How to assess direct payment interventions in the new CAP

The overall objective of the workshop was to reflect and learn from CAP evaluation stakeholders, with a view to prepare EU Member States for future evaluations of direct payments interventions. It aimed to increase the evaluation knowledge of stakeholders involved in direct payments interventions, exchange practical experiences from past evaluations and identify needs of Managing Authorities and evaluators in relation to methods and data collection.

The report explains how the Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (PMEF) entails a change from compliance to results, meaning that result indicators, including those relevant to direct payments, link to targets and milestones. Other lessons highlighted include the use of quantitative methods to quantitative methods to assess the net results of direct payments interventions and the importance for evaluators to understand what direct payments aim to achieve, e.g. provide an income safety net to farmers, protect the environment or respect working and employment conditions.