Final evaluation of the Hercule III programme

The European Commission, DG OLAF is undertaking the final evaluation of the Hercule III Programme. Within this context, this support study, conducted by Ramboll Management Consulting, provides the Commission with an analytically robust evaluation which assesses the Programme against the key evaluation criteria of effectiveness, efficiency, relevance, coherence and EU added value. The period of analysis of this study spanned from January 1st, 2014 to December 31st, 2020 and the geographical scope encompassed all of the EU Member States. Evidence from qualitative and quantitative data collection shows that the Programme has been highly relevant and effective in the prevention and combat of fraud, corruption and any other illegal activities affecting the financial interests of the Union. The Programme was also seen to act as a facilitator for EU level cooperation between Member States in the fight against fraud. Despite this, further improvements to the Programme could enhance it for the future. This includes further refinement of the guidance provided to applicants of the Programme and further simplification of the Programme’s processes. Looking to the future Union Anti-fraud Programme, the current Performance Framework could be enhanced through developing a manageable number of more granular indicators at the level of eligible actions.