The evaluation of European projects is a complex topic, which draws on different disciplines. First, you need to be an expert in project design and then to have experience in European project management, which is a real different profession. To talk about the evaluation of European projects, we must first talk about what projects are. What makes a project a good European project?
The first fact that distinguishes a European project is that it has an international dimension, it can involve several European countries or concentrate international activities on a specific territory, bringing Europe to the local level. Therefore, there may be projects of various types, local or transnational, which in any case have a European added value.
What is meant by European added value? These are projects that could not be completed if not at an international level so that the European dimension becomes the “cherry on the cake” of an activity that already exists locally but is only completed at international level. Let’s take a concrete example. In an intercultural exchange project for young people, the activity of the youth centre or the leader association must already exist in order to apply for European funding. The call only co-finances the activities of exchange in which young people from different countries meet. It is also important to clarify this subsidiarity principle. The European tender usually never finances 100% of activity but only a part of it. It is assumed that there is already a commitment on the part of the proponent in carrying out the project.
The second principle related to this is sustainability: the fact that different entities guarantee the financing of the project is an element of certainty in addition to the solidity of the proposal. The concept is that Europe does not replace local actors but supports them in their international commitment. Therefore the partnership must be well-articulated, in order to guarantee a complete and balanced proposal. The evaluation starts already with the verification of these general criteria. Naturally, the evaluation then takes into consideration the specific variables of each program and each call for proposal.
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article by Giuseppina Rossi, Senior project evaluator for the European Commission