a different place, so that maybe they know. But I don't know. See if they can help. It's the Division of Road Transport of Passengers."
Here, a man, who failed to introduce himself despite being requested to do so, said: "Look, we'll join the EU in 18 months. If it works out at all, nobody knows yet what it'll look like, so I'll tell you nothing."
Business Journal: "Good, but, you know, I've read that competition from the EU will enter the market, so what is it going to be like in my sector?"
Civil servant: "Look, nothing has been signed yet, so we know nothing, it's a long way to go ..."
Business Journal: "Really? Nothing's been signed, but I thought ..."
Civil servant: "Sure, nothing, so I can tell you nothing."
Business Journal: "Yes, but I'm worried about that competition and ..."
Civil servant: "Ah, there are special numbers for that."
Business Journal: "Great, could you give them to me?"
Civil servant: "Those numbers are on the TV and radio all the time. Actually, you should listen to the radio and TV. That's where the information is. They give all the numbers all the time."
Business Journal: "Right, TV and radio. Thank you."
Then we called the ministry of health, trying to find out what a dentist from Słubice on the German border should do to open a practice across the river in Frankfurt am Oder, as the majority of his patients come from this German town anyway. After speaking to three people who sent us on to others, we were told at the fourth time of trying: "If you want to open a practice abroad, you must ask in that country. Maybe there is someone in Poland that has this sort of information, but it's not me, and I don't know if they exist." We replied: "Yes, but I've heard of negotiations concerning nurses working in the EU, so I thought that maybe you know about dentists too." The civil servant responded: "Well, perhaps the Department of Higher Education will help you. They know what foreigners need to work in Poland. Maybe they'll know it the other way round."
Unfortunately, this department was not ready to answer, but willing to help send us on to the International Clearing Office. When we explained what we wanted to find out, the reply was very logical: "It's all very well, but why do you want to find it out from us?" We said: "The ministry sent me." The civil servant replied: "All right then, I'll pass you on to our lawyer."
Here was finally a person willing to help. Although stressing that his actual job was to deal with the settlement of accounts between the national health services of various member states and not with doctors practising privately, he remembered that there are restrictions in place as to employment and services in Germany and Austria in the period immediately following the accession. When told that the dentist had many patients from Germany, he also offered advice on how to help them get refunds from their national health service. Finally, he advised us to write to the ministry with the queries. "Write a letter. It'll cost you nothing. From experience, I guess they'll pass it on to me, and then I'll have a pretext to harass them for information for you, though that's not actually my job," he said.
We then inquired about an architect wanting to participate in a tender for the project of a municipal building in Denmark, which would be decided after May 2004. To get to know what kind of official diplomas and authorisations were required, it took just four calls to the ministry of infrastructure before we were given the phone number of a person competent to say that there would be no restrictions once the country became an EU member, but at present the national qualifications were not valid in the EU.
Next, the problems of a manufacturer of garden dwarfs from the Nowa Sól area. We wanted to know whether the business would be in peril due to the different tax regulations when joining the EU. There was the question of starting production for export, and worries that, following EU accession, higher VAT rates would apply, rendering export unprofitable.
The Department of International Economic Co-operation at the economy ministry knew nothing about possible tax changes, while the third person we spoke to, when asked for sources of information about the EU, suggested brochures available in the ministry's entrance hall. "You live in Wielkopolska? I suggest that a trip to Warsaw, to the ministry, might be worth your while. Especially if you want to export, you've got to be mobile." We asked: "Do I understand that if I come to the ministry in person, I'll be able to get more info?" He replied: "Well, the brochures are there in the hall."
We then called the finance ministry to find out if VAT rates on dwarfs would be changed following EU accession. A young woman promised to check and asked for a call the next day. Then, however, we were told that "the colleague has the day off."
Finally, a reporter called the ministry of agriculture's Department of International Co-operation, with the worries of an egg producer about increasing competition from the EU. We asked where we could get information on what an egg-farm owner should do to move the production to another country, an EU member, of course. Three people were only able to tell us about duties on eggs, but as for the requirements necessary to start production in the EU, we were told: "We can't tell you what conditions you need to meet. It's not the job of our ministry." We asked: "Whose job is it?" The response: "I don't know. Maybe the ministry of treasury. I don't know. I can give you the number to a colleague who knows all about trade duties." We replied: "No, thank you, I've been told all about it."
