Croatia : Result orientation within the process of preparation of programming documents

1. Croatia: Result orientation within the process of preparation of programming documents V4+ Croatia and Slovenia Expert Level Conference Budapest, 16-17 June 2014

2. State of play • Croatian PA is in the process of the interservice consultation in the Commission • The work on OPs is to be finalisedby mid July • We follow basiclly theEC rules,but stil there area lot of problems in formulating results and proper indicators • This is mainly due to the novelty of the issue to Croatia: • limitedprevious expieriences with theESIFs • limited monitoring system and lack of evaluation culture of national policies • limited number of staff working on programming and on monitoring issues in particular in the administration

3. Methodological background of the selection of indicators Legal and procedural basis: • EU regulation, Implementing acts and guidance documents • Common national rules for 2007-2013 period developed by the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds- including chapter on monitoring and indicators • Update of the existing rulesfor the 2014-2020 period will be carried out(definitions, procedures, detecting of performance problems) • Guidelinesrelated to the indicators system, performance framework and monitoring to be developed by Coordinating Body Methodologyused: • Intervention logic based on the analysis of needs and potentials • Indicators to capture intended change and reflect direct activities • Use of common indicators, where appropriate • Milestones that could be controlled (targets very closely related to the implementation) • Indicators developed based on coordination with sectoral partners included in the programming process • Support from external experts used– TA and ex-ante evaluators (workshops, specific workshop on performance framework, formulation of proposals in relation to individual OPs, comments)

4. Planning of targets Milestonesand targets: • Basedontheoveralleconomicconditionsin Croatia • Basedonthespecificeconomicanddevelopmentconditionsinagivensectorunderaspecificpriority axes • Establishedincooperationwithsectoral partners • Targets are based on a computation of unit costs from previous similar or equivalent interventions supported under ERDF programmes or other national/regional schemes • In completely novel interventions, the target estimate will be revised after the completion of the first projects • Targets reflect the expected effects, but also account for any potentially influential external factors • Plausibility oftarget estimates is made in relation to the actions and budget proposed per IP/specific objective • Milestonesestablishedfor2018willincludefinancial indicators,outputindicators and,where appropriate,result indicators,closelylinkedtothesupportedpolicy interventions

5. Planning of targets • This issue represent stillabigchallenge: • Too many indicators • Ongoing changes to the content ofOPs • Lack of common methodology- ministriesplanning targets (values) on their own • The major focus is now on: • Defining proper indicators to reflect results and scope of actions • Decreasing the number of output indicators • Improving financial planning- financial tables also at the level of specific objectives • Making choices for the indicators on performance reserve • For performance framework we will use finanical indicators (total certified eligible expenditure) and mostly simple output indicators representing 50% of allocation of priority axis

6. Planning of targets • Key steps that will be taken in order to improve achievement of indicators, including setting up the performance framework: • Improvement of the existing guidance documents on the preparation and use of indicators and performance framework; its preparation and implementation at the level of the OPs • Development of the guidelines on the utilization of the performance reserve in line with EU regulations, in a separate document in accordance with other national regulations • Conducting series of methodological workshops for representatives of the bodies in the MCS as well as other stakeholders participating in the programming process

7. Role of monitoring and evaluation and their institutional setup for a proper follow-up of the Performance Framework System and procedures: • As part of the current common national rulesthat govern ERDF, ESF and CF in 2007-2013 period, a set of rules will be developed. The CB will build upon these rules and develop, during the course of 2014, guidelines specifying milestones and targets for indicators to be achieved in the 2014–2020 period, main principles for defining their values and monitoring of their achievement as well as actions to be taken in case of underperformance. • Monitoring committees to be set up • Monitoring reports - discussed at the level of the relevant MC and with the EC, but also at the level of NCC • Data collection and inputs for relevant reports and in general for monitoring performance framework will be supported by MIS which is intended to be further upgraded in line with the requirements of the CPR Further improvements of the system: • Detectionof problems in regard to performance framework will be done at the level of MAs and communicated to CB • Specialreport on the progress in achieving targets set for performance framework will be prepared by the CB on the basis of reports from MAs and implementing institutions. This will be presented to the government for taking action if necessary • CB is responsible for updatingthe Evaluation Strategy (prepared in 2012) for the new programming period and coordinate activities of MAsin this field • The inter-institutional Evaluation Working Group (EWG) which has been established in 2013 and chaired by the CB will continue to be the main forum for coordinating and discussingESIF evaluation issues and will meet regularly to monitor the state of progress in achieving the objectives of the Strategy. Conclusions of the EWG will be presented to the MCs and NCC

8. Thank you!