Effective Support for Enlargement

1

• Effective Support for Enlargement
• Panel II
• Adequate capacity for absorbing financial
  assistance
• -setting the decentralised management in the
  candidate countries-

2
Absorption capacity (main elements) -Macedonian
case-

• Macroeconomic absorption capacity (as of GDP)
• Financial absorption capacity (ability to
  co-finance)
• Administrative absorption capacity (demand
  side-to generate projects, supply side-to manage
  the funds)

• Not a constraint in the pre-accession period
• The intention to increase the co-financing rate
  beyond the thresholds
• Supply and demand of mature and ready-to-go
  projects, to cope with reporting requirements, to
  supervise implementation, and to avoid
  irregularities,
• Structures,
• Human resources,
• Tools

3
Overall status

• Programming
• Implementation
• Monitoring
• Evaluation

• Relevant experience accumulated
• Conferral of management ongoing
• Shadow phase introduced
• Country Interim evaluation Programme introduced

4
Implementation
5
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6
Structures

• Operating structures established per component
  in line with WLA and act of Systematizations and
  rule book of working post adopted accordingly
• IPA component 1 166 employees
• IPA component 2 28 employees
• IPA component 3 46 employees
• IPA component 4 40 employees
• IPA component 5 120 employees

7

• Capacity Building
• Conducted trainings thus far
• monitoring and evaluation, procurement, grant
  schemes, financial management, risk management,
  irregularities, work load analysis, techniques of
  writing PFs and ToR, and soft skills for less
  than 2000 civil servants
• Training of Trainers

8
Procedures

• Written procedures prepared
• Programming manuals, NAO, CFCD and NF Internal
  procedure Manuals, SPO manual of procedures,
  Monitoring and evaluation manuals, Communication
  guide, Decrees, Project Implementation manual,
  etc )

9
Component III Regional Development -status and
main challenges-

• 2 major projects prepared, implementation to
  follow
• 24 July 2009, FA entered into force on 18
  September 2009,
• Ongoing
• First installment transferred, procurement
  process ongoing
• Regular consultation process is ensured

• Programming
• Conferral of Management
• OP revision
• Implementation
• Donors, IFIs and CSOs consultation

10
Component IV Human Resources Development-status
and main challenges-

• Programming
• Conferral of Management
• OP revision
• Implementation
• Donors, CSOs, social partners consultations

• Envisaged projects in three priority axes
• 16 October 2009 Commission Decision, FA signing
  in procedure
• Expected at the beginning of 2010 with launching
  of first calls for applications
• Regular consultation process established

Conference "Effective Support for Enlargement",
Brussels 19.10.2009
11
Component V Rural Development-status and main
challenges-

• Unique structure
• Programming
• Conferral of Management
• IPARD campaign
• Implementation

• MA and IPARD established
• IPARD Programme approved
• Accreditation package submitted, CoM expected in
  November 2009
• Launching - end of October 2009
• Beginning of 2010

12
Component I Transition Assistance and Institution
Building status and main challenges-

• Programming
• Conferral of Management
• Implementation

• Annual Programmes up to 2009, programming 2010
  ongoing
• Expected first quarter 2010
• Lessons learned applied
• Co-financing and ownership increased
• CPs, CAs and MBs coordination mechanism
  established
• ToRs prepared during programming process
• Revision of threshold of MIPD per priority axes

13
COMPONENT II Cross Border Cooperation status
and main challenges-

• Programming
• Implementation
• Co-financing
• Partnerships
• Info campaign

• 4 CBC OPs approved, CBC OP with northern border
  to be initiated
• Centralized management ongoing, DIS structure to
  be established
• Fiscal Decentralisation versus Co-financing
  arrangements
• Promotion of sustainable partnerships
• Info days and partner matching events organised

14
Monitoring and Evaluation Schemes

• Procedures established
• Transitional phase ongoing, Operating structures
  to take over the responsibility to perform
  monitoring activities
• Clear segregation of responsibilities between
  NIPAC office and CFCD
• Capacity building for Interim evaluation

• Monitoring
• Evaluation

15
Wider environmental framework

• PIFC
• Public Procurement
• Internal Budgetary procedures

• Internal audit units established in 49 public
  sector entities on central level and 39 on local
  level. (121 internal auditors employed)
• Strategy for development of the system for public
  procurement, aimed for strengthening of capacity
  and system of public procurement is ongoing
• Co-financing obligation incorporated in the
  budgetary procedure.
• Further harmonization of relevant acquis

16
IMMEDIATE CHALLENGES AHEAD

• To finalise the conferral of management processes
  in the 1 quarter of 2010
• Retention policy of civil servants
• Capacity Building and increase of number of
  employees as per WLA
• Increase capacities of the potential
  beneficiaries outside administration
• OPs revisions
• Increase of number of participation in the CPs
  and CAs

17
Mid-term and long term steps

• Maintaining of the conferral of management powers
• Minimize the staff turnover
• Institution building of new IAs
• Absorption capacity (building) for Structural and
  Cohesion Funds from 2014? or earlier?