Article 86Mid-term and ex post evaluation
1.Member States shall establish a system of ongoing evaluation for each rural development programme.
2.The Managing Authority for the programme and the Monitoring Committee shall use ongoing evaluation to:
(a)examine the progress of the programme in relation to its goals by means of result and, where appropriate, impact indicators;
(b)improve the quality of programmes and their implementation;
(c)examine proposals for substantive changes to programmes;
(d)prepare for mid-term and ex post evaluation.
3.From 2008, the Managing Authority shall report each year on the ongoing evaluation activities to the Monitoring Committee. A summary of the activities shall be included in the annual progress report provided for in Article 82.
4.In 2010, ongoing evaluation shall take the form of a separate mid-term evaluation report. That mid-term evaluation shall propose measures to improve the quality of programmes and their implementation.
A summary of the mid-term evaluation reports shall be undertaken on the initiative of the Commission.
5.In 2015, ongoing evaluation shall take the form of a separate ex post evaluation report.
6.The mid-term and ex post evaluations shall examine the degree of utilisation of resources, the effectiveness and efficiency of the programming of the EAFRD, its socioeconomic impact and its impact on the Community priorities. They shall cover the goals of the programme and aim to draw lessons concerning rural development policy. They shall identify the factors which contributed to the success or failure of the programmes’ implementation, including as regards sustainability, and identify best practice.
7.Ongoing evaluation shall be organised on the initiative of the Managing Authorities in cooperation with the Commission. It shall be organised on a multiannual basis and cover the period 2007-2015.
8.The Commission shall organise measures on its initiative to provide training, exchanges of best practice and information for ongoing evaluators, experts in the Member States and Monitoring Committee members, as well as thematic and summary evaluations.