Evaluation processes > Ex ante evaluation > Synthesis
Synthesis
A synthesis of the 94 ex ante evaluation reports established at programme level for all Rural Development Programmes (RDPs) co-financed by the EAFRD in the 27 Member States was commissioned by DG AGRI and carried out during 2008.
The purpose of this synthesis is to summarize and analyse the ex ante evaluations with a focus on the expected results and impacts of RDPs for the period 2007-2013. In particular, the synthesis addresses this fundamental question: to what extent do the rural development strategies and measures established by Member States correspond to the needs of European rural areas. In this respect, the synthesis analyses the identified needs and corresponding programme objectives by referring as much as possible to baselines and quantifications of objectives and target levels.
The synthesis is also intended to provide elements to improve the monitoring and evaluation of RDPs. This is achieved by assessing evaluation practices, synthesising trends at Community level, the creation of data sets, and finally by appraising the overall coherence between the expected impacts of the programmes and the overarching Community strategic priorities.
The synthesis is centred around six main evaluation themes, which reflect the structure and content of the single evaluation reports:
- SWOT analysis and assessment of needs
- policy objectives
- measures
- impacts
- added value of Community involvement
- monitoring and evaluation
The findings related to these themes are mainly based on an in-depth screening of the existing programming documents (i.e. ex ante evaluation reports, national/regional RDPs, national strategy plans, strategic environmental assessment reports).
An additional seventh evaluation theme concerns the 'ongoing evaluation system'. It identifies the future needs and expectations of
Further Reading
"Synthesis of ex ante evaluations of rural development programmes 2007-2013", Rural Evaluation News No 2, March 2009 [ PDF
].