SECTION III

Interreg operations shall be selected in accordance with the programme’s strategy and objectives by a monitoring committee set up in accordance with Article 28. That monitoring committee may set up one or, in particular in the case of sub-programmes, more steering committees which act under its responsibility for the selection of operations. Steering committees shall apply the partnership principle as set out in Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060. When all or part of an operation is implemented outside the programme area inside or outside the Union, the selection of that operation shall require the explicit approval by the managing authority in the monitoring committee or, where applicable, the steering committee. When the operation involves one or several partners located in the territory of a Member State, third country, partner country or OCT which is not represented in the monitoring committee, the managing authority shall condition its explicit approval to the submission of a written acceptance by the concerned Member State, third country, partner country or OCT to reimburse any amounts unduly paid to these partners, in accordance with Article 52(2). When the written acceptance referred to in the fourth subparagraph of this paragraph cannot be obtained, the body implementing all or part of an operation outside the programme area shall obtain a guarantee from a bank or another financial institution for the corresponding amount of the Interreg funds granted. Such a guarantee shall be included in the document provided for in paragraph 6. For the selection of operations, the monitoring committee or, where applicable, the steering committee shall establish and apply criteria and procedures which are non-discriminatory and transparent, ensure accessibility to persons with disabilities, gender equality and take account of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and the principle of sustainable development and of the Union policy on the environment in accordance with Article 11 and Article 191(1) TFEU. The criteria and procedures shall ensure the prioritisation of operations to be selected with a view to maximising the contribution of Union funding to the achievement of the objectives of the Interreg programme and to implementing the cooperation dimension of operations under Interreg programmes, as set out in Article 23(1) and (4) of this Regulation. At the request of the Commission the managing authority shall notify the selection criteria to the Commission prior to their initial submission to the monitoring committee or, where applicable, the steering committee. The same shall apply for any subsequent changes to those criteria. In selecting operations, the monitoring committee or, where applicable, the steering committee shall: ensure that selected operations comply with the Interreg programme and provide an effective contribution to the achievement of its specific objectives; ensure that selected operations do not conflict with the corresponding strategies established pursuant to Article 10(1) or established for one or more of the external financing instruments of the Union; ensure that selected operations present the best relationship between the amount of support, the activities undertaken and the achievement of objectives; verify that the beneficiary has the necessary financial resources and mechanisms to cover operation and maintenance costs for operations comprising investment in infrastructure or productive investment, so as to ensure their financial sustainability; ensure that selected operations which fall under the scope of Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council Directive 2011/92/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the assessment of the effects of certain public and private projects on the environment (OJ L 26, 28.1.2012, p. 1). are subject to an environmental impact assessment or a screening procedure and that the assessment of alternative solutions has been taken in due account, on the basis of the requirements of that Directive; verify that where the operations have started before the submission of an application for funding to the managing authority, the applicable law has been complied with; ensure that selected operations fall within the scope of the Interreg fund concerned and are attributed to a type of intervention; ensure that operations do not include activities which were part of an operation subject to relocation within the meaning of point (27) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 or which would constitute a transfer of a productive activity within the meaning of point (a) of Article 65(1) of that Regulation; ensure that selected operations are not directly affected by a reasoned opinion by the Commission in respect of an infringement within the scope of Article 258 TFEU that puts at risk the legality and regularity of expenditure or the performance of operations; and ensure that, for investments in infrastructure with an expected lifespan of at least five years, an assessment of expected impacts of climate change is carried out. The monitoring committee or, where applicable, the steering committee shall approve the methodology and criteria used for the selection of Interreg operations, including any changes thereto, without prejudice to point (b) of Article 33(3) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 with regard to CLLD and to Article 24 of this Regulation. For each Interreg operation, the managing authority shall provide a document to the lead or sole partner setting out the conditions for support of that Interreg operation, including the specific requirements concerning the products or services to be delivered, its financing plan, the time-limit for its execution and, where applicable, the method to be applied for determining the costs of the operation and the conditions for payment of the support. That document shall also set out the lead partner’s obligations with regard to recoveries pursuant to Article 52. Those obligations shall be defined by the monitoring committee. Operations selected under Interreg A, B and D programmes shall involve partners from at least two participating countries or OCTs, at least one of which shall be a beneficiary from a Member State. Operations selected under the Interreg Europe and URBACT programmes shall involve partners from at least three participating countries, at least two of which shall be beneficiaries from Member States. Beneficiaries receiving support from Interreg funds and partners participating in the operation but not receiving any financial support under those funds (jointly referred to as ‘partners’) constitute an Interreg operation partnership. An Interreg operation may be implemented in a single country or OCT, provided that the impact on and the benefits for the programme area are identified in the operation application. Paragraph 1 shall not apply to operations under the PEACE PLUS cross-border programme where the programme is acting in support of peace and reconciliation. Partners shall cooperate in the development and implementation of Interreg operations, as well as in the staffing or financing, or both, thereof. For Interreg operations under Interreg D programmes, the partners from outermost regions and third countries, partner countries or OCTs shall be required to cooperate only in two of the four dimensions listed in the first subparagraph. Where there are two or more partners, one of them shall be designated by all the partners as the lead partner. A cross-border legal body or an EGTC may be the sole partner of an Interreg operation under Interreg A, B and D programmes, provided that the members thereof involve partners from at least two participating countries. The cross-border legal body or EGTC shall have members from at least three participating countries under the Interreg Europe and URBACT programmes. A legal body that implements a financial instrument, a fund of holding funds or a small project fund, as applicable, may be the sole partner of an Interreg operation without the application of the requirements for its composition set out in the first subparagraph. A sole partner shall be registered in a Member State participating in the Interreg programme. Interreg A, B and D programmes shall support projects of limited financial volume, either: directly within each programme; or within one or more small project funds. Where an Interreg B or D programme is unable to fulfil the obligation laid down in paragraph 1, the reasons why the obligation cannot be fulfilled shall be set out in the programme document in accordance with point 6 of the template set out in the Annex. The total contribution from the ERDF or, where applicable, an external financing instrument of the Union, to small project funds within an Interreg programme shall not exceed 20 % of the total allocation of the Interreg programme. The final recipients within a small project fund shall receive support from the ERDF or, where applicable, the external financing instruments of the Union through the beneficiary and implement the small projects within that small project fund (‘small project’). The small project fund constitutes an operation within the meaning of point 4 of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 which shall be managed by a beneficiary, taking into account its tasks and remuneration. The beneficiary shall be a cross-border legal body or an EGTC or a body which shall have legal personality. The beneficiary shall select the small projects which are implemented by the final recipients within the meaning of point (18) of Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060. Where the beneficiary is not a cross-border legal body or an EGTC, a body involving representatives from at least two participating countries, of which at least one is a Member State, shall select the joint small projects. The document setting out the conditions for support to a small project fund shall, in addition to the elements laid down in Article 22(6), set out the elements necessary to ensure that the beneficiary: establishes a non-discriminatory and transparent selection procedure; applies objective criteria for the selection of small projects, which avoid conflicts of interest; assesses applications for support; selects projects and fixes the amount of support for each small project; is accountable for the implementation of the operation and keeps at its level all supporting documents required for the audit trail in accordance with Annex XIII to Regulation (EU) 2021/1060; and makes available to the public the list of the final recipients which benefit from the operation. The beneficiary shall ensure that the final recipients comply with the requirements set out in Article 36. The selection of small projects shall not constitute a delegation of tasks from the managing authority to an intermediate body as referred to in Article 71(3) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060. Staff and other costs corresponding to the cost categories in Articles 39 to 43 generated at the level of the beneficiary for the management of the small project fund or funds shall not exceed 20 % of the total eligible cost of the small project fund or funds, respectively. Where the public contribution to a small project does not exceed EUR 100000, the contribution from the ERDF or, where applicable, an external financing instrument of the Union shall take the form of unit costs or lump sums or flat rate financing, except for projects for which the support constitutes State aid. Where the total costs of each project do not exceed EUR 100000, the amount of support for one or more small projects may be set out on the basis of a draft budget which is established on a case-by-case basis and agreed ex ante by the beneficiary managing the small project fund. Where flat-rate financing is used, the categories of costs to which the flat rate is applied may be reimbursed in accordance with point (a) of Article 53(1) of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060. The lead partner shall: lay down the arrangements with the other partners in an agreement comprising provisions that, inter alia, guarantee the sound financial management of the respective Union funds allocated to the Interreg operation, including the arrangements for recovering amounts unduly paid; assume responsibility for ensuring implementation of the entire Interreg operation; and ensure that expenditure presented by all partners has been paid in implementing the Interreg operation and corresponds to the activities agreed between all the partners, and is in accordance with the document provided by the managing authority pursuant to Article 22(6). If not otherwise specified in the arrangements laid down pursuant to point (a) of paragraph 1 the lead partner shall ensure that the other partners receive the total amount of the contribution from the respective Union fund in full and within a timeframe agreed by all partners and following the same procedure applied in respect of the lead partner. No amount shall be deducted or withheld and no specific charge or other charge with equivalent effect shall be levied that would reduce that amount for the other partners. Any partner in a Member State, third country, partner country or OCT participating in an Interreg operation may be designated as the lead partner.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-02 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.