The European Union supports the Member States in their efforts to raise standards of public services (the so-called services of general interest) financially (most of all with the cohesion policy funds), as well as through the coordination and dissemination of good practices, including the stimulation of evaluation culture in public administration practice. The paper aims to investigate evaluation approaches in Poland and the Union, in particular referring to programmes financed by the EU funds aimed at improving air and railway public transport services under the Operational Programme ‘Infrastructure and Environment’ 2007-2013. Special emphasis is placed on the utility criterion, which judges the effects of public intervention in relation to identified social problems and needs.