Evidence and indicators in practical strategy & policy implementation
Creators: name: Kahila, Petri
name: Halme, Juha
name: Liski, Aura
name: Tiilikainen, Antti
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023

description: This report examines the extent to which different policies concerning rural areas address the three transitions explored in the RUSTIK project. It also investigates how evidence, data, and indicators are utilised in the formulation, monitoring, and evaluation of these policies. Research tasks focus on the 2021-2027 Multi-annual Financial Framework. The objective is to determine whether and what types of data are employed to establish the intervention logic of strategies, policies, and programmes related to rural transitions. The analysis is conducted at two levels: (1) the use of indicators/data at selected EU-level policies, and (2) how these EU-level policies and their accompanying indicators are translated at the national level in the countries of the RUSTIK Pilot Regions. 

Policies relevant to rural areas aim to respond to socio-economic transition, environmental transition, and digital transition. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the Long-term vision for Rural Areas both address these transitions, recognizing the role of rural areas in achieving sustainability goals, such as the EU's Green Deal and Farm to Fork targets. Data and indicatorsare used in these policies. The European Commission collects and analyses data related to agriculture, environmental issues, climate change, social aspects, and economic factors. Administrative data, market prices, farm accountancy data, agricultural surveys, and data from agricultural censuses and samples are some of the sources used.

The European Green Deal (EGD) is a strategy initiated by the European Commission in 2019 with the aim of making the European Union (EU) climate-neutral by 2050. The EGD is not solely focused on climate but also addresses other policy areas relevant to the transition, such as the digital transition and the socio-economic transition. It seeks to promote economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic through investments in innovation and clean technologies. Additionally, it aims to create new job opportunities in green sectors and support regions and industries affected by the climate transition through the Just Transition Fund. 

To monitor the progress of the EGD, various mechanisms and policies are in place. The Energy Efficiency Directive and the Renewable Energy Directive are two key policy monitoring efforts. The Energy Efficiency Directive promotes energy savings and the consideration of energy efficiency measures in infrastructure projects. The Renewable Energy Directive focuses on reporting obligations for renewable energy shares in each Member State. 

The 8th Environment Action Programme (EAP) is another important component of the EGD, which sets long-term objectives and establishes a monitoring framework based on a limited number of headline indicators. Monitoring the EGD presents challenges due to its long-term targets, justice and fairness considerations, and the need for social change. Capturing progress and impacts requires a wide range of indicators and qualitative evidence.Cohesion Policy is a key policy of the European Union aimed at reducing regional disparities and promoting economic, social, and territorial cohesion. In funding allocation, indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) per capita,unemployment rates, population density, education levels, greenhouse gas emissions, and migration are used to determine the regions that require financial support. These indicators reflect regional prosperity, socio-economic factors, and environmental challenges. GDP per capita is the main indicator used to assess economic cohesion, while indicators related to income inequality, poverty, access to services, and employment rates are used to measure social cohesion.