College of Europe Students present Best Practice European State Transformation Case Studies at Government of the Future Summit

The Government of the Future Centre, a partnership among Accenture, College of Europe, the Lisbon Council has announced today, at its annual Summit in Brussels, the overall winner of its "Tomorrow’s Leaders Evaluate Today’s Challenges” student programme. The prize was presented to a team of four College of Europe master’s degree students by Pierre Nanterme, Accenture CEO, Meglena Kuneva, former European commissioner for consumer affairs and Paul Demaret, rector of the College of Europe.

The winning study examined the ‘Conselleria De Sanitat’ (Regional Health Authority) in Valencia, Spain, a region that has created one of the most elaborate and advanced public private partnership (PPP) structure in the healthcare sector in Europe – a unique model with public financing and government control and ownership of the healthcare facilities, but with private management and delivery of citizen services.

The award programme provides 20 students, selectively chosen from across the department of political and administrative studies at the College of Europe, with the opportunity to work as part of a team on ‘real-life’ public-sector case studies, to assess the performance of public administrations across different European countries and formulate recommendations to improve performance. This year, the four ‘best practice’ case studies chosen for analysis from across the Accenture client network came from Spain (Integrated Health Services Organisation – Valencia), Italy (Italian National Institute for Social Insurance), Belgium (Federal Public Service Social Security) and Norway (Norwegian Tax Administration).

Ann Mettler, executive director of the Lisbon Council said, "For sure, today’s young people will be key to re-think and re-design how the state functions, to improve services based on the latest know-how and technology, and to make deliverables more citizen-centric and user-friendly. The case studies prepared by four outstanding student teams from the College of Europe are the product of sharp analyses, astute interviewing and collaborative ingenuity. They are proof that a curious, open mind can bring to the fore new answers and productive solutions, and are a welcome reminder that the future is now. In this spirit, I want to thank the College of Europe students for their outstanding contribution to our reflection on the future of government taking place at this Summit.”

As the students pursued their projects throughout the academic year, they were coached by a team of top executives from Accenture, as well as by the Government Executive Innovation Circle, a Government of the Future Centre based community.

"I congratulate all the student teams for their excellent work in getting to the heart of many of the issues facing governments across Europe, including employment, welfare and benefit programmes, healthcare and public finances," said Pierre Nanterme, Accenture CEO. "Their case studies brought fresh thinking and practical, actionable recommendations for government leaders focused on public service transformation. This exercise is a wonderful opportunity for students to sharpen the analytical skills they will need to succeed in their future careers.”

In attendance at the Summit were many high-level public sector policy makers and thought leaders from across Europe including the Honourable Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of Luxembourg and president of Eurogroup. The four students within the winning team were Valérie Enjolras (France), Gonzalo Herrera Domínguez (Spain), Luigi Fabbri (Italy), Alessia Guarino (Italy) and Can Mindek (Turkey).

Professor Jörg Monar, director, political and administrative studies within the College of Europe added, "Public service reform has become a necessity in Europe – and one of increasing urgency, aimed at delivering more efficient services within a tighter budgetary framework – and not just focussed on downsizing. The College of Europe is grateful for the opportunity which the Government of the Future Centre programme offers students to work on concrete reform projects as part of their studies allowing them to explore all possible ways to maintain and improve public services in Europe. These case studies showcase the potential of young innovative thinking and a wealth of new ideas which Europe needs right now.”

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 215,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$21.6 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2010. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

About the Government of the Future Centre: Founded in 2009 as a centre of excellence and practitioner-driven community, the Government of the Future Centre is dedicated to providing pragmatic and actionable solutions designed to help government agencies and other public-service organisations improve the social, economic and health outcomes of the people they serve through delivery of increased and improved public services. It is a new kind of ideas and solutions hub that recognises the interdisciplinary nature of state transformation and public-sector modernisation. Its three founding partners – Accenture, the College of Europe and the Lisbon Council –bring a broad range of experiences and knowledge, backed by strong research capabilities, to this fast-growing public service community. Home page is www.governmentofthefuture.net.

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