Conferences on evaluation of cohesion policy
Conference on counterfactual impact evaluation - Warsaw 12 December 2011
Venue: Novotel Centrum, ul Marszalkowska 94/98
Accurate estimation of impacts should be essential to cohesion policy. It helps answer the crucial questions: "are we making a difference?" and "what can we do to improve our programmes"? Evaluation of impacts mobilises a range of scientific and statistical tools to answer these questions.
One of the key methods of impact evaluation is the use of counterfactuals, controls and comparison groups. This is a relatively new method in cohesion policy but is already showing promising results.
The European Commission (DG Regional Policy) co-organised a conference with the Polish presidency in Warsaw on 12 December. High level policy makers and experts discussed four recent counterfactual impact evaluations of cohesion policy, drawn from the fields of enterprise support, innovation, entrepreneurship and training. There was a strong focus on results obtained and policy lessons.
Short summary of the conference, including key conclusions 
Conference programme
| Sunday 11 December |
| 16:00 onwards |
Registration |
| 19:00 |
Dinner |
| Monday 12 December |
| 08:30 - 9:30 |
Registration |
| 09:30 - 10:15 |
Introduction & welcome
Morning session chair: Veronica Gaffey
(Acting Director, DG Regional Policy)
Opening speech 
Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Minister for Regional Development
The growing role of counterfactual impact evaluation in
Cohesion Policy
Veronica Gaffey |
| 10:15 - 11:30 |
Examples from enterprise support in Poland 
Key results - Rafal Trzcinski, Polish Agency for Entrepreneurship
Development
Discussant - Stanisław Bienias, Ministry for Regional
Development
Discussion |
| 11:30 - 11:45 |
Coffee |
| 11:45 - 13:00 |
Examples from enterprise support in Italy
Key results - Alberto Martini, Daniele Bondonio (ASVAPP)
Discussant - Daniel Mouqué, DG Regional Policy
Discussion |
| 13:00 - 14:00 |
Lunch |
| 14:00 - 15:00 |
Introduction & welcome
Afternoon session chair: Daniel Mouqué
Examples from innovation support in two EU regions
Key results - Dirk Czarnitzki (University of Leuven)
Discussant - Kai Stryczynski, DG Regional Policy
Discussion |
| 15:00 - 16:00 |
Examples from social integration services in Lithuania
Key results - Dovilė Žvalionytė
(Public Policy and Management Institute, Lithuania)
Discussant - Lingaile Biliunaite, Ministry of Social Security and
Labour
Discussion |
| 16:00 - 17:00 |
Closing debate
Roundtable with panellists, including questions from the floor
Moderator: Veronica Gaffey
Panellists include Georg Fischer (Director, DG Employment and
social affairs), Daniel Mouqué |
Further information on our programme of counterfactual impact evaluation
