The objective of the contract was to improve the overall management of IPA II financial assistance in Türkiye by enhancing the strategic link between the planning/programming, monitoring and evaluation activities of the National IPA Coordinator (NIPAC) office. In this context, the project team carried out 9 thematic evaluations of the EU funded contracts/interventions financed by IPA II assistance in Türkiye, and disseminated the lessons learnt and the results of IPA II interventions to the stakeholders and the wider public.
The evaluation exercise consisted of 9 thematic evaluations, extending the scope over 109 contracts within 43 activities/interventions of the 2014, 2015 and 2016 IPA Annual Programmes. The thematic areas covered by the evaluation included Agriculture, Energy, EU-Turkey Dialogue, Civil society, Fundamental rights, Border Surveillance, Removal Centres, Judiciary System and Penitentiary System, with all types of contracts, including services, works, supply, twinning, and direct grants. In total, more than 450 million EUR worth of assistance was covered by the evaluation.
The evaluation team has:

• assessed in both qualitative and quantitative terms the relevance, conditions of implementation and performance of each intervention/theme covered by the evaluation, particularly their efficiency, effectiveness, sustainability, and the EU added value;
• assessed the coherence of each intervention/theme with the policy objectives set out at national and European level with a view to identify its contribution in long-term;
• assessed the programming process, the monitoring system and process and, where appropriate, implementation arrangements;
• formulated rigorous conclusions based on objective, credible, reliable and valid findings and evidence, as well as explanatory factors that facilitate or hamper effectiveness and impact;
• provided NIPAC and other stakeholders with lessons learned (both positive and negative), best practices and recommendations to improve the quality and design of current interventions as well as of the future Annual Action Plans in the Framework of IPA III;
• engaged in a variety of dissemination activities aimed at raising awareness of IPA II, understanding of evaluation findings and recommendations, and inspiring further action among stakeholders.