Evaluation of European Structural and Investment Fund Interventions in ICT in Romania (English)

This report presents the results of an interim evaluation of Priority Axis 2 of the Competitiveness Operational Program 2014-2020 (COP) in Romania focused on projects in the Information Technology and Communications (IT&C) sector. The Competitiveness Operational Program was designed to drive competitiveness of the Romanian economy by investing in research, development, and innovation (RDI), and infrastructure and services in the IT&C sector. Priority Axis 2 aimed to increase deployment of high-speed broadband, including in underserved areas, increase the contribution of the IT&C sector to the gross domestic product (GDP), increase the use of e-government services, and increase internet usage by disadvantaged communities. This evaluation assesses current progress towards Priority Axis 2 objectives in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, and impact of funded interventions. The findings will provide an evidence base that will inform the design of the Competitiveness Operational Program 2021-2027 and the implementation of ongoing projects approved in the 2014-2020 period. Given that 83 percent of the total Priority Axis 2 financing was attributed to projects still in implementation as of the report cut-off date of March 31, 2021, and 70 percent of the overall financing was contracted in the past two years (2019 and 2020), this interim evaluation is limited by implementation progress and represents early results. The effects of funded infrastructure, platforms, products, and services can thus be captured only partially and will be evaluated fully in future rounds of evaluation as the implementation advances. Overall, the evaluation registers some preliminary progress towards Axis objectives, with scope for improvement of processes for the next programming period. Effectiveness is varied across investment priorities. The long-term impact of these interventions, as well as other funded projects will be considered in future evaluation reports, subject to data limitations and implementation progress.