Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

Article 55 U.K. Ex ante evaluation

1. Member States shall carry out ex ante evaluations to improve the quality of the design of each programme.

2. Ex ante evaluations shall be carried out under the responsibility of the authority responsible for the preparation of the programmes. They shall be submitted to the Commission at the same time as the programme, together with an executive summary. The Fund-specific rules may establish thresholds below which the ex ante evaluation may be combined with the evaluation for another programme.

3. Ex ante evaluations shall appraise:

(a) the contribution to the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, having regard to the selected thematic objectives and priorities, taking into account national and regional needs and potential for development as well as lessons drawn from previous programming periods;

(b) the internal coherence of the proposed programme or activity and its relationship with other relevant instruments;

(c) the consistency of the allocation of budgetary resources with the objectives of the programme;

(d) the consistency of the selected thematic objectives, the priorities and corresponding objectives of the programmes with the CSF, the Partnership Agreement and the relevant country specific recommendations adopted in accordance with Article 121(2) TFEU and where appropriate at national level, the National Reform Programme;

(e) the relevance and clarity of the proposed programme indicators;

(f) how the expected outputs will contribute to results;

(g) whether the quantified target values for indicators are realistic, having regard to the support envisaged from the ESI Funds;

(h) the rationale for the form of support proposed;

(i) the adequacy of human resources and administrative capacity for management of the programme;

(j) the suitability of the procedures for monitoring the programme and for collecting the data necessary to carry out evaluations;

(k) the suitability of the milestones selected for the performance framework;

(l) the adequacy of planned measures to promote equal opportunities between men and women and to prevent any discrimination, in particular as regards accessibility for persons with disabilities;

(m) the adequacy of planned measures to promote sustainable development;

(n) measures planned to reduce the administrative burden on beneficiaries.

4. Ex ante evaluations shall incorporate, where appropriate, the requirements for strategic environmental assessment set out in Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council(1) taking into account climate change mitigation needs.

(1)

Directive 2001/42/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 June 2001 on the assessment of the effects of certain plans and programmes on the environment (OJ L 197, 21.7.2001, p. 30).