Evaluation of Fisheries Local Action Groups (FLAGs) created under the European Fisheries Fund (EFF). UK

- Project Dates:
December 2014 - July 2015

Description of Project:
The primary aim of this project wasto conduct an evaluation of the FLAGs created in England, Scotland and Wales under Axis 4 of the EFF in order to feed the lessons into the development of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF). The project looked at the process by which FLAGs were established; how their local development strategies were formulated and targets set; their performance against those targets; the effectiveness of Defra, the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish Governments, and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) in supporting and challenging FLAGs and how they work with each other and their local communities. It also evaluated their impact on the fishing industry and coastal communities including value for money. The evaluation identified a number of clear recommendations directed at these organisations as well as the FLAGs themselves to improve the effectiveness of community-led local development initiatives under the EMFF.

Services Provided:

Poseidon particpated in the team, leading the preparation of a Process Evaluation Report.

The objective of this Process Evaluation was to ensure that under the EMFF, FLAG re-selection, strategy development and operational processes learn from the experience of the previous programming period and result in representative, robust and effective FLAGs and project selection. It explored whether the differing structures, capacity and partnership arrangements of FLAGs hadan effect on FLAG performance. It also examined the role, performance and lessons learned from the ways in which the Managing Authority and the Implementing Bodies firstly guided the initial FLAG formation and selection process and then engaged in their programming and target setting.