1. ALINGMENT OF PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT 2014 – 2020 FUNDS WITH MACRO-REGIONAL STRATEGIES
IOANNIS FIRBAS General Director National Coordination Authority – PA

2. Comparing criteria
Six broad criteria, for establishing the relevance of actions/projects for their inclusion in the Action Plan (Label) of a Macro-regional Strategy
1. Address priorities and well-substantiated needs expressed by countries, regions and stakeholders or Commission services and be widely supported.
2. Demonstrate a transnational, if not macro-regional, scope or impact
3. Be realistic and credible
4. Build on existing initiatives and have reached a fair degree of maturity
5. Pay attention to cross-cutting aspects
6. Be coherent and mutually supportive

3. Comparing criteria
Selection procedures and criteria of a Mainstream Programme funded by ESIF
the managing authority shall:
(a) (i) ensure the contribution of operations to the achievement of the specific objectives and results of the relevant priority; (ii) are non-discriminatory and transparent; (iii) take into account the general principles for equality and sustainable development; (b) ensure that a selected operation falls within the scope of the Fund or Funds concerned and can be attributed to a category of intervention or, in the case of the EMFF, a measure identified in the priority or priorities of the operational programme; (c) ensure that the beneficiary is provided with a document setting out the conditions for support for each operation including the specific requirements concerning the products or services to be delivered under the operation, the financing plan, and the time-limit for execution; (d) satisfy itself that the beneficiary has the administrative, financial and operational capacity to fulfil the conditions referred to in point (c) before approval of the operation; (e) satisfy itself that, where the operation has started before the submission of an application for funding to the managing authority, applicable law relevant for the operation has been complied with; etc

4. Proposals
Labelled actions of a macro-regional strategy cannot be assumed as de facto approved for funding by a Mainstream Programme funded by ESIF
To ensure the diffusion of macro-regional actions in the PAs, the following options can be adopted:
1. Incorporation of a specific paragraph in the OPs, which will determine the relevance of the Programme to the Strategy (has been done for the Greek OPs)
2. Defining ex-ante specific projects and including them in the OP (not the case in Greece)
3. Specify in advance that during the maturation and integration of Actions in the OPs, priority will be given (e.g. extra points during evaluation of proposals) to actions that contribute to achieving the macro regional strategy's objectives (up to the Managing Authority and the Monitoring Committee of the OP)
4. Design Calls exclusively for labeled actions

5. The role of the Thematic Steering Groups (TSGs) is crucial in supporting stakeholders and “matchmaking” them with the MAs.
TSGs need support to succeed in a very demanding task.
MAs must understand the importance of the macro-regional strategies in providing to their OP greater effectiveness and visibility of its results.