COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Accompanying the document Report on the ex-post evaluation on the Europe for Citizens programme 2007-2013
Date: 2015-12-16
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU financing, EU programme, European citizenship, European cooperation, European identity, civil society, executive agency

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   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 16.12.2015  SWD(2015) 287 final   COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Accompanying the document Report on the ex-post evaluation on the Europe for Citizens programme 2007-2013 {COM(2015) 652 final} {SWD(2015) 286 final}  
 
 
COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY  

REPORT ON THE EX POST EVALUATION OF THE EUROPE FOR CITIZENS 
PROGRAMME 2007-2013 

The  staff working  document  complements the report  from the Commission  to  the European 
Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions 
on  the  implementation,  results  and  overall  achievements  of  the  Europe  for  Citizens 
Programme  2007-2013.  Its  purpose is  to  present  the  results  of  the  ex-post  evaluation  of  the 
Europe  for  Citizens  Programme  2007-2013  carried  out  under  the  responsibility  of  the 
European  Commission,  by  the  external  evaluator  Coffey  International  and  Deloitte,  in 
accordance with the provisions of Article  14.3 (c) of the Decision N° 1904/2006/EC1. 

RESULTS OF THE EX POST EVALUATION  OF THE EUROPE FOR CITIZENS PROGRAMME 2007-
2013 

Relevance 

The evaluation served to confirm the relevance of the programme’s objectives and activities. 
Prevailing  conditions  created  a  need  for  a  platform  for  civic  participation  related  to  the  EU 
that the EFCP could potentially fulfil. That the level of interest in the programme, as well as 
the  quality  of  applications  for  participation,  progressively  increased  indicated  a  good  match 
between the programme and target groups. 

In  terms  of  complementarity  with  other  initiatives,  the  EFCP  was  sufficiently  distinct  from 
other programmes in terms of its scope, objectives, activities and target groups to provide a 
complementary  offering.  The  EFCP  was  unique  in  bringing  together  CSOs  and  local 
authorities  to  develop  citizenship  activities,  and  in  supporting  town  twinning  and 
remembrance activities.  

The  examination  of  the  EU  added  value  of  the  programme  showed  that  the  EFCP  enabled 
activities that could not have been funded elsewhere, in addition to promoting the spread of 
best practices.  

Effectiveness 

The  ex  post  evaluation  found  that  the  types  of  projects  funded  through  the  EFCP  could 
potentially  make  an  impact  in  numerous  ways,  depending  on  their  particular  mechanisms, 
target groups and methods. In general, meaningful results were achieved for projects that had 
a  well-delineated  scope  and  set  of  objectives,  a  plausible  intervention  logic  and  involved 
relevant partners.  

1 Decision N° 1904/2006/EC of the European Parliament  and the Council of 12 December 2006 establishing for 
the period 2007 to 2013 the programme 'Europe for Citizens' to promote active European citizenship, OJ L 378, 
27.12.2006, p. 32-40. 

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Efficiency 

The ex post evaluation came to the conclusion that the efficiency of individual projects varied. 
In  general,  good  quality  projects  provided  better  value  for  money.  The  evaluation  also 
suggested to put a greater strategic focus on citizens as target audience and on specific types 
of  actions  for  which  the  EFCP  is  the  only  programme  offering  funding  opportunities,  in 
particular town-twinning projects and active  European remembrance  projects. In addition, it 
recommended to increase guidance for applicants and beneficiaries to increase the ability of 
the EFCP to provide value for money. 

Sustainability  

The programme made a real, if unquantifiable, contribution to its objectives. In the presence 
of key success factors, particularly credible plans for follow-up action, individual projects led 
to sustainable outcomes at the local and organisational levels. Successful projects were able to 
foster lasting cooperation among civil society organisations and help preserve the memory of 
Europe’s past.  

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