Agarrate Catalina

5.1.1 Coordination

5.1.1.1 Coordination at the level of NSRF – Minister responsible for regional development

The minister responsible for regional development supervises correct functioning of the NSRF implementation system and is responsible for conducting evaluation research at the level of NSRF including horizontal research as well as additional research and ad hoc research resulting from the monitoring of NSRF implementation.

5.1.1.2 Coordination of 16 Regional Operational Programmes – Coordinating Authority of the Regional Operational Programme (ROP CA)

The function of the Coordinating Authority (ROP CA) will be performed by the minister responsible for regional development serviced in relevant respects by the Regional Programme Coordination Department in the Ministry of the Regional Development.

In particular, the ROP Coordinating Authority:

• reviews regional operational programmes for compliance with NSRF;

• negotiates regional operational programmes with the EC, in conjunction with the ROP managing authorities;

• ensures guidelines cohesion;

• monitors the effects of the ROP implementation in regions (comparative analyses).

Mutual relations and a detailed description of responsibilities and task division between the ROP Coordinating Authority and the ROP Managing Authority for the Lower Silesian Voivodship for 2007-2013 will be defined in an agreement between the two institutions.

5.1.2 Management of the Regional Operational Programme 5.1.2.1 Managing Authority of the ROP (MA)

The function of the Managing Authority of the Regional Operational Programme (MA) for the Lower Silesian Voivodship for 2007–2013 is performed by the Management Board of the Lower Silesian Voivodship. The Managing Authority, pursuant to Art. 60 of Council Regulation No. 1083/2006, is responsible for managing and implementing the Regional Operational Programme according to the principle of sound financial management and in particular for:

• ensuring that operations are selected for funding in accordance with the criteria applicable to the Regional Operational Programme and that they comply with applicable Community and national rules for the whole of their implementation period;

• verifying that the cofinanced products and services are delivered and that the expenditure declared by the beneficiaries for operations has actually been incurred and complies with Community and national rules;

• ensuring that there is a system for recording and storing in computerised form accounting records for each operation under the Regional Operational Programme and that the data on implementation necessary for financial management, monitoring, verifications, audits and evaluation are collected;

• ensuring that beneficiaries and other bodies involved in the implementation of operations maintain either a separate accounting system or an adequate accounting code for all transactions relating to the operation without prejudice to national accounting rules;

• ensuring that the evaluations of the Regional Operational Programme referred to in Article 48(3) of Council Regulation No. 1083/2006are carried out in accordance with Article 47;

• setting up procedures to ensure that all documents regarding expenditure and audits required to ensure an adequate audit trail are held in accordance with the requirements of Article 90 of Council Regulation No. 1083/2006;

• ensuring that the certifying authority receives all necessary information on the procedures and verifications carried out in relation to expenditure for the purpose of certification;

• guiding the work of the monitoring committee and providing it with the documents required to permit the quality of the implementation of the regional operational programme to be monitored in the light of its specific goals;

• drawing up and, after approval by the monitoring committee, submitting to the Commission the annual and final reports on implementation;

• ensuring compliance with the information and publicity requirements laid down in Article 69 of Council Regulation No. 1083/2006;

• providing the Commission with information to allow it to appraise major projects. The ROP Managing Authority for the Lower Silesian Voivodship for 2007-2013 may designate one or more Intermediate Bodies to carry out part of its management or implementation tasks under the responsibility of the ROP Managing Authority for the Lower Silesian Voivodship for 2007-2013.

5.1.2.2 Intermediate Bodies (IB)

Pursuant to Art. 59 of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1083/2006, the Managing Authority designate an Intermediate Body (IB) to carry out some of implementation tasks in accordance with information given in the table below:

Intermediate Body Level 2 Scope of delegation

Entity chosen in pursuant to Public Procurement Law Act15

Under priority: “Growth of competitiveness of Lower Silesian enterprises” projects related to: investment support for enterprises, strengthen the service potential of Business Environment Institutions, facilitate access to expert

15 _{Level 2 Intermediate Body carrying out the tasks of the Implementing Authority in the meaning of the Law}

consultancy services to enterprises, support the establishment of economic contacts.

The Intermediate Body will be responsible in particular for: • carrying out projects collection procedure;

• carrying out the selection procedure;

• carrying out the procedure of signing contracts with beneficiaries;

• giving opinions on the financial aspects of contracts signed within the ROP; • verifying the RPO beneficiaries’ applications for payment;

• prepare instructions for making payments to beneficiaries; • making payments to beneficiaries;

• carrying out projects audit;

• preparing a collective application for payment in respect of the body's tasks and submitting it to MA;

• keeping accounts detailing the body's tasks under the ROP;

• carrying out procedures of the monitoring in respect of the body's tasks under the ROP, including preparation of interim, annual and final reports on task implementation and other documents necessary to carrying out procedures of the monitoring of the body's tasks;

• carrying out internal audits of the IB tasks under the ROP; • preparing information necessary to appraise major projects; • detecting and reporting irregularities;

• preparing and updating IB procedures related to the body's tasks under the ROP.

