Ecorys leads Evaluation of EU Rural and Regional Development Programmes in Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, is known for its rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, and significant geopolitical importance. Azerbaijan has made significant socio-economic progress over the past decades, transforming into an upper-middle-income country. However, its economy remains heavily dependent on oil exports, making it vulnerable to external shocks.

The EU supports Azerbaijan’s efforts to diversify its economy and promote regional development through various programmes aligned with the European Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern Partnership. These initiatives aim to foster sustainable development and reduce socio-economic disparities. Key sectors like agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing face challenges such as low productivity and underdeveloped infrastructure, which the EU’s assistance aims to address, promoting inclusive growth across all regions.

Our work

Our evaluation will independently assess the performance of three EU programmes in Azerbaijan, focusing on rural and regional development. It aims to evaluate results against objectives, understand underlying factors, and provide key lessons and recommendations. This will inform future EU assistance and policy directions in Azerbaijan, particularly in rural, agricultural, and regional development sectors, emphasizing contributions to sustainable development goals (SDGs) and identifying factors driving or hindering progress.

Stakeholders

The results of the evaluation will help inform key stakeholders, including the EU Delegation to Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijani national authorities such as The Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Agriculture as well as their regional offices. NGOs and private sector entities engaged in regional socio-economic development are direct beneficiaries of the interventions to be evaluated.

Our evaluation will be ready in September 2025.