"The challenge for Territorial Cohesion 2014 – 2020: delivering results for EU citizens" Veronica Gaffey Acting Director EUROPEAN COMMISSION, DG for Regional Policy Presentation delivered at the 2012 RSA Conference, Delft - May, 16th 2012

Territorial cohesion… To allow for better adapted strategies for different types of territories Cities Urban and metropolitan areas Regions Cross-border territories 2

…in a new framework Thematic concentration on Europe 2020 Common Strategic Framework for all Funds, including EAFRD and the EMFF Results orientation New intervention logic: What are we trying to change? 3

Stronger Result Focus in Programme Design Current programmes designed to spend: Objectives vague How to recognise success or failure not clear New Focus on Results: What do you want to change? What indicator can capture this change? (baselines) How will the outputs of the programme contribute to change? Ex-Ante Evaluation to assess logic of intervention 4

Logical Framework (post 2013 ) NEEDS Specific Objectives Intended Result  selecting indicators of change Monitoring & Evaluation Programming Strategy Other Factors Actual Results  change in value of indicators Contribution (Impact) Policy Allocated INPUTS (defining amounts by categories of expenditure) Targeted OUTPUTS (including common indicators) Actual INPUTS (reporting on expenditure by categories) Achieved OUTPUTS (including common indicators) 5

The building blocks of the territorial dimension of future cohesion policy In the partnership contracts Integrated approach to territorial development setting out the mechanisms and arrangements In the Operational Programmes: Community-led local development (art ) Integrated Territorial Investments (art. 99) Innovative urban actions (art. 9 ERDF)

Community-Led Local Development (articles of the Common Provisions regulation) focused on specific sub-regional territories community-led, by local action groups composed of representatives of public and private local socio- economic interests, no majority partner Carried out through integrated and multi-sectoral area-based local development strategies considering local needs and potential 7

Community-Led Local Development Local Development Strategies strategy and objectives, clear and measurable targets for outputs or results - coherent with the relevant programmes of the involved Funds management, monitoring and evaluation arrangements Local Action Groups Composition: no interest group should represent more than 49% of voting rights (core principle of CLLD) Monitor the implementation of the local development strategy and the operations supported and carry out evaluation activities 8

Integrated Territorial Investment (article 99 of the Common provisions regulation) For territorial based strategies requiring integrated investments under more than one priority axis or operational programme Operational Programme should identify planned ITIs and set out indicative financial allocations for each ITI Can be implemented by a Managing Authority, or an intermediate body (e.g. local authorities, regional development bodies, NGOs) 9

Integrated Territorial Investment Bodies responsible should identify the change they seek – based on needs Monitoring system to report on operations and outputs Consider including evaluation of effects in the Evaluation Plan 10

Innovative Urban Actions The ERDF may support the costs of innovative actions in the field of sustainable urban development in Selection Criteria: UIA to foster innovative and experimental solutions in relation to sustainable urban development A European-wide competition to identify the most forward- looking, cutting-edge proposals Proposals selected based on their innovative content, credibility and transferability throughout the EU 11

Innovative Urban Actions Financing: Actions to be supported subject to a ceiling of 0.2% of the total annual ERDF funding (est. EUR 360 million) Payments to be linked to the production of outputs and the reporting and dissemination of learning and results 12

Role of Evaluation To help move focus beyond absorption To improve the quality of the design and implementation of programmes so that they deliver for citizens To assess effectiveness, efficiency and impact (new emphasis) Evaluation Plan obligatory Evaluation at least once for each priority looking at effects & Summary report in

Our Ambitions… Programmes with clear objectives, including clear objectives for territorial instruments against which progress can be monitored & evaluated More rigorous evaluations, using quantitative and qualitative methods In this way, to accumulate knowledge on what works, for whom, in what contexts and why? More reliable basic data on outputs to communicate achievements 14

Contribution from the Research Community Need for more robust – RESULT - indicators able to better capture and quantify the specific needs of specific territories More extensive research on the ground is needed: To accumulate more reliable knowledge of the territories To better understand the drivers of change in territories To provide evidence of the added value of the integrated approach To find out TRENDS that can might be generalised 15

Thank you for your attention! 16