Project initiatives are approved and financed by the Managing Authority and the Intermediate Bodies in accordance with the following eligibility criteria:
- the applicant must belong to the category of eligible Beneficiaries, as identified within the Programme
- a cost and time schedule must be provided to check the implementation timeframe
- quantitative measurable targets must be defined
- the expense schedule must be consistent with the expense eligibility period
- the project must be consistent with the specific goals of the Programme investment priorities
- the project must conform to the applicable implementation and regulatory provisions
- the information/data required under the project format must be complete
- the national and community regulations on public procurement, and especially open public procedures, must be complied with
the Beneficiaries must possess an adequate organization for managing the interventions, based on quality standards and complying with the applicable regulatory obligations (with regards, in particular, to the separation of accounts, audits and inspections, bookkeeping, information and publicity, initiating and completing operations, making available the monitoring information) - double funding, from other community, national and regional funds, must be avoided
- the demarcation criteria with other funds and regional/national operational programmes must be complied with, to avoid overlapping.