An activity, under which the Certification authority submits to the European commission tentative forecast about the requested payments for the current and the following financial year.

Action or negligence at the international level, that could lead to an embezzlement or an illegal detainment of funds from the state budget of a member-state, or funds managed by state authorities.

Projects, placed in the same region or along the same transport corridor; having clearly identified goals; being a part of a general plan for the region or the transport corridor.

Information Management and Monitoring System for the funds from the Structural Instruments of the EU.

Violation of a clause of the legislation of the European Community, as a result of an action of or an oversight by an economic operator, which has or could have a damaging effect on the total budget of the European Union, expressed as an illegal expense in total budget.

Instrument for Structural Policies for pre-Accession – a financial instrument for non-resource aid. Launched in 2000, ISPA is one of the three financial instruments (with Phare and Sapard) to assist the candidate countries in the preparation for accession. Based on the principles that govern the Cohesion Fund, it provides assistance for infrastructure projects in the EU priority fields of environment and transport.

A national, regional, or local public institution, or public or private organization, designated by the member-state to manage an operational programme.

A project or a group of projects, selected by the Managing authority of the respective Operational programme according to the criteria, approved by the Monitoring committee and implemented by one or more beneficiaries, enabling the achievement of the goals of a priority theme, they address.

A cooperation agreement, establishing the main tasks and responsibilities towards the technical and the financial implementation of the programme between the Managing authority and the beneficiaries.

A document, presented by a member-state and approved by the European commission, establishing a development strategy with coordinated priorities, which is to be implemented with the assistance by a Fund, and the assistance by the Cohesion fund and the ERDF with respect to the Convergence goal.

The first written evaluation of a competent authority, administrative and/ or legal, based on particular facts about an existing irregularity, not excluding the possibility for a subsequent revision of the conclusion or its withdrawal in the course of the administrative or the legal procedure.