Draft civil service law reworked

The governing coalition has reworked the draft of a new civil service law reflecting a recent compromise agreement reached with the opposition parties. The new proposal does not include the establishment of a public service directorate and an independent public service top official who would govern public administration and be immune from political interference. Under the new proposal, the civil service would fall under the interior ministry, and be overseen by a deputy minister in charge of public administration. The compromise agreement reached with the opposition caused a rift within the governing Social Democratic Party with the Minister for Human Rights Jiří Dienstbier saying the new arrangement would fail to depoliticize the civil service as planned. Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka has defended the compromise on the grounds that the country urgently needs a new civil service law. The new proposal will now be put to the opposition parties.