New public management (NPM) proposes to redefine politico-administrative relations based on the differentiation between the development and execution of public policies that is typical of the “executive agencies” model. A comparative analysis of the effects of NPM in four European countries (B, F, NL, and RU) reveals mixed results for the changes observed in the roles of senior civil servants and their position relative to political power. The change in politico-administrative relations in each of these countries is determined both by general factors associated with the political system that have been forged throughout the country’s political and administrative history (for example, the State’s legitimacy), and specific factors connected with the status, role, or social position of senior civil servants (e.g., the duration of their appointment).