Citizens usually assess the performance of public administration through their everyday experience, such as the time they spend waiting in queues, how quickly their requests are processed, or the way public officials communicate with them. While these are the most visible indicators of efficiency, the key changes that affect the quality of public services take place within institutions themselves. One of the tools designed to improve these processes is the Common Assessment Framework (CAF), a European quality management framework for the public sector that is increasingly being implemented in Serbia.
CAF is designed as an internal “X-ray” of institutions. Through self-assessment, it helps identify opportunities for improvement in organisational structures, human resource management, and the quality of services provided to citizens and businesses. Its implementation in Serbia has been developed with the support of the European Union, including through the project “EU Support to Public Administration Reform under the Sector Reform Contract”. By organising staff training and providing expert assistance to institutions, the project enabled public administration bodies to systematically assess their performance and identify areas for improvement.
EU support is now taking a step further by seeking to connect CAF with other mechanisms for improving institutional performance.
“The next step is the development of a quality management roadmap for public administration. We have analysed how CAF fits into the internal control system in order to better align objectives and processes and strengthen institutional accountability,” says Thomas Kerscher, EU4PAR project expert.
According to him, the challenge is not the lack of tools, but rather their insufficient integration. In practice, different systems, such as internal control, quality standards and customer feedback mechanisms, often operate in parallel without clear coordination. Similar experiences can be found in other European countries. Belgium, Finland and Croatia are also working to find solutions for bringing different management mechanisms together into a coherent and functional system.
The Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government (MPALSG) sees CAF as a tool for both improving institutional performance and strengthening coordination.
“So far, CAF has been introduced in eight state administration bodies, while four institutions have received the CAF Effective User Label. A second implementation cycle has already started in three institutions,” says Ljiljana Uzelac, Head of the Department for Strategic Planning and e-Government at the Ministry.
However, she notes that results largely depend on institutional leadership. “Management support and investment in staff competencies are crucial for the successful implementation of this model,” she adds.
To support further progress, the EU4PAR project has developed a model that outlines several improvement scenarios, ranging from the current situation, where systems largely operate in parallel, to a fully integrated approach in which all mechanisms are connected and coordinated.
Strengthening the implementation of CAF, embedding it in strategic policy documents, and improving its links with internal control will be among the key priorities in the coming period. A multi-institutional working group is also planned and will, with EU4PAR support, work on selecting the model best suited to Serbia’s needs.
For citizens, these processes may not be immediately visible. Their effects, however, should ultimately result in faster procedures and higher-quality public services.
Ilustration: ReSPA