This Final Report presents the outcome of the “Thematic global evaluation of the Commission support to decentralisation processes”. The Evaluation was commissioned by the DG DEVCO Evaluation Unit and was implemented between January 2010 and February 2012. The purpose of the evaluation is to...

The purpose of this evaluation, covering the period 2000-2006, is to provide the relevant external co-operation services of the European Commission (EC) and wider public with an independent evaluation of the EC aid channelled through civil society. The specific objectives of this forward looking...

This evaluation studies the European Union (EU) aid delivery mechanism of delegated cooperation (DC) with EU Member States and third donor countries during the period 2007-2014. The main objectives of the evaluation are to provide an overall independent assessment of DC and to formulate...

Given the consolidation needs and the provisions of the new fiscal rule, budgetary planning in Germany has become more demanding. Fiscal projections are already difficult since the link between total tax revenue and economic activity is observed to be unstable. This Country Focus identifies...

This study focuses on the most important drivers of the swift current account rebalancing which is taking place in Estonia and considers the possible way forward. After very large deficits in the boom years (2005-2007), Estonia's current account balance turned positive in the downturn, as...

Romania's domestic demand boom over the past few years has led to rapidly widening current account deficits, reaching an estimated 13½% of GDP in 2008. High private sector dissaving has been exacerbated by a procycylical fiscal policy, with the public deficit likely to exceed 3% of GDP in 2008....

Measuring public sector efficiency is not generally straightforward and presents a difficult empirical issue, specifically in terms of adequate measurement of costs and outcomes. This Country Focus attempts to measure the efficiency of public spending in Malta by applying two alternative...

The UK's self-sufficiency in fossil fuels shields public finances from the negative effects of higher oil prices on general economic activity. Changes in the international price of oil affect government revenues from the corporate and household sectors. Taxes on oil production are estimated to...