Interim evaluation concluded good performance of ISA² Programme

The European Commission published the results of the interim evaluation of the ISA² Programme. The outcome that the Commission adopted on 23 September 2019 has the form of a report to the European Parliament and the Council of the EU. Overall, the interim evaluation concludes the ISA² Programme has been performing well so far, while it also identifies three areas for possible improvement. 

The interim evaluation of the ISA² Programme started in summer 2018 when ISA² reached its midway point. It included a number of consultation activities such as targeted interviews, online surveys, a public consultation and questionnaires distributed during events. Data collected from stakeholders together with desk research gave the input for the interim evaluation results.

Interim evaluation findings and recommendations 

The interim evaluation confirms that ISA² performs well in all evaluation criteria (relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, EU added value, utility and sustainability). The objectives pursued by ISA² are still pertinent, and the results achieved so far are aligned with these objectives. The programme’s implementation is progressing as planned, with strong internal coherence; user satisfaction tends to be positive. Stakeholders in particular agree that ISA² plays a central role in improving the interoperability landscape in the EU and its absence would jeopardise the efforts of European public administrations to improve interoperability and to foster the ICT-based modernisation of the public sector in Europe.

As the areas for possible improvement, the report mentions:

• Awareness-raising beyond national administrations
  The interim evaluation found that more awareness raising could be done in regional and local administrations. Targeted promotional activities should emphasise the benefits of (re)using the ISA² interoperability solutions. In its final stage, ISA² should put even more emphasis on ensuring that public administrations, academia and interested professionals share best practices among themselves. In the longer run, advisory capabilities should be built around interoperability.
• Moving from user-centric to user-driven solutions
  To increase the programme’s utility, ISA² could improve the quality of its existing solutions by better considering user needs. In the coming years, it is advisable to move from a user-centric to a user-driven approach, where users become involved in designing of interoperability solutions.
• Paving the way to increased sustainability 
  When ISA² ends, it is vital to preserve and build on the programme achievements. Further funding of interoperability activities will come from the new Digital Europe Programme, one of the Commission’s proposals under the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2021-2027. In addition, the Commission should act upon the synergies created between ISA² and other EU programmes to promote interoperability in general and to facilitate the broad reuse of ISA² solutions. In parallel, it is recommended to investigate the possibilities of increasing the sustainability of the results achieved by existing ISA² solutions.

Next steps

The Commission will take into account the findings and recommendations of the interim evaluation during the further implementation of the ISA² Programme. The results, and in particular the three areas for improvement mentioned above, will also be very valuable for managing the transition to the new Digital Europe Programme. 

Background:

ISA² is a programme for the development of interoperability solutions for public administrations, businesses and citizens. It is managed by the Directorate-General for Informatics and runs from 2016 to 2020. The programme aims to promote the ICT-based modernisation of the public sector in Europe and to facilitate addressing the needs of businesses and citizens for cross-border and cross-sector digital public services via improved interoperability of European public administrations.

The solutions developed under ISA² are available for reuse free of charge.

More information:

• Report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council: Results of the interim evaluation of the ISA² Programme (available in 23 EU languages)
• Commission staff working document: Interim evaluation of the ISA² Programme (accompanying the report above; available in EN)
• Interim Evaluation of the ISA² Programme