The Regional Operational Programme

For the period 2007-2013, Romania elaborated the National Reference Strategic Framework that identifies the main priorities and strategic development directions that will be implemented through the National Development Plan.
The 2007-2013 NDP is a document of strategic planning and multi-annual financial programming, elaborated within a broad partnership framework that guides and stimulates the country’s socio-economic development, according to the principles of the European Union Cohesion Policy.
The 2007-2013 NDP ensures a multi-annual planning of the country’s socio-economic development, integrated at a sectoral and regional level, based on:
- National Sectoral Development Strategies
- National Regional Development Strategies
- European Union Strategic Guidelines
The development priorities identified in the NDP are materialized in Sectoral and Regional Operational Programmes.
The Regional Operational Programme implements the National Regional Development Strategy of the NDP, thus contributing, together with the other Operational Programmes (OP), to reaching the general objective of the National Reference Strategic Framework, respectively to the increase of socio-economic development disparities between Romania and the development average of EU member states.
By Government Decision No. 402/2004, the former Ministry of European Integration, at present the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Housing was appointed Managing Authority for the 2007-2013 Regional Operational Programme, responsible with the management, the administration and the implementation of the financial aid assigned for this programme. The Managing Authority for the 2007-2013 Regional Operational Programme was created within the MDPWH, according to GD 243/2006.
At a regional level, the eight Regional Development Agencies were appointed as Intermediary Organisms for the Regional Operational Programme, according to the commitments undertaken in negotiation Chapter 21 between Romania and the European Union, respectively “Regional Policy and the Coordination of Structural Instruments”.
The strategic objective of the 2007-2013 Regional Operational Programme consists of the support of territory-balanced sustainable socio-economic development of the Romanian Regions, according to their specific needs and resources, with focus on the growth urban poles, the improvement of basic infrastructure and of the business infrastructure, in order to transform the Romanian Regions, and especially the ones left behind, more attractive places for to live in, to visit, to invest and to work in.

The North-West Regional Development Agency (RDA) is granted support for implementing the Regional Operational Programme (ROP) in our region. Thus, the Agency obtained non-reimbursable funding of 5.491.001 lei as part of Priority Axis 6 of the Regional Operational Programme (ROP) ‘Technical assistance’, under the heading: ‘Assisting the implementation, the management and the assessment of ROP.’
The RDA’s project is called ‘Assistance for North-West RDA for the 2007-2008 period in its status of intermediary organ for the implementation of the 2007-2013 Regional Development Programme in the North-Western region.’ The project was submitted to the Managing Authority of ROP – part of the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Housing (MDPWH), and it was approved of. In the basis of the contract that became operative in June 2008, implementing costs, management and administrative and eligibility assessment of the projects submitted for financing through ROP for the North-West region are covered for the 2007-2008 period.

As part of this project, North-West RDA assumes the following activities:

I. To build, develop and ensure the functionality of the structures / partnerships necessary for implementing ROP within the North-West Development Region (Northern Transylvania)

I.1. To organize, develop and ensure the functionality of the organizational structure of the Intermediary Organ (North-West RDA) and of the assistance services
I.2. To appoint the delegates and their deputies who will represent the North-West Development Region in the Monitoring Committee for ROP and to ensure that North-West RDA attends these meetings
I.3. To create a National Reference Strategic Framework for the North-West Development Region (Northern Transylvania).
I.4. To finalize the Cooperation Convention at operational level among the intermediary organs of the North-West Development Region (Northern Transylvania).

II. To prepare the ROP and to contribute to the processing of handbooks regarding the launch of the axes

II.1 To process, implement and monitor the Technical Assistance Strategy at the level of the North-West Development Region
II.2 To assist the preparations of the project portfolio
II.3 To contribute to the processing of the documents issued by the MA ROP.

III. To inform and advertise the ROP in the North-West Development Region

III.1. To process, accept and implement the Communication Plan for the 2007-2013 ROP of North-West RDA
III.2 Promoting
III.3 Informing
III.4 To ensure transparency for the ROP and the EU
III.5 To assess the impact of the communication efforts

IV. To organize a system within North-West DRA through which applicants can request and obtain information and details

V. To assess the projects (To check and evaluate the financing requests)

V.1 To evaluate adequacy and eligibility of the Financing Requests
V.2 To ensure the technical and financial assessment of the Financing Requests that were found to be adequate and eligible
V.3 To ensure the strategical assessment of the Financing Requests
V.4 To check the adequacy of the Execution Project (EP)
V.5 To introduce data in SMIS

VI. To contract the projects based on the financing requests approved of by the MA ROP

VI.1 To visit the sites (pre-contractual)
VI.2 To contract the projects
VI.3 To modify the financing contracts
VI.4 To introduce data in SMIS
VI.5 To organize meetings where the beneficiaries are informed about the administrative procedures specific for the implementation
VI.6 To issue and send reports to MA ROP

VII. To check the completion of the operations

VII.1 To process and send to MA ROP the cash-flow regarding the financing of the projects
VII.2 To collect and check the pre-financing / reimbursement requests and the progress reports
VII.3 To check on site
VII.4 Introduce data in SMIS
VII.5 To send the checked pre-financing / reimbursement requests to MA ROP
VII.6 To offer assistance in retrieving debts

VIII. To monitor ROP at the level of the North-West Development Region

VIII.1 To monitor the financing contracts / projects
VIII.2 To monitor the priority axes of ROP
VIII.3 To introduce data in SMIS
VIII.4 To issue monitoring reports

Financial Assigments for the 2007-2013 ROP

For the period 2007-2013, the financial assignments for the Regional Operational Programme come from the FEDER funds (European Fund for Regional Development) – in the amount of 3,72 billion EUR, public national funds - 0,657 billion EUR and private funds estimated at 184 million EUR. The maximum contribution in the FEDER can reach 85% of the total eligible costs, and the national public co-financing of 15%.