Muitinė ir karjeros tarnyboje problemos

Abstract

Provisions on the further course of the reform of the public service have been laid down in 2001–2004 programme of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. The purpose of these provisions is to optimise the management of human resources and to create conditions for the professional public service more in line with the criteria valid in the European Union. The Customs, as well as other public services, is searching for the functional model of the public service.
The EU countries have old, however, flexible management traditions. They have created individual public service organisation models, quite strictly regulated by laws. Thus, the public service organisation models are different. To achieve the greater efficiency of institutions as well as their officials and in view of the integration processes under implementation, local traditions and other circumstances, the Lithuanian Customs also develops a flexible service model intended for solving the problems of the changing society. The so–called career model seems to be the most popular in the West and is being increasingly introduced in our country. The purpose of this article is to draw the attention of readers to the problems related to the introduction of this service model in the Lithuanian Customs.
The new regulations on qualification requirements for the capacities of the Lithuanian Customs posts' officers are discussed in the article. These regulations were prepared at the beginning of 2003, taking into consideration the Lithuanian Customs' integration processes, activity changes, EU legislation and altering legal basis of the Republic of Lithuania. The procedure for defining the said requirements and main problems that have emerged in the process of forming career levels are introduced by applying the analysis and systematic methods. The main advantages and shortages of these requirements and career system are indicated.
Since these are the first steps on developing the efficient career system, justified career levels and qualification requirements for every capacity within the Lithuanian Customs, the purpose of this article is to continue the analysis of the problems related to defining the qualification requirements started in the previous article “Problems of Defining the Qualification Requirements for the Capacities of the Lithuanian Customs Officials” (Jurisprudence 48 (40)), and to introduce more exhaustively the problems of the selection and contents of the already defined qualification requirements for the capacities of the Lithuanian Customs posts' officials as well as the peculiarities of the official career system.
The capacity evaluation criteria taken into account on preparing the qualification requirements for the capacities of posts officials is introduced in the article. General and special requirements are considered according to the analysis (evaluation) table prepared by the Lithuanian Customs requirements. The emphasis is made on the works to be unavoidably accomplished upon determining the said requirements and with a view to consolidating the permanent career process.
Referring to the problems, suggestions and comments set forth in this article, it should be noted that the above mentioned requirements are the base for the further elaboration of the officials' capacities and duties, development of the career concept, determination of the career levels and career system within the Lithuanian Customs. Therefore, in future it would be necessary (since the improvement of qualification must be an uninterrupted process during the whole period of service) to detail not once the officials' qualification requirements and to determine main priorities, taking into consideration the existing problems.
The management and procedures of the Customs as of any other public service are regulated in every country by special rules, the standards of which are determined by the national constitution, legislation, Government resolutions, statute of service and other regulations. These rules differ from country to country. They depend on the history, traditions of the country, however, they have common features: they cover all management fields; they have to create favourable preconditions for the internal service administration and optimum motivation for officials' activities; they alter and improve constantly subject to the tasks to be solved by the state.
In future, the Customs officials' qualification requirements as one of the career process management tools will need to be constantly improved referring to the experience of our country and other democratic countries. Today, all the afore mentioned works take place slowly due to the changes related to the Lithuania’s accession to the European Union and reorganisation of the Customs activities without being aware of the final results of the changes. However, the conceptual provisions are sufficiently steady and provide for the perspectives of strategic development.
It should be noted that in future young experts, graduates of the Law University of Lithuania, Law and Customs activity and Customs administration studies programmes will be recruited to the service at the Lithuanian Customs. In this context, the qualification requirements of Customs officials would have to be supplemented to create favourable conditions for their integration into the practical activities of the national Customs offices, to contribute to the improvement of the service model.