1. Ex Ante Evaluations: reflecting on the 2014-2020 experience
DG REGIO Evaluation Unit
Cohesion Policy

2. General Questions: Who uses them? In what way? Who are they meant for?
What was the timing? Were they iterative?
Cost?
Was there national guidance?
Did the ex ante evaluator play a role in drafting the programme?
Cohesion Policy

3. Content Questions: Were some elements particularly useful?
Could/did evaluators challenge the strategy or forms of support?
Did the ex ante evaluator understand the result orientation?
Did evaluators contribute to the evaluability of programmes? Should they?
Cohesion Policy

4. Governance Questions:
Who contracts the evaluators (MA or some national body)? Does this make a difference?
Respective value of text of evaluation and oral feedback at meetings?
Cohesion Policy

5. First impressions from REGIO evaluation unit
Review of a sample (on-going) of ex ante evaluations and discussion with geographic units (AT, BG, FR, GR, HU, NL, PL, SK)
Variable quality, between MS and within MS
Ex ante evaluations seldom challenge strategic choices of investment priorities
Useful for fine-tuning (coherence with national policies, definition of objectives, selection of indicators)
Cohesion Policy

6. First impressions from REGIO evaluation unit
Evaluations often weak in judging form of intervention (eg grants vs. loans) – a timing problem?
Evaluators conceptually not in advance of MS – training by COM as a condition or just transitional problem?
Costs not excessive
Cohesion Policy