The European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA) recently hosted the CAF National Correspondents Meeting at the EIPA office in Maastricht. The meeting, which took place from 25 to 26 April, was attended by over 25 national Correspondents from 12 countries.
The CAF National Correspondents Meeting was held under the Presidency of the Council of the European Union held by Sweden for the first semester of 2023. It marked the annual event where participants share experiences and good practices on the use of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) in their respective countries. Normally this meeting is hosted by the Presidency in the country holding it, so it was an exceptional and great opportunity for EIPA to host it at our premises.
One and a half days were dedicated to the event, with day 1 focusing on the closing of the Project „Strengthening the resilience of public administrations after the COVID-19 crisis with CAF 2020,“ as well as presenting the works of the present and upcoming presidency in the field of Quality in Public Administration. In the afternoon, a round table discussion took place, highlighting the importance of good governance principles in the CAF model.
The CAF tool works and we have proof that it works! It highlights the importance of ‚one shoe does not fit all‘ and CAF makes sure to tailor to each organisation’s unique needs.
The European Commission’s Mina Shoylekova, the Swedish Presidency’s Andreas Hagström, the OECD’s Sara Fyson, our own Director-General Marco Ongaro, and the head of the European CAF Gracia Vara Arribas welcomed everyone with a presentation on the overall findings and outcomes of the projects and how the OECD and the European Commission can support strengthening resilience to future shocks.
During the different meetings, participants had the opportunity to exchange best practices, discuss challenges and opportunities related to CAF implementation, and explore new ideas for future CAF development. They also had the chance to learn about the latest CAF developments and upcoming events.
The correspondents left with new insights, ideas, and contacts. The meeting demonstrated the growing importance of the CAF as a tool for public sector quality management, and the commitment of public sector organisations across Europe to continuous improvement.
If you are interested in learning more about the Common Assessment Framework
The Common Assessment Framework (CAF) is the result of the cooperation among the EU ministers responsible for public administration. It provides a general, simple and easy-to-use framework, which is suitable for a self-assessment of public sector organisations and their development towards excellence: stronger citizen’s orientation, process, resource and performance management and empowerment of employees, whilst fostering transparent and open organisational culture. Find out more about the purpose of the CAF model:
