Energy and sustainable development: multiannual programme "Intelligent Energy for Europe", 2003-2006

This document contains the Commission’s conclusions of the mid-term evaluation of the “Intelligent Energy – Europe” programme (IEE) Community programme and its comments on it.

The mid-term evaluation was conducted by an independent panel of experts and was submitted to the Commission on 24 March 2006. The report comprises an assessment of the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, added value and sustainability of the programme, taking into account time and money constraints, and recommends action as appropriate so as to help the Commission to improve the programme management, and to guide it in the renewal and extension of similar activities. It also compares its own results and findings with those of past programmes’ evaluations like the mid-term evaluation of the “Energy Framework Programme, 1998-2002” (EFP).

Five main conclusions and general recommendations emerge from the overall report:

- the IEE represents, in most aspects, a considerable improvement in relation to the previous EFP and the Commission has been successful in embedding into the programme many of the recommendations and the relevant advice from previous independent evaluations;

- the need for the programme has increased since its start, which is informed by the strength of fit of the programme aims with the aims of the Lisbon Strategy and the increased profile of energy supply security and global warming. It is attracting worthwhile projects and of high-quality, and is generally well-run. Therefore, the Evaluators recommend its continuation;

- one important aspect of the programme is the added-value it brings with the strength of the synergy between renewables, energy efficiency and transport. In addition, it is reasonable to assume that the projects’ funded will inspire Member State policy changes and interventions. This aspect should be covered in the ex-post evaluation of the programme;

-the programme does not duplicate the work of other funding streams: it complements the work of other Community programmes like the Framework Programme of RTD, and, given its unique trans-national nature, it adds value to national, regional and local programmes and initiatives, helps benchmarking and to avoid duplication of efforts;

- the overall budget is adequate. However, there is relatively low confidence in the ability of the programme to significantly influence and contribute to achieve the general energy objectives. Accordingly, there is a good case for enlarging the programme intervention and include support to market uptake projects of technologies and best practices and for increasing the budget accordingly.

The evaluators also highlight a number of areas in which improvements can be made at the

programme execution level. Compared to its predecessor, the programme is attracting fewer proposals although the budget has comparatively increased. The evaluators advise holding more targeted and themed information days so as to attract new applicants and, in particular more applicants from the new Member States. They consider that an extra-effort should be made to improve further the quality of submitted proposals and reduce the evaluation workload, and recommend continuing the development of better guidance to applicants.

The Commission was asked to reflect on the effectiveness of having a two-stage application process, either for the final call of the programme or in the successor programme. Finally, despite major progress achieved, notably at the level of application forms, the collective dissemination of results could still be improved.

The Commission stresses that most of the conclusions reached by the evaluators match, to large extent, its own findings and have already led or shall lead to improved measures to make, e.g. the programme more efficient and of easier access. However, measures whose implementation would entail changes to the existing legal framework can be considered only in connection with the preparation of the successor programmes.