Data and evaluations of the European Social Fund Plus are mostly available separately for funding implemented in partnership with Member States (shared management) and funding managed at EU level under the Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand.
The mid-term evaluation of the ESF+ assesses progress towards objectives across both strands.
Shared management
The Open Data Platform provides detailed insights into the implementation of cohesion programmes, including the ESF+ under shared management.
The ESF+ Dashboard, developed by the Data Support Centre, offers a detailed overview of the status of ESF+ programmes across the EU.
Data from the previous funding period (2014-2020) can be found on the ESF dashboard.
Evaluations
The European Commission and Member States share the responsibility for evaluating the ESF+ under shared management. Managing Authorities perform evaluations at the national and regional level, while the Commission carries out evaluations at the EU level.
Evaluation methodologies
Besides theory-based impact evaluations, counterfactual impact evaluations provide robust methods to assess the impact of cohesion funding. A range of support materials is available to guide the development of these evaluations:
- Design and commissioning of counterfactual impact evaluations (available in 23 languages)
- How to use administrative data for European Social Funds counterfactual impact evaluations
- Advanced counterfactual evaluation methods
- Counterfactual impact evaluation of European Social Fund interventions in practice
- Additional materials on counterfactual impact evaluations (video-tutorials, case studies, checklists).
Funding at EU level
The Financial Transparency System Website offers an overview of the main figures related to EU funds awarded under direct and indirect management.
On the EU Funding and Tender Portal, the EU funded projects tab includes results from projects that are directly funded by the Commission.
The Social Innovation Plus Initiative offers information relating to the calls and projects managed by the entrusted entity ESFA (European Social Fund Agency) on social innovation.
Reports
Reports on EaSI include:
- EaSI Performance Monitoring Report - Highlights key achievements, focusing on outputs and outcomes as measured against established KPIs and PPIs. Reports available since 2014.
- Activity and funding reports - Published every year, providing a comprehensive overview of activities and their alignment with EaSI's operational objectives.
