EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Ex Post Evaluation of the ERDF in Objectives 1 & 2 (2000-2006)

Ex Post Evaluation of the ERDF in Objectives 1 & 2 (2000-2006)

Introduction

The objectives of the evaluation were:

In the EU10, to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of management and implementation systems as well as spill over effects on the overall institutional and administrative culture in these countries;
In the EU15, to examine the added value of cohesion policy management and implementation systems in comparison to national and regional systems; and
To examine the extent to which management and implementation systems support the integration of sustainable development in cohesion policy programmes across the EU.

The eleventh work package assesses the quality of Cohesion policy management and implementation systems across the EU, with a particular focus on the EU10. The following processes were examined: programme design, financial management, project generation, appraisal and selection, monitoring, reporting, evaluation and partnership.

Description

The aim of this study is an ex post evaluation of the management and implementation systems (MIS) for the ERDF in Objective 1 and 2 (2000-2006) in 25 Member States. The study had five objectives:

to establish an overview of MIS of Cohesion policy and their particularities in each of the 25 Member States;
to assess the effectiveness and sustainability of MIS of Cohesion policy in the EU10, and the type, scale and sustainability of spillover effects on the overall institutional and administrative culture in these countries;
to appraise the spillover of Cohesion policy MIS onto national policies in the EU15;
to analyse how MIS support the integration of sustainable development in Cohesion policy programmes across the EU 25 Member States;
to carry out 12 mini case studies of good practice.

The study was initiated in January 2008. It has been condusted with a mix of, mostly qualitative, techniques and analytical tools. It has drawn on the extensive literature of policy and academic research. In-depth insights were obtained through case studies. The research focussed on the key interlinked processes which compose the Cohesion policy MIS, namely: programme design, evaluation, reporting and partnership.

Status

Main findings:

The EU10 successfully put in place management and implementation systems to draw down the EU resources available and to comply with the regulatory framework. However, the combination of demanding regulatory requirements and deficiencies in administrative and institutional capacities led to over-complexity and rigidity of the systems at the expense of their strategic orientation. The systems are still on a learning curve.
Cohesion policy management and implementation systems in the EU15 are efficient but not significantly focussed on performance. Regulatory compliance and maintaining the pace of spending dominated programme management activity. The systems had positive spillover effects on domestic management practice. Their influence was strongest when driven by committed 'policy entrepreneurs' and where the status and weight of Cohesion policy relative to domestic policies was significant.
Cohesion policy management and implementation systems can deliver sustainable development. An overall trend evolved from environmental inclusion towards a broader three-dimensional approach. A momentum for integrating sustainable development was initiated and good practice examples exist in some Member States.

Conclusions

Main lessons learned:

Cohesion policy suffers from a lack of effective 'policy management'. There is a need to better redress the balance between compliance and performance with a stronger focus on delivering the strategic objectives.
The scope for improving the Cohesion policy management and implementation systems is not simply a matter of experience with managing the policy but also depends on the quality of the broader public administration in Member States, at the national and regional level.
Promoting better governance, investing in institutional capacity, embedding a 'learning reflex' within administrations and strengthening leadership in the policy field should be the priority actions aimed to improve the quality and performance orientation of Cohesion policy management and implementation systems.

Publication date

02/11/2009

Links

Downlaod the final report (Eng Pdf 966.9Kb)

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy

Keywords