Ex Ante Evaluation of the North Sea Region Programme 2014-2020, Final Report to the Managing Authority of the 2007-13 North Sea Region Programme

This report comprises the ex ante evaluation of the North Sea Region Programme (NSRP) undertaken by the European Policies Research Centre (EPRC) for the NSRP Managing Authority. The ex ante evaluation was conducted in accordance with DG REGIO Guidelines on Evaluation Methods. The purpose of the ex ante evaluation was to improve and strengthen the quality of the programme under preparation and to optimise the allocation of resources. The evaluation team provided inputs throughout the Programming process on an iterative and interactive basis. This process allowed the evaluation to be carried out in a supportive and constructive way. The NSRP Operational Programme (OP) is the result of a lengthy and extensive drafting process, which has involved stakeholder and partner consultation and discussion, high-level inputs from national and regional representatives, numerous lengthy and detailed background analyses and reports, regular meetings and discussions, and the submission of a number of programme drafts to key programming groups.