The final evaluation of the ISA² programme has been adopted

The European Commission adopted the report on the results of the final evaluation of the ISA² programme on 17 December 2021. The evaluation relied on quantitative and qualitative data and focused on seven main criteria: relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence, EU added value, utility, and sustainability. 

It found that the original needs and problems that the programme intended to address remain highly relevant. The COVID-19 pandemic has made existing needs even more pressing, including the need for coordination when implementing digital solutions at EU level. 

The evaluation concluded that, in general, the ISA² programme was successful. 

1. It has gone some way towards achieving its objectives – especially by developing, operating, and facilitating the reuse of interoperability solutions and by promoting a holistic approach to interoperability in the EU.  
2. Its operation was cost-effective – for those actions where the assessment was feasible, the costs per end-user (e.g., business, citizens, etc.) have been estimated as low. 
3. It demonstrated both internal (among its own actions) and external (with other EU initiatives) coherence. Finally, the evaluation results clearly underlined the EU added value of the programme, while outlining some actions to make its solutions more user-centric and sustainable. 

ISA² was a funding programme of the European Union with a budget of €131 million. It supported the development of digital solutions, which enable public administrations, businesses, and citizens in Europe to benefit from interoperable cross-border and cross-sector public services. The programme ran from 2016 until 31 December 2020 and was officially closed with a conference in April 2021.  

After its end, the ISA² programme has evolved into Interoperable Europe - the initiative of the European Commission for a reinforced interoperability policy. 

Are you interested to learn more details around the final evaluation of ISA²? Check the the staff working document, which describes the evaluation process and findings in details!