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Synthesis Report Ex-post Evaluation of the ERDF 2000-2006 A third aim of the evaluation 34 was to examine whether the management and implementation system for cohesion policy had the capacity to enable a strategy to be designed and pursued which was consistent with sustainable development, defined very broadly to encompass the many and various aspects which this involves. Based on ten case studies and a review of the literature, the evaluation demonstrated that the system, with programmes based on an analysis of the economic, social and environmental situation of a region, the setting of appropriate objectives and the involvement of relevant partners, is suitable for delivering sustainable regional development. What emerged from the evaluation was evidence of the building of awareness and the testing of appropriate measures. The case studies undertaken provided a clear demonstration that the pursuit of a sustainable development strategy requires political commitment and consensus as well as the setting of clear and relevant targets. The establishment of suitable administrative procedures in itself is not enough. An Integrated Sustainability Triangle for project assessment in Brandenburg, Germany In Brandenburg, discussion about assessing the sustainability of the ERDF funded projects was initiated by the European Commission which requested an assessment of the environmental effects of funding in the context of a planned programme modification after the mid-term evaluation. Since there were no adequate sustainable development (SD) indicators in the monitoring system, the Managing Authority used the opportunity to initiate a broader debate on the sustainability of the projects funded. Together with the investment bank of the Brandenburg Land (ILB), it developed a tool for project assessment which not only estimated the environmental effects but also the economic and social impacts – namely, the 'Integrated Sustainability Triangle' (IST). Based on the IST, every project is assessed for all three SD dimensions from two perspectives: first, design and implementation (‘how?’) and, secondly, the results and effects (with what outcome?). 3.7.2 Main issues arising • In the 2000-2006 programming period, the ERDF supported interventions relevant for adaptation to climate change, even if on a relatively small scale. • More guidance and development work are needed to design interventions that are effective and efficient and monitored and evaluated to a high standard. Support from the ERDF should only be provided where there is a clear case for public intervention. • The programme based management system of cohesion policy has the capability of delivering integrated strategies for sustainable development, but political leadership and clear and agreed objectives are required for such strategies to be designed and implemented effectively. 3.8 RURAL DEVELOPMENT 3.8.1 What was the purpose of the evaluation? It was not a specific objective of the ERDF over the 2000-2006 period to assist the development of rural areas as distinct from that of non-rural areas. This was left to the EAGGF. Instead, the ERDF was aimed at assisting the development of all problem regions, whether lagging behind (supported under Objective 1) or experiencing specific difficulties (supported under Objective 2) whatever their characteristics. Nevertheless, the growing policy concern with sustainability and 34 Ex post evaluation 2000-06, Work package 11: Management and implementation systems, EPRC. 102
Ex-post Evaluation of the ERDF 2000-2006 Synthesis Report territorial balance and the depopulation of many of the more sparsely populated parts of the EU mean that there has been increasing interest in the fortunes of rural areas and the problems they face. These areas, and the role of the ERDF in assisting their development, were included in the evaluation as a specific issue for investigation. 3.8.2 What are rural areas? The first problem encountered when examining these issues is to identify rural areas. As indicated in Chapter 1, there is a widely accepted OECD definition of rural areas for research purposes, which relates to small areas, or local units, with a low population density (specifically below 150 per square km). Since, however, there are little if any data for areas this small, rural areas tend to be defined, as here, at the NUTS 3 regional level, the smallest areas for which there are at least some data for all EU Member States. Accordingly, there may be rural local units even in NUTS 3 regions defined as being predominantly urban and even more so in intermediate regions. Indeed, as the evaluation revealed, the OECD definition does not necessarily correspond with what administrative authorities across the EU regard as being rural areas, which are often defined, if not very precisely, on a smaller scale than NUTS 3 35 . Policy towards rural areas at national or regional level, therefore, may target slightly different regions than those defined as rural in the evaluation – or, indeed, by researchers generally. Nevertheless, these areas are usually small and most rural areas as commonly understood would tend to be in, or coincide with, NUTS 3 regions defined as being rural. Focusing on these regions, therefore, ought to give a reasonable indication of both the funding going to rural areas over the programming period and the types of project it helped to finance. 3.8.3 What were the policy objectives in rural area? As the evaluation also revealed, there is no neat and simple economic theory which prescribes what development strategy should be adopted in rural areas as opposed to other types. Indeed, economic theories for the most part do not distinguish between types of region in this sense. At the same time, there is increasing emphasis on the need for policy to be tailored to the specific features of a region, to make the most of its endowment of resources or assets, widely defined, and to develop its areas of potential comparative advantage accordingly. Equally, the growing concern with on sustainability implies that the development path pursued should not give rise to significant damage to the environment or the region’s natural assets. In practice, policy towards rural areas differed across the EU, though there was a common aim of trying to maintain population in the areas concerned and, therefore, economic activity. In some countries, however, such as Germany or Spain, this was regarded to a large extent as being coincident with supporting agriculture. In others, such as Sweden or France, a broader perspective was taken, though in neither country was there a specific focus on rural areas as such. Instead the concern was with the development of regions which happened to be rural. The difference mirrors that between the EAGGF, which was predominantly directed towards assisting the agricultural sector and closely related activities, and the ERDF, which was more focused on the development of the region as such, as indicated below. 35 These can be relatively large and populous regions – the whole ‘Communidad’ of Madrid, for example, is a single NUTS 3 region with a population of around 5.8 million. 103
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