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Evaluation of the ERDF programmes of several federal states

Client

Economic ministries of several federal states

Year

ongoing


The European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) is one of the most important funding instruments of the European Union's cohesion policy.

It was established in 1975 and aims to reduce economic and social disparities between European regions and improve living conditions in the regions. Articles 174 to 178 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) provide the legal basis.

In order to achieve the overarching objective, the ERDF is investing financial resources in the 2021-2027 funding period for

  • A smarter Europe – innovative and smart economic transformation;
  • A greener, low-carbon Europe;
  • A more connected Europe – mobility and regional ICT connectivity;
  • A more social Europe – implementing the European Pillar of Social Rights;
  • A Europe closer to citizens – sustainable and integrated development of urban, rural and coastal areas through local initiatives.

The funds are managed on a decentralised basis as part of multi-level governance in Germany. While the EU defines the general framework conditions and objectives, the federal states are responsible for drawing up the programme strategies and the specific planning and implementation of the programmes. 

Within the set framework, each federal state develops its own ERDF programmes. These programmes define how the funds are to be used in the respective region in order to address specific challenges.

The utilisation of ERDF funds is monitored. The European Commission, the Directorate-General Regio, the federal government and the federal states carry out regular checks and evaluations to ensure that the funds are being used properly and that the projects fulfil their objectives. 

Prognos supports various federal states with the evaluation of their ERDF programmes, among other things:

Monitoring and evaluation of the ERDF programme in Bavaria

The Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, Regional Development and Energy commissioned Prognos to evaluate and monitor the ERDF programme for the 2021 to 2027 funding period.

Various evaluations will be carried out during the entire project period: 

  • ‘Evaluation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war on the implementation of the ERDF programme’, 
  • ‘Evaluation of the contribution of regional economic development to strengthening structurally weaker areas’ 
  • ‘Evaluation of the contributions of Priority 1 and 2 to the European Green Deal’ 
  • ‘Mid-term review pursuant to Art. 18 (1) of the DACH Regulation’, 
  • ‘Evaluation of communication and visibility measures’
  • ‘Evaluation to assess the impact of the programme in accordance with Art. 44 (2) of the DACH Regulation’

The following services are provided in the area of monitoring:

  • ‘Control and validation of data for the ERDF OP’
  • ‘Provision, preparation and presentation of information and data on programme implementation’
  • ‘Participation in the annual ERDF Monitoring Committee meeting’
  • ‘Supporting the annual performance review between the European Commission and the Member State’

Prognos uses the following methods to carry out the analyses:

  • Contribution Analysis, 
  • Impact analyses,
  • Expert interviews, 
  • Focus groups, 
  • Workshops, 
  • Surveys, 
  • Data analyses and validations, 
  • Case studies, etc.

More information (Website, ERDF Bavaria)

Project management: Ralph Rautenberg
Deputy project manager: Holger Bornemann
Project team: Maria Henker, Anja Breuer, Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer
Quality manager: Holger Bornemann

Monitoring and evaluation of the ERDF/JTF programme in North Rhine-Westphalia

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia commissioned Prognos to evaluate and monitor the ERDF/JTF programme for the 2021 to 2027 funding period. 

The Just Transition Fund (JTF) is also a funding instrument of the European Union and is closely linked to the current ERDF funding period.

The overarching objective of this evaluation is to determine comprehensive and valid statements on programme implementation, programme efficiency and the effectiveness of the funding. These findings are to be used to develop practical recommendations for action for the current programme implementation and its future direction.

The evaluation of the Operational Framework Programme for ERDF funding in NRW comprises a total of five partial evaluations plus two optional evaluations, the content of which has yet to be determined.

The consulting consortium with the participation of Prognos uses a wide range of methods for this, from surveys, expert discussions and workshops to control group-based statistical analyses. This includes the following partial evaluations:

  • Evaluation 1: Sustainable coal regions (Just Transition Fund)
  • Evaluation 2: Innovation and knowledge transfer
  • Evaluation 3: Regional approach
  • Evaluation 4: Climate and environmental compatibility
  • Evaluation 5: Digitalisation of programme implementation

More information and all evaluations (Websete, ERDF NRW, german)

Project management: Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer
Deputy project management: Dr Olaf Arndt / Ralph Rautenberg
Project team: Felix Ginzinger, Vincent Vogelsang, Nils Erik Carlhoff, Lennart Galdiga, Dr Stephan Heinrich, Maria Henker and others.
Quality manager: Holger Bornemann

Accompanying evaluation of the ERDF/JTF programme in Brandenburg

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Labour and Energy of the State of Brandenburg commissioned Prognos to evaluate and monitor the ERDF/JTF programme for the 2021 to 2027 funding period.

The Just Transition Fund (JTF) is also a funding instrument of the European Union and is closely linked to the current ERDF funding period.

