Joint Baltic Sea research and development programme BONUS : final evaluation report of the expert group

BONUS is a programme established under Article 185 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union to support joint research and influence policy in the Baltic Sea region. It aims to understand and reduce the effects of man-made pollution on the Baltic, enabling sustainable exploitation of the Sea and supporting the health of citizens living around it. These aims clearly address significant and relevant scientific and societal challenges. BONUS has successfully implemented its jointly programmed strategic research agenda, increased the quality and quantity of relevant research and contributed to building research capacity. Its impact on policymaking is more limited, though it is still rather early to expect to see significant effects. Given the constraints of the Article 185 instrument, BONUS has been implemented efficiently and its administration and management are widely praised by participants and stakeholders alike. BONUS is consistent with wider EU objectives and coheres with other relevant policy measures in the Baltic Sea region. It provides EU Added Value because its structuring and joint programming effects could not have been achieved without supra-national involvement. Any continuation should involve a real common pot, specify how BONUS will become sustainable after EU funding stops, better support capacity building in smaller states and link more effectively to policy development.