Strategy and policy

Deloitte’s experienced team brings deep policy knowledge and professional methodological tools and approaches to assignments, together with extensive experience in programme/project management.

Our policy services practice delivers a wide range of services, which can be summarised under four main headings: analysis and strategic studies; policy design, evaluation and implementation; administrative burden reduction and regulatory reform; and technical assistance and European structural funds.

Analysis and strategic studies
We provide analysis, strategic insights, and policy solutions to decision makers in government and European Institutions. When undertaking a policy study we systematically analyse the nature, causes, and effects of a given problem or situation and propose solutions.

Policy design
We assist the European Institutions in conceptualising and developing a policy or programme as well as designing organisational approaches to implementation. We leverage our analytical expertise and broad range of public sector experience to design new policies and generate innovative ideas. Services are designed to assist the European Institutions in delivering sustainable governance structures, policies and programmes.

Policy evaluation
We assist European Institutions to judge both simple and more complex interventions according to their results, impacts and the needs they aim to satisfy. To do this, we carry out a wide range of evaluations: ex-ante evaluations and impact assessments, mid-term and ex-post evaluations; and evaluations of organisations and agencies. The range of methods that we apply include quantitative as well as qualitative methods, theory based approaches and research synthesis methods. When carrying out a policy evaluation, we systematically investigate the relevance of actions, effectiveness, and efficiency of the policy intervention, its implementation and processes. Additionally, we determine its merit, worth, or value in terms of improving the social and economic conditions of the different stakeholders.

Policy implementation
We assist European Institutions in the delivery of a policy by offering our subject matter knowledge and world class programme management skills delivered by a multilingual and multidisciplinary team. Frequently, we involve colleagues from our global practice to deliver larger projects. We “strategise” but we also “realise” – our implementation services ensure that once they leave the paper, painstakingly designed policies work effectively in the real world. 

Moreover, our depth of experience in policy implementation enriches our entire range of policy and strategy services – we design policies with an acute awareness of implementation requirements, and our evaluation techniques benefit significantly from our extensive experience with policy implementation and its associated challenges.

Administrative burden reduction and regulatory reform
We assist European Institutions in administrative burden measurement and reduction, and were responsible for leading the EU programme to measure and reduce the administrative burden in the EU on behalf of the European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry. This entailed measuring the administrative costs that specific legislation will cause for businesses; identifying opportunities for reducing the administrative burdens; and, preparing the Commission and the Member States for implementation of the reform.

Additionally, we assist individual Member States (which have included, over the past few years, Belgium, Cyprus, Netherlands, Hungary, Czech Republic, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Finland and Spain) with their national administrative burden reduction programmes. 

Technical assistance and European Structural Funds
We assist in the management and administration of structural funds and technical assistance at EU, Member State and sub-Member State level through a multidisciplinary approach. Across the EU, we provide a wide range of strategic advisory, implementation, project management and audit and control services to managing, certifying and audit authorities and project beneficiaries. As a consequence, we can deliver our proven best practice methodologies and services across the EU, helping national authorities to develop, implement and monitor structural funds and technical assistance activities as well as providing advice on grants to the public sector and corporate entities.