The initiative came about following contacts between the executive director of the Institute of Public Administration and European Integration of Sofia and the director of SDO.

The theme of the training, which was held over three days, was Leadership for the Management of Change in Anticipation of EU Membership. Presentations dealt with change initiatives undertaken by the Maltese public service, change programmes that are in place and the structures set up to implement these changes, particularly those set up in anticipation of EU membership. The programme was presented as Malta’s experience of introducing innovation through initiatives linked to both its domestic and EU

agendas.

The participants expressed their appreciation for the training, many of them stating that they had learnt a lot from their visit and would be applying their new knowledge in their work.

The training indicates that Malta’s experience of public service reform is regarded by other countries as an example of good practice which deserves to be studied and emulated. Indeed, in recent years the Commonwealth Secretariat has used the Maltese public service as one of its models of good practice in administrative reform.