Evaluation of e-Cohesion 2014-2020

The primary purpose of the ‘Evaluation of e-Cohesion 2014-2020’ was to enable policy learning by evaluating the implementation of e-Cohesion – i.e. the electronic exchange of information between beneficiaries of Cohesion policy programmes and programme authorities – during the 2014-2020 programming period. The evaluation covered the e-Cohesion systems set up in all 27 Member States for Operational Programmes supported by the ERDF and CF, including programmes under the territorial cooperation objective (Interreg). The evaluation relied on a mixed-methods research design, combining qualitative and quantitative research methods such as a large-scale survey programme and in-depth case studies.

The data collected indicate the large scope of e-Cohesion: the evaluation mapped 108 e-Cohesion systems, covering all EU27 Member States, including Interreg programmes. Overall, these systems are well-developed, with most systems addressing the requirements in terms of key principles, processes, functionalities and data security requirements. The systems and their various aspects enjoy high levels of user satisfaction; both the national authorities and beneficiaries that use e-Cohesion systems believe that the benefits of e-Cohesion are higher than the associated costs, and that the systems brought about improvements in all aspects of information exchange, compared to paper-based exchanges. Based on its findings, the evaluation has synthesised a set of potential solutions for programme authorities, which can be useful for addressing the identified challenges. The key point for improvement is interoperability with other electronic systems and registers, as well as reducing the parallel data exchanges that are still taking place.