Evaluation of the Structural Funds’ project selection criteria

This report sets out the results of the project for evaluation of the selection criteria of the structural funds. The project was carried out from December 2009 to June 2010 on the basis of an employment contract between the Ministry of Finance and Ernst & Young Baltic AS. The survey was conducted by a consortium comprising Ernst & Young Baltic AS, the PRAXIS Centre for Policy Studies and the Institute of Baltic Studies.

The aim of the survey was to analyse the functionality of the criteria specified in the criteria of the measures upon selection of projects corresponding to the objectives set out in the strategy documents of the structural funds. To this end the following were analysed:

• the objectives set out in the National Strategic Reference Framework (hereinafter the NSRF), three Operational Programmes and the underlying documents setting out the criteria of the measures and the concordance of the objectives and the compliance of the activities to be supported with the objectives of the measure;
• the relevance and effectiveness of the project selection systems upon selection of purposeful projects; and
• the horizontal priorities specified in the terms of reference upon selection of projects (export growth, productivity growth, involvement of foreign investments, energy efficiency, speed of implementation, sustainability of results and impact on budgetary position).