EU education spending: programmes match objectives, but link with employment not always made
EU spending on education is in line with the Union’s objectives, but provisions for establishing a clear link between education and employment are not always used, according to a new report from the European Court of Auditors.
“Unemployment is one of the biggest challenges that the European Union has faced in recent years. Investment in education is crucial, as the EU unemployment rate has been three times lower for people with a higher level of education,” says Iliana Ivanova, the ECA Member responsible for the report. “For that reason, the Europe 2020 strategy identifies targets for education objectives. The EU has allocated some €33 billion for 2007-2013 and around €27 billion for 2014-2020 to support education through cohesion policy”.
The auditors assessed whether the EU’s education objectives had been given adequate consideration in operational programmes for 2007-2013 and in a sample of related projects. They concluded that although the objectives had been adequately considered, some aspects of the intervention approach were not described and there were shortcomings in the monitoring tools. This was corroborated by the fact that project performance could not be systematically demonstrated due to a lack of quantified objectives and performance indicators.
Looking at 2014 to 2020, improvements were noted. However, in the auditors’ view, there are still some weaknesses which may affect performance monitoring and reporting, and there is not always a clear link between EU-funded education measures and their impact on employability. While the European Social Fund projects include long-term indicators to measure the effect on employment, only a third of the cases examined had baseline and target values for those education objectives most closely linked with employment - vocational education and training, lifelong learning and tertiary education attainment.
“To address these shortcomings, we have included a number of recommendations in the report, which - if implemented - will, in our view, further improve EU cohesion policy spending on education,” concludes Iliana Ivanova.
The auditors recommend that, when preparing for the next programme period, the Commission should specify the indicators for which baseline and target values should be set under each investment priority.
Where Member States request modifications to programmes, the Commission should encourage the establishment of a clear link between investment priorities and appropriate quantified and measurable result indicators. It should also ensure that Member States provide explanations for changing financial allocations, with qualitative and quantitative information for any change in indicators.
Member States should ensure a clear link between selected projects and the achievement of EU education objectives. They should systematically put in place appropriate indicators to demonstrate a project’s actual effects on final participants, and monitor progress towards education objectives.
Where relevant, the Commission and the Member States should target funding more specifically at measures which reinforce the link between education and employment, and ensure that outcomes are monitored appropriately.
Press Release: EU education spending: programmes match objectives, but link with employment not always made, say ECA auditors
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