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

CHAPTER II U.K. Evaluation

Article 54 U.K. General Provisions

1. Evaluations shall be carried out to improve the quality of the design and implementation of programmes, as well as to assess their effectiveness, efficiency and impact. The impact of programmes shall be evaluated, in the light of the mission of each ESI Fund, in relation to the targets under the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and, having regard to the size of the programme, in relation to GDP and unemployment in the programme area concerned, where appropriate.

2. Member States shall provide the resources necessary for carrying out evaluations, and shall ensure that procedures are in place to produce and collect the data necessary for evaluations, including data related to common and where appropriate programme-specific indicators.

3. Evaluations shall be carried out by internal or external experts that are functionally independent of the authorities responsible for programme implementation. The Commission shall provide guidance on how to carry out evaluations, immediately following the entry into force of this Regulation.

4. All evaluations shall be made available to the public.

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.

Article 56 U.K. Evaluation during the programming period

1. An evaluation plan shall be drawn up by the managing authority or Member State and may cover more than one programme. It shall be submitted in accordance with the Fund-specific rules.

2. Member States shall ensure that appropriate evaluation capacity is available.

3. During the programming period, the managing authority shall ensure that evaluations, including evaluations to assess effectiveness, efficiency and impact, are carried out for each programme on the basis of the evaluation plan and that each evaluation is subject to appropriate follow-up in accordance with the Fund-specific rules. At least once during the programming period, an evaluation shall assess how support from the ESI Funds has contributed to the objectives for each priority. All evaluations shall be examined by the monitoring committee and sent to the Commission.

4. The Commission may carry out, at its own initiative, evaluations of programmes. It shall inform the managing authority and the results shall be sent to the managing authority and provided to the monitoring committee concerned.

5. Paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of this Article shall not apply to the dedicated programmes referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph of Article 39(4).

Article 57 U.K. Ex post evaluation

1. The ex post evaluations shall be carried out by the Commission, or by the Member States in close cooperation with the Commission. Ex post evaluations shall examine the effectiveness and efficiency of the ESI Funds and their contribution to the Union strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth taking account of the targets established in that Union strategy and in accordance with specific requirements established in the Fund-specific rules.

2. Ex post evaluations shall be completed by 31 December 2024.

3. The ex-post evaluation of the dedicated programmes referred to in point (b) of the first subparagraph of Article 39(4) shall be carried out by the Commission and completed by 31 December 2019.

4. For each of the ESI Funds, the Commission shall prepare, by 31 December 2025, a synthesis report outlining the main conclusions of ex-post evaluations.

(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).