Regulation (EU) No 508/2014 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

CHAPTER VI U.K. Monitoring, evaluation, information and communication

Section 1 U.K. Establishment and objectives of a common monitoring and evaluation system

Article 107 U.K. Monitoring and evaluation system

1. A common monitoring and evaluation system for EMFF operations under shared management shall be established with a view to measuring the performance of the EMFF. In order to ensure an effective performance measurement, the Commission shall be empowered to adopt delegated acts, in accordance with Article 126, defining the content and construction of that system.

2. The general impact of the EMFF shall be considered in relation to the Union priorities set out in Article 6.

The Commission may adopt implementing acts establishing the set of indicators specific to those Union priorities. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 127(3).

3. Member States shall provide the Commission with all the information necessary to permit the monitoring and evaluation of the measures concerned. The Commission shall take into account the data needs and synergies between potential data sources, in particular their use for statistical purposes when appropriate. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down rules on the information to be sent by Member States, as well as on the data needs and synergies between potential data sources. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 127(3).

4. The Commission shall present a report on the implementation of this Article to the European Parliament and to the Council every four years. The first report shall be presented by 31 December 2017.

Article 108 U.K. Objectives

The objectives of the common monitoring and evaluation system shall be:

(a)

to demonstrate the progress and achievements of the CFP and the IMP, to consider the general impact and to assess the effectiveness, efficiency and relevance of EMFF operations;

(b)

to contribute to better targeted support for the CFP and the IMP;

(c)

to support a common learning process related to monitoring and evaluation;

(d)

to provide robust, evidenced based evaluations of the EMFF operations that feed into the decision-making process.

Section 2 U.K. Technical provisions

Article 109 U.K. Common indicators

1. A list of common indicators relating to the initial situation as well as to the financial execution, outputs and results of the operational programme and applicable to each operational programme shall be specified in the monitoring and evaluation system provided for in Article 107 to allow for aggregation of data at Union level.

2. The common indicators shall be linked to the milestones and targets established in the operational programmes in accordance with the Union priorities set out in Article 6. Those common indicators shall be used for the performance review referred to in Article 21(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, and shall allow assessment of the progress, efficiency and effectiveness of policy implementation against objectives and targets at Union and programme level.

Article 110 U.K. Electronic information system

1. Key information on the implementation of the operational programme, on each operation selected for funding, as well as on completed operations, needed for monitoring and evaluation, including the key characteristics of the beneficiary and the project, shall be recorded and maintained electronically.

2. The Commission shall ensure that there is an appropriate secure electronic system to record, maintain and manage key information and report on monitoring and evaluation.

Article 111 U.K. Provision of information

Beneficiaries of support under EMFF, including FLAGs, shall undertake to provide to the managing authority and/or to appointed evaluators or other bodies to which the performance of functions on its behalf is delegated, all the data and information necessary to permit monitoring and evaluation of the operational programme, in particular in relation to meeting specific objectives and priorities.

Section 3 U.K. Monitoring

Article 112 U.K. Monitoring procedures

1. The managing authority referred to in Article 97 of this Regulation and the monitoring committee referred to in Article 47 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 shall monitor the quality of programme implementation.

2. The managing authority and the monitoring committee shall carry out monitoring of the operational programme by means of financial, output and result indicators.

Article 113 U.K. Functions of the monitoring committee

In addition to the functions provided for in Article 49 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, the monitoring committee shall verify the performance of the operational programme and the effectiveness of its implementation. For that purpose, the monitoring committee shall:

(a)

be consulted and shall approve, within six months of the decision approving the programme, the selection criteria for the financed operations; the selection criteria shall be revised in accordance with programming needs;

(b)

examine the activities and outputs related to the evaluation plan of the programme;

(c)

examine actions in the programme relating to the fulfilment of specific ex ante conditionalities;

(d)

examine and approve the annual implementation reports before they are sent to the Commission;

(e)

examine actions to promote equality between men and women, equal opportunities, and non-discrimination, including accessibility for disabled persons.

