Historic reform! The MR opens up the senior civil service to all talents and bets on merit and performance for public services that finally live up to expectations!

Reduction in the number of senior managers, openness to talent from civil society, higher entry requirements, outsourced recruitment, strengthened evaluations, results-based pay, … : the Walloon Government and the Government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation adopt the historic reform of the senior civil service at first reading

Just a year after their introduction, 6 months after the decision to put an end to political appointments and 3 months after the appointment of some of the new senior managers, the Walloon Government and the Government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation adopt the historic and joint reform of the senior civil service presented by Minister Jacqueline Galant. “We were elected to carry out long-awaited, long-taboo reforms, to transform our Region. This reform is one of them. I am delighted to have been able to bring this historic reform to fruition, which would not have been possible without ministers deeply driven by the will to reform. The positive future of our administrations starts here. I say to the best managers in every sector: join us, our doors are now wide open! ” says a delighted Minister for the Civil Service, Jacqueline Galant.

A historic reform

This was a strong expectation among citizens, and the Government Policy Statements provided for it: structural changes were needed in our administrations to make them more agile, more attractive and more efficient. Having put an end to appointments in the civil service, with the aim of strengthening equality, attractiveness and internal mobility within the administration, the two governments approved at first reading the reform of senior management in the regional and community civil service, moving towards a genuine paradigm of efficiency and results orientation. This reform pursues the clear objective of changing the administration's culture towards a genuine culture of accountability and efficiency.

The 3 pillars of a new model for a new culture

1. Openness, transparency and excellence

• End of the Public Management Certificate (CMP), which is no longer required to apply for senior management positions.


• Modernised procedure, open to internal and external talent, with objective tests: application file, external and independent assessment, and mandatory hearings by the relevant ministers and the Minister for the Civil Service of candidates deemed suitable by the external consultant.


• Higher entry requirements for senior management positions (see table) (managerial skills, strategic, budgetary and financial management).


• Harmonisation of functions (General Administrator, Director-General, Operational Director and Executive Officer) across the entire Walloon and Wallonia-Brussels Federation civil service.:

• Streamlining of structures and senior management positions (to be defined at second reading)

2. Accountability and performance

• Replacement of the temporary statutory mandate with a permanent contract, with a termination clause upon changes of government.


• Executive Officers (formerly Inspectors-General) benefit from a permanent contract without a termination clause, guaranteeing stability and continuity.


• Introduction of a trust and performance contract, setting out for each entity the strategic objectives, expected results, allocated resources and priorities for the legislature. More agile and easier to implement than the administration contract, it will partly form the basis for evaluations of senior managers.


• Regular evaluations (from 6 months onwards, then 1 to 2 times a year, compared with a maximum of twice per legislature currently) with the possibility of ending the contract in the event of an unfavourable evaluation or two qualified evaluations. The aim is to establish continuous evaluation of senior managers.


• Greater decision-making leeway for managers in HR and budget management. The General Administrator (formerly SG) now holds the highest hierarchical position and has authority over all SPW directorates.

3. Attractiveness and budgetary efficiency

• A modern and competitive remuneration package, based on performance: an increased fixed remuneration and, from the 2nd year onwards, the introduction of variable remuneration corresponding to a maximum percentage of the fixed remuneration, depending on the achievement of annual individual and collective objectives (the amounts will be defined at second reading)


• Guaranteed budgetary neutrality: abolition of the costly and non-functional CMP and streamlining of structures and senior management positions (to be defined at second reading).

Clear and stated objectives

"I've been saying it for months, we need a change of culture in the administration. And that change must start at the top of the ship. With this reform, we want to attract managers capable of instilling a new vision, a new way of working and thinking about service TO the public. This reform aims to break the mould, not place mates. We have civil servants with a great deal of potential: it's up to managers to allow them to bring out the best in themselves. Now I want visible results for citizens," concludes Jacqueline Galant.

List of public administration units affected by the reform

• Service Public de Wallonie;


• Ministry of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation;


• the Entreprise des technologies numériques de l'Information et de la Communication (ETNIC);


• the Institut interréseaux de la Formation professionnelle continue (IFPC);


• the Ecole d'administration publique (EAP);


• the Office francophone de la formation en alternance (OFFA);


• the Office de la Naissance et de l'Enfance (ONE);


• the Service commun d'audit (SCA).


• the Agence wallonne pour la promotion d'une agriculture de qualité (APAQ-W)


• the Agence pour une vie de qualité (AVIQ)


• the Agence wallonne à l'exportation et aux investissements étrangers (AWEX)


• Tourisme Wallonie (TW)


• the Centre régional d'aide aux communes (CRAC)


• the Centre wallon de recherche agronomiques (CRAC-W)


• the Caisse publique d'allocations familiales en Wallonie (FAMIWAL)


• the Office wallon de la formation professionnelle et de l'emploi (FOREM);


• the Institut wallon de la formation en alternance et des indépendants et des petites et moyennes entreprises (IFAPME)


• the Institut scientifique du service public (ISSeP)


• the Office francophone de la formation en alternance (OFFA)


• the Port autonome de Liège (PAL)


• the Société wallonne du crédit social (SWCS)


• the Société wallonne du logement (SWL).