Independent evaluations are an essential part of the Commission's decision making process. They are required under the Financial Regulation and carried out according to evaluation standards.
According to the Humanitarian Aid Regulation, the Commission must "regularly assess humanitarian aid operations financed by the Community in order to establish whether they have achieved their objectives and to produce guidelines for improving the effectiveness of subsequent operations" (Art. 18). Furthermore, the Commission is obliged to report every three years to the European Parliament and to the Council on the operations financed (Art.20).
For Civil Protection, specific requirements for interim and ex-post evaluation are provided in the Decision on a Union Civil Protection Mechanism (Art. 34).
Evaluations are carried out by independent experts who assess the activities of the European Commission's Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department (ECHO). Their conclusions and recommendations feed into ECHO's strategic planning, programming, communication policy, and the budgetary cycle.
Geographic evaluations
Thematic evaluations
Evaluations overview
ECHO has set up a Multiple Framework Contract for the Evaluation of Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Activities, under which in principle all evaluations are launched.
These evaluations have been prepared for the European Commission however it reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
External links on evaluation:
- Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance (ALNAP)
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
- Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD)
Picture: © European Union/ECHO