Accenture, the Lisbon Council and the College of Europe Establish Dedicated Centre to Shape and Promote an Innovative Public Sector in Europe
Accenture, the Lisbon Council and the College of Europe Establish Dedicated Centre to Shape and Promote an Innovative Public Sector in Europe
BRUSSELS; Dec. 1, 2009 – Accenture (NYSE: ACN), the Lisbon Council and the College of Europe have established a dedicated centre known as the Government of the Future Centre. In the face of immense pressure on public finances and increased demand for public services, the Government of the Future Centre will provide thought leadership to the EU institutions and national, regional and local governments on key areas of public sector reform. The Government of the Future Centre will focus on developing innovative strategies and solutions that enable public sector organizations to deliver sustainable public services to European citizens.
“Governments are faced with increasing pressure on several fronts including scarcity of resources,” said Antoine Brugidou, Accenture’s Health & Public Service program director for Europe. “The Government of the Future Centre is dedicated to providing pragmatic and actionable solutions designed to help governments and other public service organizations enhance the quality of life of their citizens through delivery of increased and improved public services.”
The Government of the Future Centre will provide thought leadership to EU Institutions and governments and other public service organizations in the EU Member States as they work to transform themselves by raising awareness of the benefits of state transformation and by creating a ‘burning platform’ for dialogue and the exchange of ideas. The Government of the Future Centre will also create a High Level Public Service Network of innovators and advocates for change.
“Society needs more innovation in the public sector -- not just as an antidote to the recession, but as a platform for meeting citizens’ demands in a fast-changing world”, said Paul Hofheinz, president and co-founder of the Lisbon Council. “That’s why the Government of the Future Centre will seek to support, inspire and inform many ongoing European Union initiatives ? from the EU Innovation Act and eGovernment, to Public Health and Eco-Efficiency. We will work to offer inspiring ideas, practical solutions and best practices. Most importantly, we will put the citizen at the centre of our activities, demonstrating that the onset of new technologies and collaborative networks is an opportunity to develop and deploy more targeted services that respond more directly to modern needs “.
The Government of the Future Centre’s initial focus will be on four key areas where reform of the public sector is critical to improve the social and economic conditions of citizens in Europe: improving the provision of healthcare, boosting employment, connecting citizens and governments and enhancing the sustainability of public sector organizations. In the course of the coming year the Government of the Future Centre will undertake a number of significant programs and activities including:
· Hosting a Government of the Future Summit in 2010 with government leaders, opinion leaders, public sector organizations and members of the press.
· Publishing a series of State Transformation Case Studies: working with students from the College of Europe, the case studies will assess the performance of select public sector entities across Europe, formulate recommendations to improve their performance and identify best practices.
· Convening High Level Public Sector Modernization Workshops: the workshops will bring together key leaders from EU institutions, public sector entities from across Europe, stakeholders and citizens to discuss the challenges, opportunities and solutions in key areas of public sector modernization.
“Efficient public services are essential to the sustainability and legitimacy of our socio-economic systems. The Government of the Future Centre will enable students of College of Europe to work on concrete public reform projects in several European countries – a unique opportunity to familiarise potential future leaders with the challenges and opportunities of governance change,” said Jörg Monar, Director of Studies, European Political & Administrative Studies.
About Accenture
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company. 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. With approximately 177,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries, the company generated net revenues of US$21.58 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2009. Its home page is www.accenture.com
About the Lisbon Council
The Lisbon Council is a Brussels-based think tank and policy network, committed to making a positive contribution by engaging political leaders and the public at large in a constructive exchange about Europe’s economic and social future. Incorporated in Belgium a an independent, non-profit and non-partisan association, the Lisbon Council is among Europe’s most authoritative and thoughtful voices on economic modernization and social renewal. Its homepage is www.lisboncouncil.net
About the College of Europe
The College of Europe, founded in 1949 and based in Bruges and Natolin (Warsaw, Poland), was the first and is one of the most reputed institutes of European postgraduate studies, which prepares annually up to 400 students from over 50 countries to work and live in an international environment. The European Political and Administrative Studies programme offers a wide range of courses on the functioning and policies of the European Union. Its homepage is http://www.coleurope.eu.
Contacts:
Claus Wilkki
Accenture
+45 25 28 80 94
Paul Hofheinz
The Lisbon Council
+32 2 647 9575