Delivery system: Ex post evaluation of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007-2013, focusing on the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF)

Summary: 

This is the Final Report of Work Package (WP) 12 (Cohesion Policy Delivery System) of the suite of ex post evaluations of Cohesion Policy programmes 2007–2013, financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF).

The purpose of this evaluation was to provide an assessment of the performance of the 2007–13 Cohesion Policy delivery system. In this context, “delivery system” is understood as the combination of legal requirements and procedures that support the effective and efficient investment of European Union resources, and of the outlining of roles and responsibilities in planning, management and implementation of the policy at each level of government. Many legal requirements and procedures of the delivery system in the 2007–13 period were quite similar for all programmes, i.e., they did not differ greatly irrespective of the amount of funding, quality of governance or socioeconomic development level.