Health Promotion International, Vol. 17, No. 2, 105-118,
June 2002
© Oxford University Press 2002
Evaluation of the European Union Programme of Community Action on Health Promotion, Information, Education and Training 1996–2000
City University, Department of Psychology, Northampton Square, London EC1V OHB, UK
Address for correspondence: David F. Marks City University Department of Psychology Northampton Square London EC1V OHB UK
The Programme of Community Action on Health Promotion, Information, Education and Training 1996–2000 was administered by the European Commission's Services in DGV Luxembourg. The programme was a consequence of a decision of the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union in March 1996. Middlesex University Health Research Centre won the tender to evaluate this programme. In this paper the evaluation team disseminate some of the findings that are pertinent to the international health promotion community. Key findings include significant differences in number of applications and in acceptance rates for different Member States. The expert assessors' opinions of the programme suggest a number of problems with its administration. Some projects were awarded commendably high ratings and others were very weak. The most serious weakness of many of the supported projects is lack of any internal evaluation. In order to broaden the scope of the second phase of the evaluation of this programme, more open communication and dialogue will be needed between all of the stakeholders. This implies a change in the culture of the European Commission's Services which, in the case of the units involved with this evaluation, are lacking in efficiency, openness and transparency.
Key words: European Union; evaluation; health promotion