Framework contract for impact assessments and evaluations (ex-ante, intermediate and ex-post)

In July 2009 the Commission adopted the 2009 Review of EU SDS underlining that in recent years the EU has mainstreamed sustainable development into a broad range of its policies. However, unsustainable trends persist in many areas and the efforts need to be intensified.

Environmental policies need to be designed to deliver their objectives in as cost-effective a manner as possible, which means that the linkages between the economy and the environment are to be analysed and expressed quantitatively and in monetary terms. Moreover, it is also necessary to measure progress in ways consistent with the European Commission’s Beyond GDP initiative.

In this regard, DG Environment calls for a pool of experts to support economic analysis of environmental policies.

FEEM is partner in a Consortium of 16 organisations supporting the DG Environment in the field of economic analysis of environmental policies. The Consortium, lead by the Institute for Environmental Studies VU University, Amsterdam (IVM), includes high-level experts in with relevant expertise in the areas that are likely to be covered by specific contracts under the envisaged framework contract as well as a wide coverage of member states and working languages.

The Consortium aims at providing support to the DG CLIMA by focusing on the following areas:

• support in the context of sustainable development
• economic analysis
• impact assessments and evaluations

The first EU Energy Action Plan, adopted in 2007 has introduced a complete set of new measures, largely executed through the adoption of new legislation and through the implementation of new strategic programmes. In addition, the Energy policy objectives are supported by market-based instruments and programmes to develop low carbon technologies. Although a number of concrete results have already been achieved, number of challenges lie ahead, starting with the need for an improved implementation of the existing legislation in order to exploit its full potential.

In this regard, DG Energy calls for highly-qualified expertise to assist in carrying out impact assessments and ex-ante evaluations for the design and preparation of Union policy initiatives and legislative proposals, and intermediate and ex-post evaluations of Union policies, regulatory measures and programmes in the field of energy.

FEEM is partner in a Consortium of 5 organisations supporting the DG Energy in the field of impact assessment and evaluations. The Consortium, lead by Technopolis Group, includes leading organizations widely recognized for their top level expertise in carrying out public policy evaluation and impact analysis of EU programmes, and on energy related issues.

The Consortium aims at providing support to the DG Energy by carrying out:

• impact assessments for the design and preparation of policy initiatives and legislative proposals and to carry out ex-ante evaluations on Union policies and programmes implying a Union expenditure;
• intermediate and ex-post evaluations to analyse the implementation, achievements and impact of Union policies, regulatory measures and programmes in order to give evidence of the outcomes in the short and longer terms with respect to their objectives, their economie, soci al and environmental impact, the efficiency, the effectiveness and relevance of the funding and to provide conclusions and recommendations for improvements.