The reaction we got at the treasury ministry was one of surprise: "I don't think you've reached the right address. Where specifically did the ministry of agriculture send you? To our department? I don't know if I can help you. Could you call back in five minutes?" We were then told: "I really can't think why they sent you to us. We are competent in the field of privatisation, and your query is clearly a matter for the ministry of agriculture. If they can't help you, I don't know who can."
There is a long history of pre-accession countries setting up specific departments staffed with functionaries fresh from crash courses, here and in Brussels, on how to get ready for the EU challenge. Finland, at this stage of the game, had a task force of 8,000 in place. The other joiners in the last round, Sweden and Austria, had similar programmes. Look in vain for one in our country, at least so far.
Hardly any answers contained meaningful content, as we were passed from one office to another, and bounced from one ministry to another. In one case, we were even referred to the TV and radio, because "they know everything." It is clear that the majority of civil servants has simply not been prepared to deal with EU regulations, which raises highly unsettling questions as to what will happen if we actually do join the club. Another puzzle is where do the funds for training civil servants actually end up? Last year, €6 million from the PHARE 2002 programme was transferred for non-government organisations (NGOs) to back up government information programmes. The results are not encouraging.
In order to find out how much money has been spent on bringing the civil servants' knowledge up to the highest standards on EU matters, we tackled the Office of Personnel, Training and Professional Development at the ministry of internal affairs and administration, (pause for breath), and we were bluntly informed: "This is not our business. If it's a European thing, you should call the Office of the Committee for European Integration (OCEI). They organise training courses on Europe for us."
By this stage we were quite used to being treated as a burden to be shifted on to somebody else, so it came as no surprise that at the OCEI we were told that each ministry has its own budget and that is where we should look for information. "They sent you to us?" said an employee at the OCEI. "Ah, you must have spoken to the wrong people. That's the most important thing: to know who to talk to. The best people are the Offices of Personnel, Training and Professional Development at each ministry. Personally, I find that I have no trouble getting this sort of information from the ministries." In this respect, he must be the only person in the country.
We tried to find examples which were not malicious, as we did not want to make the lives of ministry people miserable. We just asked typical questions that could come from real businessmen. Some of the bureaucrats reacted with fright, others on the contrary, adopted a pose designed to deter us.
The Office of the Committee for European Integration and the Delegation of the European Commission were the offices that answered most of our questions promptly and with competence. In other cases, such as at the ministries of finance, agriculture and economy, some of our questions were answered, while some were not. The worst performance was delivered by the ministry of infrastructure, where none of our questions was answered in a way that would at least suggest the intention to be helpful on the part of the civil service. It was also the employees of that ministry whose manners left the most to be desired.
First targeted was the ministry of economy, where we asked what the consequences of EU accession would be for a small transport company. The Department of European Integration was quick to send us to the ministry of infrastructure "because they are connected with transport. The right thing to do is to call them."
At the infrastructure ministry the Department of European Integration's immediate answer was: "Ah, transport. Then I can give you the number to the Department of Road Transport." In reply to our: "Good morning, I have a small company in War-mińsko-Mazurskie voivodship, and I'd like to know about the EU accession and its effect on my company," a voice answered ringing with hope: "Then it's international transport?" We replied: "Well, one of the things I do is transport people to Kaliningrad and I want to ..." Sigh of relief at the other end: "Then it's not my department. Now I can pass you on. Just a moment." The International Road Transport Department told us: "Look here, I don't know. How am I to know what the impact on your company will be? I'm not a fortune-teller. So far as it's transport of passengers, it's another department's business. But I don't know for now, I don't have any information on the effects of the accession. If you really want, I can give you a number to a different place, so that maybe they know. But I don't know. See if they can help. It's the Division of Road Transport of Passengers."
Here, a man, who failed to introduce himself despite being requested to do so, said: "Look, we'll join the EU in 18 months. If it works out at all, nobody knows yet what it'll look like, so I'll tell you nothing."
Business Journal: "Good, but, you know, I've read that competition from the EU will enter the market, so what is it going to be like in my sector?"
Civil servant: "Look, nothing has been signed yet, so we know nothing, it's a long way to go ..."
