The Regional Development Plan (RDP) for Portugal for the 1994-1999 period was one of the elements of the document “Preparing Portugal for the XXI Century” presented by Portugal to the European Commission, according to the guidelines set in the Regulation (EEC) No. 2081/93.

The RDP set as broad guidelines in order to reduce the development gap in comparison to other EU countries, through a faster growth than the EU average, and the reduction of internal asymmetries of development. It was structured around four axes: I. Qualify Human Resources and Employment; II. Strengthening Competitiveness Factors of Economy; III. Improving the Quality of Life and Social Cohesion; IV. Strengthening the Regional Economic Base.

The ex-ante evaluation study of the Regional Development Plan was designed to assess the adequacy of the strategy outlined in the document for the period 1994-1999 facing the diagnosis elaborated, comprising: (i) the analysis of disparities and social and economical development delays of Portugal within the European context; (ii) assessing the quality of RDP’s strategy, considering the priorities of development and the proposed interventions; (iii) the assessment of socio-economic impacts expected with the implementation of the operational interventions set for the CSF II; (iv) assessing the financial plan. It also made recommendations to improve the document and a framework of indicators to monitor and evaluate the performance of the Plan.