For this large and complex project, the task consists of monitoring the entire co-operation portfolio of the European Commission with the partner states in the New Independent States and Mongolia (TACIS Pogramme). The main sectors to be monitored are:

• Economic Reform, Private Sector, Finance and Banking
• Social Development, Institutional Support, Public Administration and Legal Reform
• Agriculture and Rural Development
• Transport and Telecommunication
• Energy and Infrastructure (e.g. Pipelines)
• Environment
• Nuclear safety
• Small projects and Partnership programme

In the year 2001 alone, a total of 584 different projects with more than 850 components were physically visited and monitored, and more than 1.400 Monitoring Reports produced and submitted – usually within two weeks of the visit - to the various stakeholders concerned.

In order to do so, the consortium maintains monitoring offices in all 12 countries of the Tacis area, with four regional offices covering the following countries:

• Russia
• Ukraine , Moldova , Belarus ,
• Central Asia ( Mongolia , Kazakhstan , Kyrgyzstan , Uzbekistan , Tajikistan , Turkmenistan ,
• Caucasus Region: Georgia , Armenia and Azerbaijan .

The annual budget of the entire Tacis Programme financed by the EU is about Euro 460 million. About 1.5% of it is used to permanently monitor project implementation.

The monitoring reports provide timely and transparent information to management staff at the European Commission, but also to all major stakeholders concerned for use in their decision-making process. The Reports are based on a standardised format, developed by Integration. They indicate to which degree a given project has achieved its stated objectives and results, or will probably be able to achieve them.

Monitoring is thus a constructive management tool that can serve as an ‘early warning system’ to allow adjustments while ensuring that a project remains on course in order to achieve its anticipated objectives.