We mobilise people and resources to create, curate, make sense of and use knowledge to inform policymaking across Europe.
Exploring how counterfactual impact evaluation supports evidence-based policymaking
In the context of the 2026 Communication “A Simpler, Clearer and Better Enforced EU Rulebook”, (COM(2026) 380), the Commission has pivoted toward a 'Simplicity by Design' approach. Learning is no longer just a post-script to legislation; it is the essential feedback loop that ensures EU law remains agile, clear, and fit for purpose.
Microeconomic evaluation allows us to move beyond anecdotal evidence to causal reality—understanding not just 'what happened,' but 'why it happened' and 'for whom.' As Europe faces intensified global competition and global challenges, learning through rigorous counterfactual impact evaluation is the preferential way to ensure that every Euro spent and every regulation enacted contributes directly to the Union's productivity and resilience.
Without evidence, the EU cannot fulfil its commitment to regulatory discipline, proportionality, and the "evaluate first" principle, which underpin the key actions to ensure significant impacts.
Since its launch in 2016 following the Communication on 'Data, Information and Knowledge Management,' (COM(2016) 6626) the European Commission has invested in Microeconomic Evaluation to support the European policy cycle. Over the past decade, Microeconomic Evaluation has gradually moved closer to become a cornerstone of Commission decision-making.
Further information will be available online shortly.
EC-CC-ME@ec.europa.eu
AGRI: The environmental impacts of the CAP
CNECT: The evaluation of Roam like at home
COMP: Evaluations under State Aid
EAC: The Learning Lab
EMPL: Evaluations of ESF+
REGIO: CIE evaluation of ERDF
RTD: Horizon evaluations
“Data-Driven Learning in the EU: From Administrative Sources to Public Value”, Springer
07 Oct 2026 -