The monitoring committee shall not be consulted on the work plans for data collection referred to in Article 21.

Article 114 U.K. Annual implementation report

1. By 31 May 2016, and by 31 May of each subsequent year up to and including 2023, Member States shall submit to the Commission an annual implementation report on the implementation of the operational programme in the previous calendar year. The report submitted in 2016 shall cover the calendar years 2014 and 2015.

2. In addition to the provisions of Article 50 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, annual implementation reports shall include:

(a) information on financial commitments and expenditure by measure;

(b) a summary of the activities undertaken in relation to the evaluation plan;

(c) information on the actions taken in cases of serious infringements as referred to in Article 10(1) of this Regulation, and of non-respect of the conditions laid down in Article 10(2) of this Regulation, as well as on remedy actions;

(d) information on actions taken to comply with Article 41(10) of this Regulation.;

(e) information on the actions taken to ensure the publication of beneficiaries in accordance with Annex V to this Regulation, for natural persons in accordance with national law, including any applicable threshold.

3. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down rules concerning the format and presentation of the annual implementation reports. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 127(3).

Section 4 U.K. Evaluation

Article 115 U.K. General provisions

1. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down the elements to be contained in ex ante evaluation reports referred to in Article 55 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 and establishing the minimum requirements for the evaluation plan referred to in Article 56 of that Regulation. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 127(3) of this Regulation.

2. Member States shall ensure that the evaluations conform to the common monitoring and evaluation system agreed in accordance with Article 107, shall organise the production and gathering of the necessary data, and shall supply the various pieces of information provided by the monitoring system to the evaluators.

3. The evaluation reports shall be made available by Member States on the internet and by the Commission on the Union website.

Article 116 U.K. Ex ante evaluation

Member States shall ensure that the ex ante evaluator is involved from an early stage in the process of development of the operational programme, including the development of the analysis referred to in point (a) of Article 18(1), the design of the programme’s intervention logic and the establishment of the programme’s targets.

Article 117 U.K. Ex post evaluation

In accordance with Article 57 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013, an ex post evaluation report shall be prepared by the Commission in close cooperation with Member States.

Article 118 U.K. Synthesis of evaluations

A synthesis at Union level of the ex ante evaluation reports shall be undertaken under the responsibility of the Commission. The synthesis of the evaluation reports shall be completed at the latest by 31 December of the year following the submission of the relevant evaluations.

Section 5 U.K. Information and communication

Article 119 U.K. Information and publicity

1. The managing authority shall be responsible in accordance with point (b) of Article 97(1) for:

(a) ensuring the establishment of a single website or a single website portal providing information on, and access to, the operational programme in the Member State;

(b) informing potential beneficiaries about funding opportunities under the operational programme;

(c) publicising to Union citizens the role and achievements of the EMFF through information and communication actions on the results and impact of partnership agreements, operational programmes and operations;

(d) ensuring that a summary of measures designed to ensure compliance with the CFP rules, including cases of non-compliance by Member States or beneficiaries, as well as of remedy actions such as financial corrections taken, is made publicly available.

2. In order to ensure transparency concerning the support from the EMFF, Member States shall maintain a list of operations in CSV or XML format which shall be accessible through the single website or the single website portal, providing a list of operations and a summary of the operational programme.

The list of operations shall be updated at least every six months.

The minimum information to be set out in the list of operations, including specific information concerning operations under Articles 26, 39, 47, 54 and 56, is laid down in Annex V.

3. Detailed rules concerning the information and publicity measures for the public and information measures for applicants and beneficiaries are laid down in Annex V.

4. The Commission shall adopt implementing acts laying down the technical characteristics of information and publicity measures for the operation, instructions for creating the emblem and a definition of the standard colours. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the advisory procedure referred to Article 127(2).