Business Journal: "Really? Nothing's been signed, but I thought ..."
Civil servant: "Sure, nothing, so I can tell you nothing."
Business Journal: "Yes, but I'm worried about that competition and ..."
Civil servant: "Ah, there are special numbers for that."
Business Journal: "Great, could you give them to me?"
Civil servant: "Those numbers are on the TV and radio all the time. Actually, you should listen to the radio and TV. That's where the information is. They give all the numbers all the time."
Business Journal: "Right, TV and radio. Thank you."
Then we called the ministry of health, trying to find out what a dentist from Słubice on the German border should do to open a practice across the river in Frankfurt am Oder, as the majority of his patients come from this German town anyway. After speaking to three people who sent us on to others, we were told at the fourth time of trying: "If you want to open a practice abroad, you must ask in that country. Maybe there is someone in Poland that has this sort of information, but it's not me, and I don't know if they exist." We replied: "Yes, but I've heard of negotiations concerning nurses working in the EU, so I thought that maybe you know about dentists too." The civil servant responded: "Well, perhaps the Department of Higher Education will help you. They know what foreigners need to work in Poland. Maybe they'll know it the other way round."
Unfortunately, this department was not ready to answer, but willing to help send us on to the International Clearing Office. When we explained what we wanted to find out, the reply was very logical: "It's all very well, but why do you want to find it out from us?" We said: "The ministry sent me." The civil servant replied: "All right then, I'll pass you on to our lawyer."
Here was finally a person willing to help. Although stressing that his actual job was to deal with the settlement of accounts between the national health services of various member states and not with doctors practising privately, he remembered that there are restrictions in place as to employment and services in Germany and Austria in the period immediately following the accession. When told that the dentist had many patients from Germany, he also offered advice on how to help them get refunds from their national health service. Finally, he advised us to write to the ministry with the queries. "Write a letter. It'll cost you nothing. From experience, I guess they'll pass it on to me, and then I'll have a pretext to harass them for information for you, though that's not actually my job," he said.
We then inquired about an architect wanting to participate in a tender for the project of a municipal building in Denmark, which would be decided after May 2004. To get to know what kind of official diplomas and authorisations were required, it took just four calls to the ministry of infrastructure before we were given the phone number of a person competent to say that there would be no restrictions once the country became an EU member, but at present the national qualifications were not valid in the EU.
Next, the problems of a manufacturer of garden dwarfs from the Nowa Sól area. We wanted to know whether the business would be in peril due to the different tax regulations when joining the EU. There was the question of starting production for export, and worries that, following EU accession, higher VAT rates would apply, rendering export unprofitable.
The Department of International Economic Co-operation at the economy ministry knew nothing about possible tax changes, while the third person we spoke to, when asked for sources of information about the EU, suggested brochures available in the ministry's entrance hall. "You live in Wielkopolska? I suggest that a trip to Warsaw, to the ministry, might be worth your while. Especially if you want to export, you've got to be mobile." We asked: "Do I understand that if I come to the ministry in person, I'll be able to get more info?" He replied: "Well, the brochures are there in the hall."
We then called the finance ministry to find out if VAT rates on dwarfs would be changed following EU accession. A young woman promised to check and asked for a call the next day. Then, however, we were told that "the colleague has the day off."
Finally, a reporter called the ministry of agriculture's Department of International Co-operation, with the worries of an egg producer about increasing competition from the EU. We asked where we could get information on what an egg-farm owner should do to move the production to another country, an EU member, of course. Three people were only able to tell us about duties on eggs, but as for the requirements necessary to start production in the EU, we were told: "We can't tell you what conditions you need to meet. It's not the job of our ministry." We asked: "Whose job is it?" The response: "I don't know. Maybe the ministry of treasury. I don't know. I can give you the number to a colleague who knows all about trade duties." We replied: "No, thank you, I've been told all about it."
The reaction we got at the treasury ministry was one of surprise: "I don't think you've reached the right address. Where specifically did the ministry of agriculture send you? To our department? I don't know if I can help you. Could you call back in five minutes?" We were then told: "I really can't think why they sent you to us. We are competent in the field of privatisation, and your query is clearly a matter for the ministry of agriculture. If they can't help you, I don't know who can."
