1. ESF evaluation plans
Jeannette Monier, Impact Assessment and Evaluation Unit, DG EMPL
ESF EVALUATION PARTNERSHIP MEETING
13 March 2015

2. 1. Why evaluation plans?
2. Requirements
3. Guidelines
4. DG EMPL feedback

3. Evaluations should be:
Suited to the programme concerned
Use appropriate methodology and ensure quality
Communicated and acted upon by the stakeholders
Timely, clearly thought-out, documented planning phase ensures quality and relevance of the evaluations

4. The focus on SF ‘results’ and ‘impacts’ have made evaluations more demanding.
Careful evaluation planning ensures quality, use and policy relevant knowledge accumulation.
Involves users and stakeholders in a partnership relationship at the planning stage
Ensure skills, capacity, data availability & careful design of programmes to be evaluable

5. 2. Requirements
Evaluation Plan submitted to MC no later than a year after adoption of OP, according to article 56,1 of CPR,
MC approves, reviews, amends: Art. 114, 110
Follow up given to evaluation findings (Art.110) 5

6. 2. Requirements Art 56.3 of CPR, MA required to assess:
effectiveness (attainment of the specific objectives set and the achievement of the intended results),
efficiency (financial/administrative resources vs outputs/results),
and impact (contribution of the programme to the observed results).

7. 2. Requirements What impacts? What does this mean?
Contribution to the objectives of each PA (Art. 56.3)
Impact in relation to the EU2020 targets (Art.54)
What does this mean?
Each SO should be covered for each PA
The extent will differ according to the nature of the result, available evidence, policy importance
EU 2020: in most cases, qualitative analysis

8. 3. Guidelines
Guidance discussed with REGIO & EMPL networks in 2013 and finalised in April 2014
Critical Issues:
Depth, coverage, co-ordination
Responsibilities, training, expertise, timetable, budget, etc
Planned evaluations: timing, methods, data, use 8

9. 4. DG EMPL Feedback Evaluation plans submitted and reviewed for
LV single OP covering ESF, ERDF, CF
LT single OP covering ESF, ERDF, CF
EE single OP covering ESF, ERDF, CF
CZ evaluation plan at the Partnership level

10. 4. DG EMPL Feedback DG EMPL issues identified;
Details of specific evaluations are sketchy (theme, data, method, etc) (even for those planned in immediate future)
No specific linkages to of individual evaluations to Union strategy GDP, employment overall indicators
Lack of quality assurance procedures

11. 4. DG EMPL Feedback DG EMPL Positives; Coordination across funds
Increased number of counter-factual studies
Extensive trainings
Use of executive summaries (incl. in English)