WRITTEN QUESTION E-1003/96 by Richard Howitt (PSE) to the Commission (26 April 1996)

Subject: Effectiveness of EU development programmes in Latin America

What overall assessment does the Commission make of the effectiveness of its development cooperation programmes in Latin America, and precisely which independent evaluation studies have been completed since June 1994 which are available to Parliament?

Does the Commission propose to take any initiatives in relation to improving the quality of development programmes in Latin America, and can it precisely describe the options it is considering in this respect?

Answer given by Mr Marin on behalf of the Commission (21 May 1996)

As a rule the Commission carries out mid-term reviews and final evaluations of major projects in Latin America with a term of more than one year. These evaluations are performed by independent consultants and supervised according to guidelines approved by the Commission ((Manual for Project Cycle Management (1993) and the Outline for Evaluation Format (1992).)). It is worth mentioning that the Commission is preparing a manual for project evaluation and a manual for economical and financial analysis, the use of which will be mandatory for project evaluation, once approved by the Commission.

The Commission also carries out larger thematic evaluations such as country specific evaluations and the evaluation of support to micro-enterprises. They also include projects of minor financial involvement with a relatively short implementation period.

The Commission is constantly making efforts to introduce new methods and horizontal elements in project formulation and implementation in order to improve quality and ensure project survival. Lessons are drawn from the reviews and evaluations, and general principles concerning the effectiveness of development programmes ((i.e. DAC Principles for Effective Aid OECD, Paris 1992.)) are used as tools in this endeavour. Special attention is given to the following matters:

- general policies of the recipient country and the economic and administrative environment of the proposed area for cooperation. On a political level a continuous dialogue is maintained concerning the need for decentralization, democratization and respect for human rights;

- greater rigour in project selection, clearer and more realistic setting of objectives, greater flexibility in design, and quicker adjustment when needs are identified. However, it is pertinent to draw the attention to a serious shortcoming due to time constraints and lack of resources for internal use. A prerequisite for high quality is sufficient time dedicated to project formulation and supervision of implementation. In order to alleviate the heavy burden on the individual officials at the Commission, more responsibilities for project supervision have been given to the delegations in Latin America. It would therefore be useful if the Parliament could assure the resources needed for the effective opening of the delegation and the office in Central America;

- the Commission is also trying to ensure the commitment of the counterparts, or executing agencies in the partner countries and the motivation of local target groups through their active involvement in selection, design and implementation. Participatory methodologies are introduced as well as democratic management styles. The Commission regrets that the above mentioned constraints often limit the use of these methods in the project identification and formulation period;

- gender related issues are given high priority, and the Commission is making a special effort to support the Latin American countries in putting into practice the Beijing Convention both at project level and, in some cases, at institutional and policy levels. Continuous staff training is given to meet these objectives;

- attention is paid to environmental sustainability, and environmental impact assessment screening at project formulation stage is mandatory;

- furthermore, continuous attention is paid to donor coordination at local level through the Commission's delegations.