The European Funds Unit (EFU) of the Ministry of Interior handles European funds for the implementation of projects falling within the competence of the Ministry of Interior.
In particular, the EFU has been appointed as the Managing Authority in Cyprus during the Programming Period 2021-2027, for the Management of the EU Home Affairs Funds, and in particular for the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) and the Internal Security Fund (ISF), as well as for the Border Management and Visa Instrument (BMVI).
Within the contexts of its duties and competences as Managing Authority for the Home Affairs Funds, the EFU awards the implementation of co-funded projects to various bodies and organisations.
In particular, the Managing Authority awards the implementation of co-funded projects to government bodies, such as the Cyprus Police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Asylum Service, the Civil Registry and Migration Department, the
Civil Defence etc., with direct award wherever the nature of the projects and actions falls exclusively within their competence (de jure monopoly).
At the same time and where the direct award does not apply, the EFU awards the implementation of co-funded projects through Calls for Proposals. The bodies eligible to submit a proposal are as follows: Government services, NGOs, national, district and local authorities, other non-profit organisations, private and public companies, international organisations. The proposals of the potential Beneficiaries are evaluated by the Managing Authority through an impartial process and the selected proposals are co-funded by the European Union, through the Home Affairs Funds, and the Republic of Cyprus.
At the same time, the EFU is responsible for the integration, monitoring, management and control of jointly funded projects implemented by the Local Administration Authorities and/or the District Administrations, in Urban and Rural Areas, within the framework of Operational Programmes which are jointly funded by the Cohesion Policy Funds and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.
Specifically, the EFU has been assigned by the respective Managing Authorities (Directorate-General for Development and the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment) to act as the Intermediate Body within the framework of Cohesion Policy Programme “THALIA 2021-2027” and the Implementation Unit, within the framework of the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan for Common Agricultural Policy. These responsibilities were held by the EFU also during the 2014-2020 Programming Period.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EUROPEAN FUNDS UNIT AS THE MANAGING AUTHORITY FOR THE HOME AFFAIRS FUNDS
The EFU, under the provisions of the relevant EU Regulations and the Council of Ministers Decision no. 95.251, has the main responsibility for the management of the Home Affairs Funds in Cyprus.
Its responsibilities as Managing Authority are provided for by the Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 laying down common provisions, and the Management and Control System of the Republic of Cyprus, stating the rules for the administrative and financial management of the projects co-funded by the Funds. Its responsibilities consist, in brief, of the preparation of the Programs and the management, control and evaluation of their implementation, and the communication and visibility of the Home Affairs Funds and the Programmes.
Important articles of the Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 laying down common provisions regarding the responsibilities of the Managing Authority
• Articles 21-37 - Programming
• Articles38-56 - Monitoring, evaluation, communication and visibility
• Articles 46-49 - Visibility, transparency and communication
Article 49 - Responsibilities of the managing authority
"1. The managing authority shall ensure that, within 6 months of the decision approving the programme, there is a website where information on programmes under its responsibility is available, covering the programme’s objectives, activities, available funding opportunities and achievements.
2. The managing authority shall ensure the publication on the website referred to in paragraph 1, or on the single website portal referred to in point (b) of Article 46, of a timetable of the planned calls for proposals, that is updated at least three times a year, with the following indicative data:
(a) geographical area covered by the call for proposal;
(b) policy objective or specific objective concerned;
(c) type of eligible applicants;
(d) total amount of support for the call;
(e) start and end date of the call.
3. The managing authority shall make the list of operations selected for support by the Funds publicly available on the website in at least one of the official languages of the institutions of the Union and shall update that list at least every 4 months. Each operation shall have a unique code. The list shall contain the following data:
(a) in the case of legal entities, the beneficiary’s and, in the case of public procurement, the contractor’s name;
(b) where the beneficiary is a natural person the first name and the surname;
(c) for EMFAF operations linked to a fishing vessel, the Union fishing fleet register identification number as referred to in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/218(47);
(d) name of the operation;
(e) the purpose of the operation and its expected or actual achievements;
(f) start date of the operation;
(g) expected or actual date of completion of the operation;
(h) total cost of the operation;
(i) fund concerned;
(j) specific objective concerned;
(k) Union co-financing rate;
(l) location indicator or geolocation for the operation and country concerned;
(m) for mobile operations or operations covering several locations the location of the beneficiary where the beneficiary is a legal entity; or the NUTS 2 level region where the beneficiary is a natural person;
(n) type of intervention for the operation in accordance with point (g) of Article 73(2).
For data referred to in points (b) and (c) of the first subparagraph, the data shall be removed 2 years from the date of the initial publication on the website.
4. The data referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 of this Article shall be published on the website referred to in paragraph 1, or on the single website portal referred to in point (b) of Article 46 of this Regulation, in open, machine-readable formats, as set out in Article 5(1) of the Directive (EU) 2019/1024 of the European Parliament and of the Council(48), which allows data to be sorted, searched, extracted, compared and reused.
