More than 20 years have passed since the introduction of the pilot version of the CAF model. Its creation was the result of the cooperation among the EU Ministers responsible for Public Administration. However, institutions at European level work in close cooperation with the network of CAF national correspondents, thus any changes within it are the result of a broad consensus.
European Public Administration Network - EUPAN
EUPAN is an informal network of the Directors General (DGs) responsible for public administration in the Member States of the European Union, the European Commission (EC) and observer countries. The main objective of the network is to make cooperation among European public administrations more relevant and focused, and to find an effective way of selecting topics of interest for a common agenda in line with MS and EU level priorities.
The uniqueness of EUPAN lies in its role to facilitate its members in their exchange and sharing of views, experiences, tools and best practices on certain topics and areas of interest. Moreover, EUPAN fosters the development of common tools, activities and/or visions that are utilized among all its members. One of them is the CAF model, the revisions of which are being approved at the EUPAN meetings.
European Institute for Public Administration - EIPA
All activities related to the CAF model are covered at European level by the European Institute of Public Administration, headquartered in Maastricht, which was created in 1981 on the occasion of the first European Council. EIPA is supported by the EU Member States and the European Commission. EIPA's portfolio of activities is broad and includes, for example, the provision of cross-national and cross-institutional comparative, analytical perspectives on EU policies, which makes EIPA one of the longest-standing experts in EU public affairs. European CAF Resource Centre also operates within EIPA.
CAF Resource Centre (CAF RC) headquartered in Maastricht
The creation of the CAF stimulated also the creation of the CAF Resource Centre based at the European Institute of Public Administration in Maastricht, which actively cooperates with a network of National CAF Correspondents. The mission of the CAF RC is:
The network of National CAF Correspondents and CAF Expert Working Group
The development and updating of the model from a professional point of view is performed by the CAF Expert Working Group, which is composed of National CAF Correspondents from the Member States of the European Union. The Slovak Republic is in the working group represented by a National Correspondent, who is a representative of the Slovak Office of Standards, Metrology and Testing.