As part of the implementation of the ERDF/JTF Brandenburg programme, financial support will be provided in the 2021 to 2027 funding period for projects that 

  • Promote research and innovation capacities, 
  • Promote start-ups and growth in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), 
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions, or 
  • Strengthen sustainable urban development. 

A central task of the evaluation is to determine valid, usable and comprehensibly formulated statements about programme implementation, programme efficiency and the effectiveness of the funding.

The implementation, achievement of objectives and impact of the relevant funding policies are analysed and assessed. In addition to the regular and scheduled evaluation of the programme components, ad hoc evaluations are also carried out on an ad hoc basis. 

As the main contractor, Prognos is responsible for the entire project coordination and all tasks. The following methods are used to carry out the evaluations:

  • Counterfactual methods
  • Contribution Analysis
  • Expert interviews and focus group discussions
  • Case studies
  • Online surveys
  • Desk research
  • Data analyses

More information (Website, ERDF Brandenburg, german)

Project management: Ralph Rautenberg
Deputy project manager: Maria Henker
Project team: Nils Erik Carlhoff, Markus Lange, Vincent Vogelsang
Quality manager: Holger Bornemann

Accompanying evaluation of the ERDF programme in Schleswig-Holstein

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Labour, Technology and Tourism of the State of Schleswig-Holstein commissioned Prognos to evaluate and monitor the ERDF programme for the 2021 to 2027 funding period.

With the help of accompanying evaluations for the ERDF programme Schleswig-Holstein 2021 to 2027, the aim is to analyse whether the programme is relevant, effective and efficient and whether it is meaningfully linked to other EU policy areas.

Implementation evaluations are intended to describe findings, the need for action and opportunities to improve the funding measures and their effectiveness. These analyses should take place at such an early stage that the need for adjustments can be quickly identified and implemented. One focus will be on new or modified measures.

Impact evaluations in the second half of the funding period will focus in particular on the effectiveness of the funding and its contribution to the European Commission's objectives.

More information (Website, ERDF Schleswig-Holstein, german)

Project management: Holger Bornemann
Deputy project manager: Anja Breuer
Project team: Kathlen Freitag, Nadja Schütz

Accompanying evaluation of the ERDF programme in Rhineland-Palatinate

The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Transport, Agriculture and Viticulture of Rhineland-Palatinate commissioned Prognos with the accompanying evaluation of the ERDF programme for the 2021 to 2027 funding period.

As part of the implementation of the Rhineland-Palatinate ERDF programme, financial support is provided for projects that

  • Promote research and innovation capacities,
  • drive the growth and competitiveness of SMEs,
  • support energy efficiency in companies and municipalities,
  • reduce greenhouse gas emissions or
  • expand intelligent energy systems, grids and storage systems.

A central task of the evaluation is to determine valid, usable and comprehensibly formulated statements on programme implementation, programme efficiency and the effectiveness of the funding. The focus is on selected funding programmes and the two priorities in particular, as well as the entire ERDF programme with regard to external and internal framework conditions and environmental and sustainability-related objectives.

Prognos is the client's main point of contact and coordinates the overall project.
We support the client with the programme modification and the mid-term review by the European Commission. We carry out an implementation analysis and impact evaluations along the programme.

More information (Website, ERDF Rhineland-Palatinate, german)

Project management: Ralph Rautenberg
Deputy project manager: Maria Henker
Project team: Nils Erik Carlhoff, Markus Lange, Felix Ginzinger
Quality manager: Holger Bornemann

Prognos is also involved in other projects along the entire policy cycle as part of ERDF funding:

  • Preparation of ERDF programmes
  • Development of concrete measures to implement the programmes
  • Monitoring of the implementation
  • Creation of indicator systems
  • Ex-ante evaluations
  • Accompanying evaluations
  • Mid-term evaluations
  • Ex-post evaluations
  • Analysis of the governance system of European cohesion policy

Last update: 04.09.2024

Further work as part of ERDF funding

Evaluation of ERDF funding for SMEs

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How effective is EU support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)? On behalf of the European Commission, Prognos evaluates together with CSIL the ERDF funding in the period from 2014 to 2020.

Realignment of European structural funds

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Prognos and partners are developing conclusions for the further development of the European structural funds after 2027 by integrating relevant stakeholders.

Efficient use of EU funding in Germany and France

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The European Commission has commissioned an examination of the embedding of EU-funded financial instruments for regional development in Germany and France. Prognos is part of the study team.

ERDF and Cohesion Fund monitoring data merged at EU level

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| Project

The monitoring systems of the EU Member States provide reliable data. A database on all funded projects now enables an analysis at EU level.

Do you have questions?

Your contact at Prognos

Holger Bornemann

Partner, Director

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Ralph Rautenberg

Principal

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Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer

Partner, Head of EU Services

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Prognos is one of the oldest economic research centres in Europe. Founded at the University of Basel, Prognos experts have been conducting research for a wide range of clients from the public and private sectors since 1959 – politically independent, scientifically sound.

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