Beyond mapping the use of distributional impact assessments in Draft Budgetary Plans (DBPs) for Euro Area Member States, the study expands the scope to all 27 EU Member States, requiring comprehensive mapping and analysis of DIA practices since 2021, and extending the timeline through 2025. The analysis also involves a structured identification of best practices, demanding case based evidence of success and cross-country transferability of methods, tools, and processes as well as a longitudinal trend analysis. The current call also adds a dedicated assessment of how each Member State has transposed and implemented the amended Article 9(2)(d) of Directive 2011/85/EU, integrating DIA into the new economic governance framework and national medium-term fiscal structural plans. This includes evaluating the quality, consistency, and governance of DIA practices, as well as identifying challenges and best practices in the transposition and operationalisation of EU requirements. A major innovation in the current call is the introduction of a dedicated workstream on social checks, which goes beyond DIA.
The study consists of four main tasks: Task 1: Mapping of DIA in all MS and best practices. Task 2: More detailed analysis of DIA use in budgetary process in all MS. Task 3: Recommendations for EU’s support to MS on the use of DIA in budgetary and policymaking processes. Task 4 Social checks in policy making processes in EU as well as non-EU OECD countries.
At the start of the study, the team will conduct a round of 5–6 scoping interviews with representatives from DG EMPL, the JRC, the OECD, and other relevant EU stakeholders to calibrate the workplan and to delineate the scope and definition of DIA applications to be examined. This will be followed by systematic interviews with national DIA teams in social and finance ministries across all Member States to be carried out by national experts. This qualitative component complements desk research, ensuring the study captures institutional realities, operational challenges, and innovative solutions directly from practitioners. The methodology also incorporates an online validation seminar designed to review and refine the preliminary recommendations for the EU’s support to Member States on the use of DIA. The analysis of social checks involves a literature review and mapping exercise, a conceptualisation of social checks, the development of a scoring system to classify these frameworks, and an evaluation of their effectiveness and policy impact with documented examples of successful integration into budgeting and decision processes.
In terms of outputs, deliverables will consist of standardised country profiles for every Member State, a consolidated compendium of best practices with documented outcomes, an expanded DBP dataset covering 2021–2025, and a formal review of governance integration that evaluates transposition and operationalisation of the Directive’s distributional impact requirements.
The European Centre acts as taskleader for task 3, and will also contribute to the other tasks of the study.