GOVERNMENT OF ROMANIA MINISTRY OF PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGING AUTHORITY FOR COMMUNITY SUPPORT FRAMEWORK Evaluation Central Unit Development of the Evaluation Community in Romania

Evaluation driver Chapter 28 – Financial control Chapter 28 – Financial control Chapter 21 – Regional policy Chapter 21 – Regional policy Political criteria – increasing the accountability of the Public Administration; enhancing policy formulation Political criteria – increasing the accountability of the Public Administration; enhancing policy formulation – European Commission – Civil Society/media

The strategy of public policy The strategy of public policy To develop a simple and efficient system for formulation of public policies To develop a simple and efficient system for formulation of public policies – Setting the structure and the role of each public policy document – Defining the hierarchy between the documents – Defining the link between national and sectoral public policies – Introduction of impact analysis of the public policies It is coordinated by the Secretariat General of the Government It is coordinated by the Secretariat General of the Government

Raising Awareness on evaluation Action Plan for raising awareness on evaluation Action Plan for raising awareness on evaluation – May – June 2006 – 6 conferences on evaluation for specific target groups – Focus on utility of evaluation, international experience with evaluation, EU requirements concerning evaluation – The booklet “Evaluation – essential component in the European process of public interventions formulation and implementation” – Questionnaire elaborated and distributed

Private market development – first steps 35 potential evaluators selected from local consultancy companies, universities and NGOs 35 potential evaluators selected from local consultancy companies, universities and NGOs Purpose: Romanian organisations in the private, academic and civil society sectors will be able to, in the coming years: Purpose: Romanian organisations in the private, academic and civil society sectors will be able to, in the coming years: tender for evaluation contracts commissioned by the European Commission, the Ministry of Public Finance, and other Government Ministries and public bodies tender for evaluation contracts commissioned by the European Commission, the Ministry of Public Finance, and other Government Ministries and public bodies successfully carry out the evaluation contracts to qualitative standards. successfully carry out the evaluation contracts to qualitative standards.

Others to be done in 2006 Others to be done in 2006 Evaluation Working Group for Structural Instruments Evaluation Working Group for Structural Instruments – Designing the model of interim evaluation – Steering the ex-ante evaluation of the operational programmes – Evaluation standards – Evaluation procedures, including the setting up of the evaluation functions inside the managing authorities Translation in Romanian and distribution of the Guide for evaluation of socio-economic development programmes Translation in Romanian and distribution of the Guide for evaluation of socio-economic development programmes THE NATIONAL EVALUATION STRATEGY THE NATIONAL EVALUATION STRATEGY

Steps to developing the National Evaluation Strategy Principal stages:  Assessment of the Romanian evaluation culture (to mid-July)  Engage in consultations with main stakeholders  Drafting the National Evaluation Strategy (based on best-practice from other MS  Disseminate draft for comment (to end August  Finalise and launch NES (September)

Assessment of the Romanian evaluation culture Assessment of the Romanian evaluation culture  Assessment against EU “9+3” criteria (identified in “International Atlas on Evaluation”). The criteria include: Evaluation takes place in many policy domains Evaluation takes place in many policy domains There is a supply of domestic evaluators in different discipline There is a supply of domestic evaluators in different discipline There is a professional organisation of evaluators There is a professional organisation of evaluators There is a degree of institutionalisation of evaluation in Government There is a degree of institutionalisation of evaluation in Government There is a degree of institutionalisation of evaluation in Parliament There is a degree of institutionalisation of evaluation in Parliament There is a pluralism of institutions or evaluators performing evaluations within each policy domain There is a pluralism of institutions or evaluators performing evaluations within each policy domain There is an evaluation function within the Supreme Audit Institution. There is an evaluation function within the Supreme Audit Institution. The three additional criteria for candidate countries are: 1. There is monitoring capacity 2. There is diversity of evaluation: strategy, policy, programme, projects 3. There is an information flow within government relating to evaluation.

The National Evaluation Strategy  Assessment will be of both demand and supply side:  level of evaluation activity and capacity at both the local and central levels of governments, for all publicly-funded interventions, regardless of funding source (e.g. EU, national budget, etc.)  Level of evaluation activity and capacity within the academic, civil society and private sectors  Will identify gaps in evaluation knowledge and capacity  Will outline some potential policy choices to be further elaborated in the NES draft document

National Evaluation Strategy The draft NES will take into account: The draft NES will take into account: – the “ Strategy for improving the public policy planning and formulation system at central level’’ – Assessment of the Romanian evaluation legal framework – Evaluation models proposed for the NSRF and OP process – Twinning support to Parliament on impact assessment of legal acts Taking into account external environment, and experience of other EU Member States, the NES will primarily focus on development of evaluation culture rather than on systems. Taking into account external environment, and experience of other EU Member States, the NES will primarily focus on development of evaluation culture rather than on systems.

The National Evaluation Strategy - This will include: – Roadmap of further evaluation capacity building – Training, guidelines, national “society of Romanian evaluators” – Liaison with the wider evaluation community (civil society, Universities, etc.) – Other capacity building activities By 2010, NES should outline the milestones to develop systems for incorporation of evaluation practices into all publicly-funded programmes By 2010, NES should outline the milestones to develop systems for incorporation of evaluation practices into all publicly-funded programmes

The National Evaluation Strategy - This will include: – Roadmap of further evaluation capacity building – Training, guidelines, national “society of Romanian evaluators” – Liaison with the wider evaluation community (civil society, Universities, etc.) – Other capacity building activities By 2010, NES should outline the milestones to develop systems for incorporation of evaluation practices into all publicly-funded programmes By 2010, NES should outline the milestones to develop systems for incorporation of evaluation practices into all publicly-funded programmes

Implementation of the NES PHARE 2005 – €2m - “ Development of a Professional Evaluation Community ” able to initiate, perform and use evaluations – €1m - Target group - Public administration - Evaluation firms / evaluators - Support organizations – professional organizations/networks, academic environment - Activities: - Evaluation guidelines, procedures and standards - Ethics codes - Developing competences – establishing evaluation curricula, training activities

Implementation of the NES - “Evaluation Facility” – €1m -Main objective: encouraging public bodies to initiate and use evaluations of their own interventions -Secondary objective: know-how transfer to the indigenous evaluation market -MACSF ECU will be highly involved in the implementation, quality assurance activities and supporting the implementation of the evaluation recommendations