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Self-assessment tool

Please answer the series of questions below to check if your project idea is relevant for Interreg Europe.

Before proceeding with your application or seeking assistance from us, make sure to check the relevance of your project. If you can answer ‘yes’ to all the questions, you're on the right track.

The self-assessment is for information purposes only.

1 Issue definition

Is the issue addressed by the project clear and specific enough? Does it clearly fit within the priorities of the cohesion policy? 

The programme covers the following policy objectives:  
1. Smarter Europe 
2. Greener Europe 
3. More connected Europe 
4. More social Europe 
5. Europe closer to citizens 
6. Better governance 

For more information please see the sections ‘Programme scope’ and ‘What is an interregional cooperation project?’ of the programme manual.

Your answer

2 Policy instrument

Are the policy instruments that you and your partners want to improve identified and clearly related to the overall issue addressed by the project?

All projects share the same overall objective which is to improve the policy instruments they address through exchange and transfer of experiences among the participating regions.

For more information please see the sections ‘Interregional cooperation projects: main features’ and ‘Monitoring projects’ performance’ of the programme manual.

What is a policy instrument?A policy instrument is a means for public intervention. It refers to any policy, strategy, or law developed by public authorities and applied on the ground to improve a specific territorial situation. In most cases, financial resources are associated with a policy instrument. However, an instrument can also sometimes refer to a strategy or legislative framework with no specific funding. In the context of Interreg Europe, operational programmes for Investment for Jobs and Growth are policy instruments. Beyond EU cohesion policy, local, regional or national public authorities also develop their own policy instruments.

Your answer

3 Jobs and growth programme

Is at least one of the policy instruments addressed by your project an investment for jobs and growth goal programme?

Interreg Europe aims at improving “the performance of the regional development policy instruments including investment for jobs and growth goal programmes”. This particular focus on cohesion policy means that, at application stage, at least one of the regional policy instruments addressed by the project must be an investment for jobs and growth goal programme.

For more information please see the sections ‘Interregional cooperation projects: main features’ and ‘Monitoring projects’ performance’ of the programme manual.

Your answer

4 Partner status

Are all partners either public authorities, bodies governed by public law or private non-profit bodies?

Only public authorities, bodies governed by public law or private non-profit bodies are eligible to receive ERDF within Interreg Europe. Private for-profit partners are not eligible. Please note that private non-profit bodies cannot take on the role of a lead partner.

For more information please see the section ‘Eligibility and funding’ of the programme manual.

Your answer

5 Responsible authorities

Are the authorities responsible of the respective policy instruments involved in the project? 

The involvement of the policy responsible authority as partner is compulsory for at least 50% of the policy instruments addressed in a project application. For the remaining policies, this authority must be involved as an ‘associated policy authority’.

For more information please see the sections ‘Types of participation’ and ‘Quality of partnership’ of the programme manual.

Your answer

6 Interregional cooperation

Does the partnership go beyond transnational cooperation areas?

Interreg Europe is the only Interreg programme that covers the whole European Union, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland and Ukraine. To be eligible, the partnerships should therefore go beyond transnational cooperation areas, as this configuration allows partners to broaden their experience and to confront their practices with very different cultures and contexts. 

For more information please see the section ‘Quality of partnership' and ‘Eligibility assessment’ of the programme manual.

Your answer

7 Exchange of experience

Is interregional exchange of experience at the heart of the project? 

Interreg Europe is a capacity building programme. It primarily supports activities related to exchange of experience among policymakers from different countries.

For more information please see the sections ‘Interregional cooperation projects: main features’ and ‘What activities may take place under each phase?’ of the programme manual.

Your answer

8 Innovative character

Is the innovative character of the project clear? 

Projects need to demonstrate their innovative character. Interreg Europe cannot finance the simple continuation of past projects. The issue of innovative character is therefore particularly important for partnerships that were already supported under previous EU programmes and that would like to develop a follow-up proposal. 

For more information please see the section ‘Innovative character of projects and their results’ of the programme manual.

Your answer