Progress monitoring and ex-post evaluation

In compliance with Article 6.5 of Decision 466/2002/EC, the Commission has put in place the following provisions.

Progress monitoring and final evaluation are based on self-assessments through questionnaires, partly judged by Commission experts but mostly validated through the auditing schemes. These questionnaires have the same structure and address the same substance areas as the application questionnaire. However, the monitoring questionnaire only addresses Part I, relating to the extent to which the beneficiary meets the objectives of the Programme, as significant changes to the aspects covered by Part II and III will take time to materialise. Moreover, the formulation of the questions, the possible answers and the obligatory additional information are different from the application phase in view of the different function of the questionnaires.

Basically, the questionnaires are intended to assess progress made and relevant developments that occurred during the grant year, both in terms of the profile (characteristics) of the beneficiary and with respect to its initiatives and activities. All questions therefore relate only to the period under scrutiny:

– Interim Report (monitoring questionnaire): first seven months of the grant year

– Final Report (evaluation questionnaire): the entire grant year

Each question asks for a self-evaluation regarding progress made and results achieved with respect to the issue/topic at hand. The main reasons for the specified rating and references to supporting evidence must also be given.

Looking at the overall picture of answers given and, where applicable, the corresponding expert opinions, conclusions will be drawn as to trends and global performance. Where possible, the results of audits and (random) checks will also be taken into account. In this evaluation, the grades resulting for Part I questions will be the most important element. If the score for one, or more, of these questions is below the level corresponding to partial success, and if this is demonstrably not due to circumstances beyond the control of the beneficiary, it is considered that the beneficiary concerned has failed to achieve the expected results. The results of the monitoring and evaluation questionnaires will be summarised and stored in the performance record that will be kept for each beneficiary.

Low scores during the progress monitoring and evaluation exercises will have no impact on the determination of the final grant amount, which is solely based on the real eligible expenses of the grant year as specified in the audited financial statement. However, insufficient performance will have an impact on the conditions of continued participation in the Programme. Such performances will be noticed and recorded by the Programme management (through the relevant Commission experts dealing with the beneficiary concerned) during the grant year and will thus lead to lower comparative assessment scores in the application phase of the next grant year, which already takes place in the second half of the current grant year. A final score may even drop below the minimum required for the question at hand and thus give rise to elimination from the selection and award process. Article 9.1 of Decision 466/2002/EC stipulates that if this would happen in two consecutive years, the NGO

concerned will be excluded from participation during the remaining years of the Programme.