This evaluation will cover the e-cohesion systems set up in all the 27 Member States for all operational programmes supported by ERDF and CF during 2014-2020, including also the programmes under the territorial cooperation objective (Interreg).

The evaluation of e-cohesion comes at a time when the new generation of Cohesion Policy programmes (2021-2027) are being prepared. Fully operational e-cohesion systems available to all beneficiaries should have important benefits in terms of simplification and ease of implementation of Cohesion Policy support.

The objective of the evaluation of e-cohesion is twofold:

1) To provide up to date information on the implementation and performance of e-cohesion systems during the 2014-2020 programming period and also to identify good practice systems which could help inspire further developments of e-cohesion systems in other Member States. Moreover, the evaluation will identify the challenges and difficulties encountered by the Member States in setting up e-cohesion systems and document them in a catalogue of challenges;

2) To analyse the preparedness of the e-cohesion systems currently in place in view of the main relevant changes to be introduced by the new CPR for the 2021-2027 programming period, and to identify options for the possible avenues for improvement to ensure that the users of e-cohesion systems are able to make the most of the simplification potential of e-cohesion.

The evaluation will cover the e-cohesion systems set up in all the 27 Member States for all operational programmes supported by ERDF and CF during 2014-2020, including also the programmes under the territorial cooperation objective (Interreg).