The COVID-19 crisis was a significant stress test for public administrations, challenging - like never before - the capacity of public sector organisations to respond to emergencies while achieving their goals and priorities. It also provided a unique learning opportunity, as public sector organisations adapted to new circumstances and permanently changed the way they interacted, operated, and delivered services.

This policy paper provides a comprehensive analysis of the responses and adaptations of public sector organisations to the COVID-19 crisis, with a focus on 11 EU Member States (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, and Spain). It assesses the resilience of public sector organisations through the lens of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) model, a quality management tool used across EU Member States and beyond to self-evaluate organisational operations and performance.