Programme institutions

Managing Authority

The Managing Authority – which is included in the Ministry of Economic Development organisational structure – is responsible for managing the Programme. It is responsible for efficient and correct implementation of a given programme as a whole and at the level of individual projects. It also issues guidelines, recommendations and handbooks focusing on different aspects related to the implementation of the programme and carries out promotional and information activities.

The Managing Authority has very broad competences – from developing the Programme itself, through the selection of projects for co-financing, ordering payments to be made to beneficiaries and verifying the regularity of beneficiaries’ expenditure, to monitoring the progress in the implementation of the programme and assessing the level of achievement of relevant objectives.

The Managing Authority’s general responsibility for appropriate management of the programme is related to the requirement of certification of expenditure incurred by the beneficiaries, i.e. the need to confirm the regularity of such expenditure and its compliance with national and EU law before the European Commission. 

Managing Authority establish specific rules for the Programme, in particular it is responsible for:

• ensuring that projects are implemented correctly, using an appropriate Fund,
• developing procedures and criteria for the selection of projects and verifying whether the co-financed projects fulfil the relevant requirements and whether the expenditure declared by the beneficiaries was implemented and paid appropriately,
• assessing and monitoring the progress in the implementation of the programme,
• certifying the expenditure incurred by the beneficiaries, i.e. confirming the regularity of such expenditure and its compliance with national and EU law before the European Commission,
• supporting and organising the work of the Programme’s Monitoring Committee.

Intermediate Bodies

The Managing Authority may delegate a portion of its tasks to Intermediate Bodies. By creating such Intermediate Bodies, the Managing Authority transfers a portion of its tasks and the responsibility for their implementation to such bodies, but it still remains responsible for the whole programme.

The scope of responsibility of Intermediate Bodies is established by way of agreement. An Intermediate Body is competent inter alia to:

• prepare and carry out the call for proposals and to select appropriate projects,
• conclude contracts on project co-financing
• ensure correct and prompt settlement of projects.

Implementing Authorities

As a Managing Authority may delegate a portion of its competences to an Intermediate Body, so an Intermediate Body may delegate a portion of its competences to another authority. Such authority is referred to as the Implementing Authority.

Implementing Authorities are closest to the beneficiaries and are responsible for receiving applications for co-financing and for signing contracts for the implementation of projects.

Implementing Authorities are competent inter alia to:

• receive applications for co-financing from the beneficiaries,
• select projects for co-financing and sign contracts with beneficiaries,
• provide Intermediate Bodies with information about expenditure,
• monitor the implementation of individual projects,
• verify the use of funding by the beneficiaries (e.g. by carrying out controls in the beneficiary’s place of business)
• prepare reports on the implementation of tasks delegated to them.