Common monitoring and evaluation framework

Page Contents

The CMEF at a glance

The aim of the common agricultural policy (CAP) is to contribute to the objectives of the Europe 2020 strategy by fostering smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.

The European Commission has set up the common monitoring and evaluation framework (CMEF) to assess the performance of the common agricultural policy. The CMEF is a set of rules, procedures and indicators to evaluate the CAP (income support, market measures, rural development).

The aim of the policy assessment is to evaluate the achievements of the CAP in 2014-20 and improve its efficiency.

The European Commission uses the CMEF to assess whether the CAP is achieving its objectives. These objectives are

  • viable food production, with a focus on agricultural income, agricultural productivity and price stability
  • sustainable management of natural resources and climate action, with a focus on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, biodiversity, soil and water
  • balanced territorial development, with a focus on rural employment, growth and poverty in rural areas

The monitoring and evaluation framework for the common agricultural policy 2014–2020
Brochure26 October 2015

The monitoring and evaluation framework for the common agricultural policy 2014–2020

Key information on CAP implementation, its results, and on its impact.

CAP indicators

The CMEF provides key information on the CAP implementation, this is the monitoring element of the CMEF. Evaluation describes achievements and verifies how well objectives were reached.

A number of indicator types were defined to support the assessment of the CAP's performance

Selected indicators are presented visually and interactively in the dashboard by theme, including farming income support, climate change and air quality, market orientation and organic production.

The European Commission provides an annual update of data (subject to availability) for a set of context indicators that reflect relevant aspects of the general contextual trends likely to have an influence on the implementation, achievements and performance of the CAP

Evaluation

Within the CMEF, evaluation is a tool to assess the impact of policy interventions. It provides evidence for decision-making and improves the effectiveness, utility and efficiency of CAP interventions. It also contributes to improved transparency, learning and accountability.

Evaluation results are communicated to decision-makers and other relevant stakeholders encouraging active discussion and debate on the findings and inform reports on the implementation of CMEF.

Measuring the impact of the CAP is the responsibility of the Commission services (Article 110 of EU regulation 1306/2013). These evaluations are carried out on the basis of a multi-annual evaluation plan, by independent external contractors selected after a tendering procedure, under the responsibility of the Commission services.

For rural development, evaluations are carried out both by the Member States and by the Commission, who also produces syntheses of the ex-ante and ex-post evaluations prepared by the Member States.

The department of agriculture and rural development published evaluation guidelines for the Member States' use, in line with the Commission evaluation standards.

Technical handbook on the CMEF of the CAP 2014-20 (June 2017)
English (1.6 MB - PDF)
DownloadPDF - 1.6 MB

CMEF reports

The European Commission has to publish an initial report on the implementation of the CMEF and the first results assessing the performance of the CAP.

Report on the implementation of the Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework and first results on the performance of the Common Agricultural Policy
English (306.7 KB - PDF)
DownloadPDF - 306.7 KB

CAP indicators contribute to the assessment of CAP performance.

The Commission expects to publish the final assessment of the CAP implementation for the 2014-2020 period in 2021.

Rules

The following rules govern the CMEF