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Evaluation guidance

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Last Updated: 24 February 2026
The EU has developed and formalised guidance tools and documents for evaluating its external assistance in which priority is given to results and impacts. This page presents the methodological guidelines designed to facilitate the move towards an evaluation practice focused on programmes and strategies in EC development cooperation.

Thematic guidance

You will find below the various thematic guidance addressing specific topics in evaluation, such as: drafting evaluation questions, evaluating EU added value, producing dissemination products (infographics, podcasts, videos,…), and how to evaluate gender as cross-cutting dimension.
Evaluation Planning (June 2025) Evaluation Team Profile (April 2025) Setting-up and managing a reference group (June 2025)
Screenshot of the cover page of the How-To Guide: Evaluation Planning that reads: "How-to Guide: Evaluation Planning. In order for evaluations to be useful as learning and decision-making tools, and to serve their accountability purposes, they have to be conducted at the right time and have to be adequately resourced. This guide helps you to carefully plan your evaluations How-to Guide: Evaluation Planning Prepared by the evaluation services of DG INTPA, DG ENEST, DG MENA and FPI Brussels, June 2025

In order for evaluations to be useful as learning and decision-making tools, and to serve their accountability purposes, they have to be conducted at the right time and have to be adequately resourced. This guide helps you to carefully plan your evaluations

 Screenshot of the cover page of the How-To Guide: Evaluation Team Profile that reads: How-to Guide: Evaluation Team Profile. How to describe the expertise requirements for your evaluation? Prepared by the evaluation services of DG INTPA, DG MENA and FPI Brussels, April 2025"

This guide is designed to assist in developing the ‘Team Profile’ section of an evaluation Terms of Reference (ToR). It is dedicated to evaluation managers.
Cover photo of the How-to Guide on Evaluation Reference Group to click and access the guide

It is best practice to create an evaluation reference group to help you prepare and manage your evaluation.
Formulating your evaluation questions (June 2025) Evaluating EU added value (April 2025) Evaluation of gender as cross-cutting dimension (February 2024)

Cover photo of the How-to Guide on Evaluation Questions to click and access the guide

Evaluation questions set the foundation for an evaluation. This guide helps you draft and refine your evaluation questions.
Cover photo of the How-to Guide on Evaluating EU added value to click and access the guide

Evaluating the EU Added value is a specific requirement of evaluations, along the with standard six OECD DAC criteria. Here is how to address it.
gender guidance note cover decorative

How to evaluate gender as a transversal aspect in interventions and programmes.
Quality assurance checklist - Inception Report in English (April 2025) Grille d'Appréciation de la Qualité - Rapport de demarrage en français (Avril 2025)

Screenshot of the first page of the Quality Checklist Evaluation - Final Report

The evaluation deliverables must match quality standards and include essential elements. This checklist can be used to assess the quality of the evaluation inception report.

 Screenshot of the first page of the Quality Checklist Evaluation - Inception Report in French

Les livrables de l'évaluation doivent respecter les normes de qualité et comporter les éléments essentiels. Cette liste de contrôle peut être utilisée pour évaluer la qualité du rapport de demarrage de l'évaluation.
Quality assurance checklist for Final report in English (April 2025) Grille d'Appréciation de la Qualité - Rapport Final en français (Avril 2025)

Screenshot of the first page of the Quality Checklist Evaluation - Inception Report

The evaluation deliverables must match quality standards and include essential elements. This checklist can be used to assess the quality of the evaluation final report.

 Screenshot of the first page of the Quality Checklist Evaluation - Final Report in French

Les livrables de l'évaluation doivent respecter les normes de qualité et comporter les éléments essentiels. Cette liste de contrôle peut être utilisée pour évaluer la qualité du rapport final d'évaluation.
Disseminating Evaluation (July 2025)

Cover photo of the How-to Guide on Disseminating Evalaution to click and access the guide

This guide is created to help you promote evaluation findings in a way that is attractive and communicative by exploring different options, guides and good practice examples at the EU level and externally.