Thematic Working Group 1 - Assessment of RDP Results: How to Prepare for Reporting on Evaluation in 2017

Beginning in June 2016, and each year following until 2024[1], the Member States shall submit to the European Commission an annual implementation report (AIR). The AIR provides information about the implementation of rural development programme, as well as the evaluation plan[2].  The AIR submitted in 2017 shall also include the quantification of programme achievements, in particular through the assessment of the result indicators (including complementary result indicators), and answers to relevant evaluation questions[3].

The Evaluation Helpdesk has prepared the Guidelines “Assessment of RDP results: how to prepare for reporting on evaluation in 2017” with the objective of helping Member States:

• Examine the challenges related to the reporting on evaluation in the AIR submitted in 2017;
• Provide possible solutions to overcome these challenges considering methodological and practical issues;

• Identify effective approaches to assess the progress in achieving objectives of the RDP, in particular through the assessment of the result indicators, including the complementary result indicators, and observable secondary effects on other result indicators in 2017 and answering related evaluation questions.

The Guidelines - “Assessment of RDP results: how to prepare for reporting on evaluation in 2017” have been prepared in a user-friendly manual, which consists of three parts:

• PART 1 (Mainly for Managing Authorities): provides information and recommendations on how to report on the implementation of the EP in the AIR with a special focus on the AIR submitted in 2017, following the minimum requirements. Specific focus is given to the governance issue, including the involvement of various actors and communicating evaluation results.

• PART 2 (For MAs, PAs and evaluators): is a methodological section which provides information on:
  • How to address the assessment of secondary effects,
  • How to incorporate the results of LAG funded operations into the overall RDP results,
  • How to develop programme specific elements of the CMES, such as programme specific evaluation questions and indicators,
  • How to answer evaluation questions,
  • How to ensure the availability and quality of data including the use of operations database etc.

Moreover, this section provides recommendations on approaches for using result indicators in the evaluation of RDPs.

• Toolbox (e.g. draft ToR, examples of programme specific indicators and evaluation questions, completed indicators fiches, examples of application forms, checklists etc.).

The Guidelines put a major focus on the proper preparation of the evaluation system, aiming to facilitate the reporting of first results not only in 2017 but keeping in mind also, the need for continual evaluation throughout the entire programming period.

Additionally, the separate Annex 11 provides fiches for the common evaluation questions no. 1 – 21 to be answered in 2017. The fiches mirror the SFC-template point 7 of the Annual Implementation Report. For each evaluation question a list of the common as well as possible additional indicators are provided. Moreover, potential methods are discussed, which can be applied by the evaluator in the analysis. 

Download the Guidelines - “Assessment of RDP results: how to prepare for reporting on evaluation in 2017”

Download - Annex 11

Updated fiches for Complementary Result Indicators No 13, 14, 15, 18 and 19

Updated fiches for answering Common Evaluation Questions 11–14 for RDPs 2014-2020 (Annex 11)