Assessment of CAP income support interventions

Hands holding grains

The CAP for the 2023-27 programming period sees EU Member States required to evaluate income support interventions because of their importance to farmers’ livelihoods.

This Thematic Working Group developed guidance for EU Member States on how to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of these CAP interventions in supporting adequate levels and stability of farm income. The final document also supports EU Member States in understanding how to prepare, structure and conduct these assessments in the future. 

The group was set-up and coordinated by the Evaluation Helpdesk for the CAP and built on other activities that considered the potential challenges associated with the evaluation of CAP income support interventions. Experts in evaluating income support also participated in the development of the guidance document and provided input into the draft text. A consultation process included stakeholders such as EU Member State representatives, Paying Agencies, evaluators and the European Commission.

The Thematic Working Group  achieved the following objectives:

  • highlighted critical considerations related to the preparation of CAP income support evaluations;
  • identified methods and approaches for these evaluations and demonstrated, by means of practical examples, how challenges can be addressed;
  • developed guidelines for the evaluation of CAP income support, with specific emphasis on the assessment of effectiveness and efficiency.

The Thematic Working Group ran from May to December 2023 and was structured in four Work Packages:

  • Work Package 1: Launched the Thematic Working Group where the background, objectives and expected outcomes were presented and feedback from participating experts was collected.
  • Work Package 2: Developed content, which saw experts identify methods and analyse the main challenges and solutions for preparing CAP income support evaluations.
  • Work Package 3: Conducted quality control and finalised the guidance, integrated comments from experts and other stakeholders.
  • Work Package 4: Knowledge transfer and dissemination including publication, communication and dissemination of the guidance occurred.

Contacts

European Evaluation Helpdesk for the CAP

Rue Belliard 12, 1040 Brussels, Belgium
evaluation@eucapnetwork.eu
+32 2 808 10 24