EVALUATION OF EU SUPPORT TO PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT IN THE ENLARGEMENT AND NEIGHBOURHOOD REGIONS (2016-2022)

The evaluation of the EU support to Private Sector Development (PSD) in the Enlargement and Neighbourhood Regions (2016-2022) has been commissioned by DG NEAR A4. The general objective of this evaluation is to provide an overall independent assessment of the EU’s support to PSD in the Enlargement and Neighbourhood regions during the period 2016-2022. The evaluation will focus on the SME sector, in line with the ToR and the strategic framework of EU external action, which prioritises support to the SME sector as a main driver of socio-economic development . The evaluation will assess the contribution of EU support to SMEs in the Enlargement and Neighbourhood regions, and particularly towards: • EU high-level objectives and priorities in the area of SMEs; • The post-COVID recovery of SMEs; • Improvements of the SME business environment on the ground; • Job creation, competitiveness and social and environmental standards; • Working Better Together (WBT), partnerships and dialogues. Evaluation findings and responses to the Evaluation Questions (EQs) will be used to suggest practical recommendations and lessons learned, particularly concerning: • The articulation of the EU toolbox; • The interplay between programmes; • Facilitating and hampering factors that affect results; • Best practices that are conducive to a successful implementation of the EU’s support to SMEs. The evaluation recommendations based on ex-post assessment will feed into ongoing and future approaches so as to improve private sector development policy design and future decision making. Recommendations may also feed into the forthcoming mid-term review of the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA III) and the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument – Global Europe (NDICI – Global Europe), and future EU strategies for SME support.


Project Details
Country ENLARGEMENT AND NEIGHBOURHOOD REGIONS
Start date 2023.01.10
End date 2024.10.17
Client DG NEAR
Sector EVALUATION
Sub-sector Thematic
Ref. ADE A621-028