Projektbeskrivelse

Background and purpose

On the 29th of January 1998, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Land Schleswig-Holstein (hereinafter referred to as the Founders) established the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) as a foundation under civil law, seated in Flens-burg.

On the same date, the Federal Ministry of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Ministry of Information Technology and Research of the Kingdom of Denmark entered into an interdepartmental agreement. Article 8 of this agreement stipulates that ECMI's activities according to its regulations as well as ECMI's efficiency are to be evaluated by an independent, scientific commission. The evaluation is to take place every four years, for the first time, however, in 2002.

Considering the need for additional financial means, expressed by ECMI, the Founders decided to advance the first evaluation to the second half of 2001. The main recommendations of the evaluation were: 

• Need for additional stable funding 
• Enhancement of scientific components in ECMI’s work 
• Greater emphasis on qualified generalizations instead of case studies 
• Enhancement of scientific control through a new Advisory Council 
• Emphasize relationship between ethno-political conflicts and minority issues 
• Continue networking, including with Danish institutions 
• Administrative reform.

Following the four-year evaluation cycle the second evaluation of ECMI is planned to take place in the second half of 2006. Indeed, a detailed financial and administrative evaluation was already conducted in January 2006. Accordingly, this evaluation will focus on ECMI’s substantive performance in terms of research, documentation and action-oriented projects.

Method and scope

The basic principles of the evaluation will be peer reviews of the main internal and external activities at ECMI. Accordingly, the evaluation panel will consist of senior scientific experts in the field of ECMI’s work, and heads of similar institutions with a remit to engage in scientific and project work.

The evaluation will include a brief analysis of the actions taken to follow-up on the first evaluation. Further to this, the evaluation will include an assessment of the strategic direction of ECMI, the relevance and results of the research conducted at ECMI. The general organization of the Centre may be considered, although the financial and administrative aspects have already been covered by the earlier evaluation of 2006.

Organisation

A panel, consisting of three members, will carry out the evaluation. The panel will have two members, appointed by the Danish Founder and one member, appointed by the German Founders. The Danish Founder will appoint the chairman of the panel.

From the two members appointed by the Danish Founder, one member should be a leading scholar with internationally recognized expertise in the area of ethno-political conflict, human rights and minority issues. The other should have experience in leading operations of an institution engaged in project management in this area. The German member should be an expert in international law.

The panel consists on the following members: 

• Professor Joseph Marko (chairman), Full Professor of Public Law at the Institute of Austrian, European and Comparative Public Law and Political Science, University of Graz, Faculty of Law; former judge of the Constitutional Court of Bi 
• Birgit Lindsnæs, Director of International Department, The Danish Institute for Hu-man Rights 
• Professor Dr. Stefan Oeter, Institut für Internationale Angelegenheiten Fakultät für Rechtswissenschaft.

Members of the ECMI Board and the Advisory Council are precluded from membership of the panel.

The panel’s assignment includes the analysis of the self-evaluation report and other written documentation and the subsequent site visit to ECMI. The panel is responsible for the con-clusions and recommendations in the final report.

The Danish Founder has appointed The Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA) to act as academic secretary and be responsible for the methodological and organisational planning and assist the panel in writing the evaluation report. Further to this EVA will be responsible for the practical planning of the evaluation in cooperation with ECMI.

ECMI will assist to arrange visits to the Foundation and supply the practical assistance to support the evaluation. ECMI will also be responsible for the practical, procedural matters in connection with the evaluation, including planning of meetings.

Assessment focus

The evaluation ought to include conclusions and recommendations about: 

• ECMI's strategic direction and planning in light of fulfillment of its objectives and scien-tific goals 
• ECMI’s practical and constructive role in conflict management. 
• ECMI's ability to manifest itself as a documentation centre. 
• ECMI's ability to unite and promote networks of experience in minority issues. 
• ECMI's cooperation with other institutions working on similar research topics, including universities of international standing, specialized research institutes and international organizations, such as the Council of Europe, the EU and the OSCE. 
• The extent, scientific quality and practical deployment of ECMI's own research. 
• The extent and sufficiency, or otherwise, of ECMI core funding in order to achieve its mission compared to the flow of additional funds (i.e. financial means, stemming from other sources than the Founders) and the contribution of earmarked additional project funds.

Documentation and process

The evaluation process will consists of following elements:

The evaluation will be based on relevant written documentation from ECMI. ECMI will be asked to prepare a self evaluation document. The document should be prepared in accordance to an outline submitted by the secretary of the panel. ECMI will have six to eight weeks to prepare the self evaluation document and to submit additional background documentation.

The self evaluation document and additional documentation will form the basis for 1-2 visits by the panel to the Foundation in Flensburg. In order to produce the necessary basis for ensuring the proper evaluation, the panel is to conduct an initial interview with the Founders as well as include a thorough deliberation with the Chairman of the ECMI Board and with other members of the board.