• The new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027 is aimed at achieving objectives
• The results will be measured based on the contribution of each Member State of the European Union (EU) to the objectives of the CAP, such as the reduction of greenhouse gases, through the increase of agricultural income and the development of rural businesses.
• To this end, a new evaluation framework called the “Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (PMEF)” has been established.

"Let's not expect things to change if we always do the same thing" (A. Einstein). So, to new scenarios, new objectives. And new tasks. The newCommon Agricultural Policy (CAP) 2023-2027 is designed so that the Member States of the European Union (EU) — through their Strategic Plans (SP) — refocus agricultural policy on its results and not just on its compliance, without knowing what results are being obtained from it.

In a changing reality where the security of the food system increasingly depends on its sustainability — due to increasingly extreme weather conditions and a fluctuating market — the need to move toward a more resilient agri-food chain is evident.

Thus, the evaluation of the new CAP is essential, through the role of Member States in verifying its impact. To this end, the " Performance Monitoring and Assessment Framework (PMEF)" has been created , which will allow reporting, monitoring, and evaluating the implementation of the CAP Strategic Plans of each EU Member State from 2023 to 2027.

Characteristics

The Performance Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (PMEF) stands out for:

- Provide greater flexibility for EU Member States compared to previous CAP programming periods, allowing them to tailor their evaluation activities to the progress of their Strategic Plans (SPs).

- It does not establish evaluation milestones, although EU Member States must carry out comprehensive evaluation activities during the implementation of their Strategic Plans.

- EU Member States must assess the impact of each of the objectives in their Strategic Plans at an appropriate point in the implementation period. In doing so, they will be able to group several objectives into a single assessment, ensuring that the contributions of the underlying interventions to each objective are tangible and quantifiable.

- Member States must also carry out assessments of specific topics such as:

• Environmental and climate measures.
• The LEADER approach .
• Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS ) .
• The National CAP Networks .

- Each EU Member State must conduct a comprehensive assessment of its Strategic Plans and their contribution to the overall objectives of the CAP by the end of 2031.

Evaluation Plan

Each EU Member State must design an Evaluation Plan , tailored to its own objectives and the country's evaluation needs. It must also describe how these objectives will be achieved, along with a timeline covering:

• Data collection.
• Communication of evaluation results.
• Capacity building.

Very important: EU Member States are requested to consult and involve all stakeholders in the Evaluation Plan. The Evaluation Plan must also be presented and discussed with the members of the Monitoring Committee. of each CAP Strategic Plan.

For up-to-date news on CAP evaluation, please visit the European CAP Network's "CAP Evaluation" newsletter .