THE CIVIL SERVANT SYSTEM IN SERBIA AND ITS ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS

Abstract

The questions related to the legal systems of modern states
such as the Republic of Serbia inevitably include the ones regarding the
status of persons who perform duties within the jurisdiction of state
authorities on a professional basis. Civil servants need to have a clear
picture of their position and the overall social significance of the
activities for which they are responsible. The way in which these issues
are regulated significantly influences the selection of personnel, their
motivation, and, consequently, the overall results of the activities they
perform in the public interest.
The focus of our attention in this paper is the segment of state
administration in the Republic of Serbia related to the new civil servant
system, governed by system laws and by-laws. The Civil Service Act of
2005 was the first step taken in several decades, toward certain
codification of the subject matter relevant for civil service employment.
Besides, some completely new methods and mechanisms of modern
human resource management were introduced, which allowed the
functioning of the civil servant system as a whole.
The foundations of the contemporary civil servant systems are
the classification of civil servants, conditions for the employment and its
termination, personnel selection, rights and duties of the civil servants,
upgrading qualifications through training and professional development,
development of personal values and potentials of the civil servants, as
well as the system of promotional practices. The same foundations are
relevant for the civil servant system of the Republic of Serbia.