Ipa II cross-Border Programme Greece Albania

SECTION 5 Implementing provisions for the cooperation programme

5.1 Relevant authorities and bodies

Having regard:

• 
  Commission Regulation (EU) No 447/2014, Articles 34, 36 and 37
  
• 
  Regulation (EU) No 231/2014 and
  
• 
  Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013, Article 8(4)
  

The following provisions should be applied:

Table 21: Programme authorities

Authority/body	Name of authority/body and department or unit	Head of authority/body (position or post)
Managing authority	Managing authority of European Territorial Cooperation Programmes, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism Address: 65 Georgikis Scholis Ave, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]	Head of the managing authority
Certifying authority	Special Service «Certifying and Verifications Authority of Co-funded Programmes» - Units, A, B and C, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism Address: Navarhou Nikodimou 11 & Voulis 105 57, Athens, Greece Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]	Head of the Special Service «Certifying and Verifications Authority of Co-funded Programmes»
Audit authority	Financial Control Committee (EDEL) Ministry of Finance – General Accounting Office of the State, Greece Address: Panepistimiou 57 10564, Athens, Greece Tel: +30 210 - 33 55 970 Fax: +30 210 - 33 55 939	Executive Director of EDEL
The body to which payments will be made by the Commission is:  the certifying authority

Table 22: Body or bodies carrying out control and audit tasks

Authority/body	Name of authority/body and department or unit	Head of authority/body (position or post)
Body or bodies designated to carry out control tasks	For Greece Managing authority of Eu-ropean Territorial Coopera-tion Programmes, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism Address: 65 Georgikis Scholis Ave, 57001 Thessaloniki, Greece Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail] For Albania First Level Control (FLC) office, Ministry of European Integration	Head of the Managing Authority of European Territorial Cooperation Programme Head of First Level Control office
Body or bodies designated to be responsible for carrying out audit tasks	Special Service «Certifying and Verifications Authority of Co-funded Programmes» - Units, A, B and C, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism Address: Navarhou Nikodimou 11 & Voulis 105 57, Athens, Greece Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone] E-mail: [e-mail]	Head of the Special Service «Certifying and Verifications Authority of Co-funded Programmes»
Body or bodies designated to be responsible for carrying out audit tasks	Financial Control Committee (EDEL) Ministry of Finance – General Accounting Office of the State Address: Panepistimiou 57 10564, Athens, Greece Tel: +30 210 - 33 55 981, +30 210 - 33 55 904 Fax: +30 210 - 33 38 939 E-mail: [e-mail] For Albania: Agency for the Audit of European Union programmes Implementation System (AAPA) Rruga Elbasanit, Godina e ish-trikotazhit kati 4, Tirana, Albania E-mail: [e-mail]; [e-mail]	General Director of Management and Control of EU Co-financed programmes, Mr. Stelios Maravelakis Head of the Audit Agency Mr. Manol Simo

5.2 Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC)

Having regard to the:

• 
  Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 447/2014 of 21 March 2014, Article 38(1);
  
• 
  Regulation (EU) No 231/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing an Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II);
  
• 
  Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013, Articles 49 and 110;
  

the following provisions should be applied:

Both participating countries shall set up a joint monitoring committee, within three months of the date of notification to the Member State of the Commission decision adopting the cross-border cooperation programme.

The joint monitoring committee shall be chaired by a representative of one of the participating countries or of the managing authority and composed of representatives of the Commission, and other relevant national authorities and bodies of the IPA II beneficiary, the participating Member State(s) and, where relevant, international financial institutions and other stakeholders, including civil society and private organisations.

The joint monitoring committee shall review the overall effectiveness, quality and coherence of the implementation of all actions towards achieving its objectives, the financing agreements and the relevant strategy paper(s). It may make recommendations for corrective actions whenever needed. Articles 49 and 110 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 concerning its functions shall also apply. The joint monitoring committee and the managing authority shall carry out monitoring by reference to indicators laid down in the relevant cross-border cooperation programme, in accordance with Article 16 of Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013.

The JMC shall adopt its rules of procedures on the first JMC meeting. The JMC will be headed by a Chair (Managing Authority) and a co-Chair (National Authority). The meet-ings shall be chaired by the representative of the hosting country or the Managing Au-thority.

The joint monitoring committee shall meet at least once a year. Additional meetings may also take place by the initiative of one of the participating countries or of the Commission, in particular on a thematic basis or of one of the participating countries.

Table 23: Indicative list of Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC) members

Name of authority/body and department or unit	Role in the programme	Contact details of the authority/body
EU Commission	Advisory	DG Regional Policy Competence Center Macro-regions and European territorial cooperation
Operating structure in Albania	Voting member	Ministry of European Integration
National Authority in Greece	Voting member	National Coordination Authority, Ministry of Economy, Infrastructure, Shipping and Tourism
Region of Ipeiros (Greece)	Voting member	Head of the Region of Ipeiros
Region of Dytiki Makedonia (Greece)	Voting member	Head of the Region of Dytiki Makedonia
Region of Ionia Nisia (Greece)	Voting member	Head of the Region of Ionia Nisia
Region of Vlore (Albania)	Voting member	Head of the Region of Vlore
Region of Gjirokastër (Albania)	Voting member	Head of the Region of Gjirokastër
Region of Korçë (Albania)	Voting member	Head of the Region of Korçë
Region of Berat (Albania)	Voting member	Head of the Region of Berat

The JMC shall be responsible for reviewing and approving:

- issues connected to the performance of the cross-border cooperation programme;

- the criteria used for the selection of operations;

- the programme’s implementation reports;

- the evaluation, communication strategy/plan of the cross-border cooperation programme and its amendments;

- proposals by the Managing Authority in case of an amendment to the cross-border cooperation programme.

Joint Steering Committee

For optimum effectiveness in the exercise of the operations selection role, a Joint Steering Committee shall be set up operating under the responsibility of the Joint Monitoring Committee for selecting the operations to be funded under the cooperation programme. According to Article 12(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1299/2013. The joint steering committee shall report to the joint monitoring committee.

The joint steering committee is co-chaired by designated representatives from the participating countries or their substitutes.

The joint steering committee shall consist of a few members, taking into account the principle of proportionality. Its composition shall be decided by the participating countries, taking into account that the two countries are equally represented.

Α Commission’s representative may participate in the meetings in an advisory capacity.

The managing authority attends the joint steering committee’s meetings in an advisory capacity. Moreover, specialists or experts in economic, technical, social, scientific and other matters, depending on the agenda items, may be invited to attend the joint steering committee meetings in an advisory capacity.

The joint secretariat undertakes the task to provide secretarial support to the joint steering committee, mainly by organising the meetings, preparing the agenda and keeping the minutes.

At its first meeting, the joint steering committee shall adopt its rules of procedure in agreement with the managing authority.