Responsibilities delegated to the Intermediate Body will be lay down in an agreement between MA and IB.

5.1.2.3 Certifying Authority (ROP CA)

The minister appropriate for regional development, responsible for establishing a certification system compliant with EU and Polish law and ensure its sound operation, in communication with the minister responsible for public finances, will set out general certification rules and procedures which will serve as a base for all certifying authorities.

The institution responsible for certifying the expenditure incurred under all regional operational programmes is the Certifying Authority Department within the Ministry of the Regional Development.

The responsibilities of the certifying institution for an operational programme include in particular:

• drawing up and submitting to the Commission certified statements of expenditure and applications for payment;

• certifying that the statement of expenditure is accurate, results from reliable accounting systems and is based on verifiable supporting documents;

• certifying that the expenditure declared complies with applicable Community and national rules and has been incurred in respect of operations selected for funding in accordance with the criteria applicable to the Programme and complying with Community and national rules;

• ensuring for the purposes of certification that it has received adequate information from the Managing Authority on the procedures and verifications carried out in relation to expenditure included in statements of expenditure;

• taking account for certification purposes of the results of all audits carried out by or under the responsibility of the Audit Authority;

• maintaining accounting records in computerised form of expenditure declared to the Commission;

• keeping an account of amounts recoverable and of amounts withdrawn following cancellation of all or part of the contribution for an operation. Amounts recovered shall be repaid to the general budget of the European Union prior to the closure of the Regional Operational Programme by deducting them from the next statement of expenditure

• where applicable, review and approve regional manuals of intermediate Certifying Authorities.

The Certifying Authority for regional operational programmes delegates, under a relevant agreement, part of its certification tasks to voivodship authorities.

5.1.2.4 Audit Authority (AA)

For the Regional Operational Programme for the Lower Silesian Voivodship for 2007-2013, the role of the Audit Authority is performed by General Inspector of Treasury Control. These tasks are carried out through a special organisational unit at the Ministry of Finance, i.e. European Union Funds Certification and Confirmation Department and fiscal control authorities.

The Audit Authority is responsible for ensuring that audits of the operational programme management and control system and project take account of internationally accepted audit standards.

The Audit Authority carries out the tasks as set out in Article 62 and Article 71, Section 2 of Council Regulation No. 1083/2006. The Audit Authority is responsible in particular for:

• ensuring that audits are carried out to verify the effective functioning of the management and control system of the Regional Operational Programme;

• ensuring that audits are carried out on operations on the basis of an appropriate sample to verify expenditure declared;

• presenting to the Commission within nine months of the approval of the Operational Programme an audit strategy covering the bodies, which will perform the audits, the method to be used, the sampling method for audits on operations and the indicative planning of audits to ensure that the main bodies are audited and that audits are spread evenly throughout the programming period.

• submitting to the Commission an annual control report setting out the findings of the audits carried out during the previous 12 month-period ending on 30 June of the year

concerned in accordance with the audit strategy of the Operational Programme and reporting any shortcomings found in the systems for the management and control of the programme. The first report to be submitted by 31 December 2008 shall cover the period from 1 January 2007 to 30 June 2008. The information concerning the audits carried out after 1 July 2015 shall be included in the final control report supporting the closure declaration

• issuing an opinion, on the basis of the controls and audits that have been carried out under its responsibility, as to whether the management and control system functions effectively, so as to provide a reasonable assurance that statements of expenditure presented to the Commission are correct and as a consequence reasonable assurance that the underlying transactions are legal and regular;

• submitting, where applicable under Article 88, a declaration for partial closure assessing the legality and regularity of the expenditure concerned.

• submitting to the Commission at the latest by 31 March 2017 a closure declaration assessing the validity of the application for payment of the final balance and the legality and regularity of the underlying transactions covered by the final statement of expenditure, which shall be supported by a final control report.

The Audit Authority produces reports on its audit work and, if applicable, offers recommendations. Responsibility for the implementation of the authority's recommendations within the timeframe set by the Audit Authority rests with the Managing Authority of the Regional Operational Programme for the Lower Silesian Voivodship for 2007-2013.

5.1.2.5 Authority responsible for receiving payments from the European Commission

Financial means transferred by the European Commission as pre-payments, interim payments and final balance payments for the Regional Operational Programme for 2007–2013 for Lower Silesian Voivodship will be credited to a specially designated bank account managed by the minister responsible for public finances.

5.1.2.6 Authority or authorities responsible for making payments to beneficiaries

Financial means for beneficiaries will be paid by the Managing Authority or Intermediate Bodies.