Mid-term evaluation of the Single Market Programme (SMP)

The European Single Market has been at the heart of the European Union for almost three decades – it enables the free movement of goods, strengthens consumer protection, offers companies reliable framework conditions and access to one of the largest economic areas in the world.

In a time of global uncertainty – from geopolitical tensions and disrupted supply chains to digital and ecological transformation processes – strengthening it is becoming increasingly important. The EU launched the Single Market Programme to make Europe more economically resilient, innovative and competitive. The €4.2 billion EU initiative (2021–2027) aims to maximise the potential of the single market and support Europe's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

On behalf of the European Commission, Prognos, as part of a consortium, evaluated how well the Single Market Programme has achieved its objectives so far in terms of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and added value for the EU. The results provide important insights for the further development of the programme for the remaining funding period and help the Commission to improve its impact.

Key findings of the evaluation

The evaluation examined both the structure of the programme in the following six thematic pillars and their implementation in terms of content:

1. A more effective internal market;
2. Support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs);
3. Standardisation;
4. Consumer protection;
5. Food and feed;
6. High-quality European statistics.

Prognos evaluated the second pillar of the programme, ‘Support for SMEs’, with the following findings:

• Support services such as the Enterprise Europe Network, the Erasmus programme for young entrepreneurs (EYE) and the social economy programme have helped many SMEs to survive, grow internationally and become more innovative. User satisfaction is high.
• Through mobility measures such as EYE, the Single Market Programme has directly supported numerous experienced and aspiring entrepreneurs, strengthening their skills and motivating them to start or improve their own businesses.
• The second pillar creates a more business-friendly environment, drives digital transformation and strengthens the competitiveness of SMEs. It shows success in innovation, economic clusters and international partnerships.
• Some sources criticise insufficient budgets for the effective implementation of projects. Future programmes should be more flexible and make better use of synergies.
• To assess the long-term impact, further research beyond 2021-2023 and ongoing monitoring are needed. 

Our approach

The evaluation of the second pillar was based on secondary research, data analysis, surveys and interviews with beneficiaries and stakeholders.

Links and downloads

To the final report (EU website, English)

To the executive summary (EU website, English)

Further information on the Single Market Programme (EU Commission website)

Further information on the Erasmus programme EYE (website Ersamus)

Project team: Dr Jan-Philipp Kramer, Markus Zock

Last update: 27.08.2025