This report aims to critically assess the EU’s objective of introducing a benchmarking process in the realm of human rights and democratic development within its Mediterranean policy. It first discusses some conceptual and analytical difficulties related to ‘benchmarking’ human rights and democratic governance and goes on to discuss how this takes place within the Euro-Mediterranean context. The report analyses the ‘first round’ of ENP Action Plans concluded with the Mediterranean partner states and their value for benchmarking. Considering the conceptual and practical flaws of these Action Plans, the report proposes a phased process for the conceptualisation of democratisation. For each of these phases, the report identifies a number of criteria that characterise the phase. Subsequently, it is proposed how these criteria could be translated into indicators and a matrix is proposed with indicators for monitoring for each phase, which should facilitate the benchmarking process. The report concludes with a number of recommendations.

Tool for evaluating progress in the fields of human rights (civil and political rights) and democratic development within the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP). The tool provides a benchmarking system to monitor progress towards the goals set in the framework of the partnership. This system is based on the main reference documents governing Euro-Mediterranean relations, from which a list of priority areas is drawn (such as the right to physical integrity, political participation and civil society). The second part of the study discusses per priority area the types of indicators that can be used to evaluate progress in these fields.

The Eight Step Approach is a comprehensive HRIA framework that provides a cyclic approach to policy development and project management. This toolset covers the following steps:

STEP 7: Monitoring

STEP 8: Evaluation