In 2015 was the launch of Kazakhstan's Plan for the Nation which provided for main policy reforms and their likely implications over a period of five years. One of five key pillars of the reform programme was the creation of a modern and professional civil service which eschews nepotism, protectionism and corruption. Kazakhstan looks to Europe, North America, and countries such as Malaysia and Singapore for models of best practice, embracing key elements of public management (e-government, decentralization, and performance management systems). The EU has been committed to supporting the plan which, taken together, maps a pathway towards deep political, economic and social reforms.
The two projects to be evaluated (Enhancing Kazakhstan’s Sector Competitiveness through Better Regulations and Institutions; and Civil Service Reform and Modernisation of the Government of Kazakhstan) were key elements in the EU's support to Kazakhstan's wider Plan for the Nation. They fell under the programme "Public sector reform and modernization: supporting Kazakhstan's policy to modernize its public administration" (PSRM) (DCI-ASIE/2010/022-081). This programme aimed at contributing to the implementation of the Government's public sector reform, focusing on (i) effectiveness of central state administration in four sectors (Education, Environment, Agriculture and Industry/Innovation), (ii) improved public service standards (iii) and professionalization of civil service.
Since December 2015 there existed an Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between Kazakhstan and the European Union, however bi-lateral financial support from the EU to Kazakhstan has now come to an end. Therefore, the aim of the evaluation of these two major projects was to examine the extent to which the projects delivered their objectives and to offer recommendations on the way forward, especially taking account of the new reality of a regional as opposed to a bi-lateral cooperation approach. Since Kazakhstan is seen as a leading country in the Central Asian region there may well be important lessons for neighbouring countries (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan).
Therefore the main objectives of this evaluation was to provide the relevant services of the EU, the interested stakeholders and the wider public with:

• An overall independent assessment of the past performance of the projects "Enhancing Kazakhstan’s Sector Competitiveness through better Regulations and Institutions" and

"Civil Service Reform and Modernisation of the Government of Kazakhstan"; and

• Key lessons and recommendations in order to improve future actions.

More specifically, the evaluation team

• Conducted an overall independent assessment about the performance of the two projects, paying particularly attention to the actual impact of the projects’ actions against their objectives; and
• Identified key lessons and propose practical recommendations for relevant follow-up actions by the Delegation of the EU and national stakeholders, taking full account that Kazakhstan is a graduated country without any new bilateral cooperation under the DCI instrument since 2014.