Lessons from EU Blending in the Neighbourhood and Western Balkans
The European Union's Blending operations have proven instrumental in achieving policy objectives across the EU Neighbourhood and Western Balkans regions. A recent evaluation of interventions between 2015 and 2021 provides valuable insights and actionable recommendations for enhancing this modality of external action.
Key Lessons Learned
- Strategic Relevance and Responsiveness
EU Blending has effectively addressed critical development needs in partner countries, aligning interventions with EU and local policies. However, the full potential of its contributions remains underutilized, particularly in leveraging investments with transformative impacts. - Challenges in Implementation
- Delays in infrastructure projects, driven by ambitious designs and limited upstream support.
- Insufficient stakeholder engagement, with EU Delegations sometimes playing a diminished role in intervention planning and execution.
- Monitoring and reporting mechanisms were often inadequate to track outcomes effectively and ensure accountability.
- Impact of Disruptive Events
External shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, necessitated flexible responses and highlighted the need for adaptable intervention strategies.
Recommendations for Future Blending Operations
Strategic Recommendations
- Enhance Recognition of EU Contributions:
Clarify the added value of EU inputs in project documentation and strengthen Technical Assistance (TA) as a core support mechanism for capacity building and policy dialogue. - Focus on Policy Objectives:
Ensure interventions align more tightly with EU policy priorities, such as gender equality and inclusiveness, while promoting risk-taking among financial partners.
Implementation Recommendations
- Strengthen Monitoring and Learning Systems:
Develop robust results frameworks for individual interventions and improve reporting mechanisms to capture both context-specific and cross-cutting outcomes. - Accelerate Project Implementation:
Invest in upstream technical support and streamline processes to minimize delays between project approval and on-ground activities. - Boost Stakeholder Engagement:
Reinforce the role of EU Delegations, address resource gaps, and actively involve national partners in early-stage planning and high-level dialogues.
Achievements and the Road Ahead
Despite the challenges, EU Blending has driven significant progress in private sector development, energy, and environmental sustainability. Moving forward, its integration under the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) offers opportunities to refine operations, enhance leverage, and maximize development impacts.
For more details on this evaluation, including case studies and sector-specific findings, access the full synthesis report here:
European Commission: Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Evaluation of the implementation of EU blending in the EU neighbourhood and the Western Balkans regions in 2015-2021 – Synthesis report, Publications Office of the European Union, 2024, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2876/3405139
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