On the occasion of the presentation of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) to institutions in Serbia and the exchange of experiences between institutions that have already implemented the said quality management model, an open CAF Info Day was held today in Novi Sad. In addition to representatives of the institutions of the Republic of Serbia and representatives of Local Self-Government Units, the event was attended by the most eminent experts from the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), as the European CAF Center, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA) , the Austrian Center for Public Administration Research (KDZ) and experts from the country and the region.
In the introductory part of the event, the State Secretary at the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Čedomir Rakić, and Director of ReSPA, Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova, have addressed the attendees. Today’s event was also an opportunity for the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes of the Republic of Serbia to be awarded the CAF certificate under the label “Effective CAF-USER”.
Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Aleksandar Martinović, PhD, the State Secretary Čedomir Rakić has pointed out that the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, as the bearer of Public Administration Reform, is an institution that systematically coordinates the process of introducing the Common Assessment Framework, the CAF model of quality standards, in public administration in the Republic of Serbia.
“Within the framework of the current Public Administration Reform Strategy, we have established that in order to improve the quality and modernization of our institutions, and therefore for the benefit of our citizens and the economy, it would be beneficial to implement a quality management model in the domestic administration which will help the authorities and guide them in the direction of continuously raising the cost-efficiency, efficiency and effectiveness of their work, as well as to provide higher-quality services”, Rakić has said and added that CAF will be introduced in eight institutions of the Republic of Serbia by the end of 2023.
Pointing out that one of the basic principles of CAF is to lead primarily by one’s own example in respect of quality, the State Secretary has emphasized that the Self-Assessment Team at the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, based on practical experience in implementation, saw how much this model can help in strengthening the strategic planning and implementation of policies and programmes, with better internal and external communication.
The Director of ReSPA, Maja Handjiska-Trendafilova, has underlined that today’s event is a clear reflection of the growing interest in quality management in the region.
“With the strong support of the Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government and our respected partners from Europe, we want to inspire public institutions in Serbia to implement CAF. The Regional Center for Quality Management ReSPA has successfully implemented CAF in 15 institutions, training over 300 employees who now apply CAF principles. Also, we initiated six PEF procedures which resulted in the awarding of two CAF certificates to two institutions in the region, among which the first one is from the Republic of Serbia. We are extremely pleased that today we will award the CAF label to the Agency for Peaceful Settlement of Labour Disputes of the Republic of Serbia, as the first institution from Serbia to receive it”, Handjiska-Trendafilova has pointed out and said that ReSPA remains at the disposal of institutions from Serbia and the region in the implementation of CAF and PEF procedures, according to available resources and plans.
The Republic of Serbia has successfully implemented the CAF European model of quality management in eight institutions, and in 2021, the region received a regional CAF Center through the Regional School of Public Administration (ReSPA).
Photo gallery – source: MDULS