5. The managing authority shall inform the beneficiaries that the data will be made public before the publication takes place in accordance with this Article.
6. The managing authority shall ensure that communication and visibility material including at the level of beneficiaries is made available upon request to Union institutions, bodies, offices or agencies and that a royalty-free, non-exclusive and irrevocable licence to use such material and any pre-existing rights attached to it is granted to the Union in accordance with Annex IX. This shall not require significant additional costs or a significant administrative burden for the beneficiaries or for the managing authority."
• Articles 69-85 - Management and control
Article 72 - Functions of the managing authority
"1. The Managing Authority shall be responsible for managing the Programme with a view to delivering the objectives of the Programme. In particular, it shall have the following functions:
(a) select operations in accordance with Article 73, with the exception of operations referred to in point (d) of Article 33(3);
(b) carry out programme management tasks in accordance with Article 74;
(c) support the work of the monitoring committee in accordance with Article 75;
(d) supervise intermediate bodies;
(e) record and store electronically the data on each operation necessary for monitoring, evaluation, financial management, verifications and audits in accordance with Annex XVII, and ensure the security, integrity and confidentiality of data and the authentication of users.
2. The Member State may entrust the accounting function referred to in Article 76 to the Managing Authority or to another body.
3. For Programmes supported by the AMIF, the ISF and the BMVI, the accounting function shall be carried out by the Managing Authority or under its responsibility."
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EFU IN REGARDS TO THE EUROPEAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT FUND 2014-2020
The EFU has been designated as an Intermediate Body, by the Managing Authority (Directorate General for European Programmes, Coordination and Development), for the Operational Programme «Competitiveness and Sustainable Development 2014-2020» which is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, during the Programming Period 2014-2020, and will continue to execute its duties as an Intermediate Body throughout the Programming Period 2021-2027.
Its basic duties as an Intermediate Body are summed up below:
1. Evaluation and approval of projects to be inducted into the Operational Programme according to the guidelines of the Managing Authority.
2. Transfer of funds to the Beneficiaries according to the guidelines of the Managing Authority.
3. Conduct: a) administrative checks in order to verify Beneficiary payment claims, b) random (sampling) on the spot verifications of projects, c) preparation of a general beneficiary payment claim, for payments incurred, for the Managing Authority
4. Systematically monitor the effective implementation of projects, with an emphasis on the timely absorption of funds, as well as the recording, based on the guidelines of the Managing Authority, of analytical elements of monitoring and data/indicators for the implementation of the projects, in the Integrated Information System.
5. Responsible for submitting payment predictions in regards to the projects implemented under its jurisdiction.
6. Implement information and publicity measures on a wider scale
7. Provide support to Beneficiaries in implementing information and publicity actions at the level of their projects.
8. Submit, to the Managing Authority, all necessary information and data for the preparation of Annual Reports and the Final Implementation Report, for the projects under its jurisdiction.
9. Submit, to the Managing Authority, all necessary information and data for the annual meeting with the European Committee and the implementation of all its justified recommendations, according to the guidelines of the Managing Authority.
10. Submit all irregularities traced, to the Certifying Authority, as well as to inform the Managing Authority.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EFU IN REGARDS TO THE RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME 2014-2020
The EFU has been designated as an Implementation Unit of the Managing Authority (Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment) and as a contractor of the Cyprus Agricultural Payments Organisation, for Measure 7 «Basic Services and Village Renewal in Rural Areas», of the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
The competent authority for the execution of payments and the allocation of grants to the Beneficiaries is the Cyprus Agricultural Payments Organisation (CAPO). Internal checks, in regards to the correct application of the Measure, may be conducted by CAPO, while the General Auditor of the Republic may also conduct checks on a yearly basis.
The EFU will continue to execute its duties as an Implementation Unit for the new Measure which will be included in the Rural Development Programme 2021-2027.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF EFU’S DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS AN IMPLEMENTATION UNIT FOR MEASURE 7 (PP 2014-2020)
1. Disseminating information towards all interested parties in all matters related to the Measure.
2. Preparing and distributing the necessary material/documentation.
3. Receiving and classifying submitted proposals, checking the participation requirements and the necessary supportive documentation. Full administrative support of the Measure.
4. Evaluating proposals, selection of projects and induction of projects into the Measure.
5. Monitoring the procedures for the implementation and completion of projects until the final payment towards the Beneficiaries.
6. Conducting on the spot technical checks, as well as accounting and administrative on the spot desk checks.
7. Monitoring the operation of the co-funded projects for a period of 5 years after the approval of the last payments towards the Beneficiaries.
8. Submitting data to the Managing Authority of the Rural Development Programme, for the purpose of preparing the Annual Report in regards to the implementation of the Measure.
9. Submitting payment requests, on behalf of the beneficiaries, to CAPO, and submitting annual written reports regarding the implementation progress of Measure 7 and the relevant checks conducted.