Russian partners needed to achieve change in the Baltic Sea region

The Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat (MA/JS) of Interreg Baltic Sea Region organised a series of seminars for Russian partners and their lead partners from the second call projects: in Pskov on 19 April and in St. Petersburg on 23-24 May. On 23 May, around 20 Russian organisations met to learn about the project implementation and reporting. Some of the lead partner organisations from Estonia, Finland, Sweden and Germany joined this training event, likewise representatives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian national sub-committee of Interreg Baltic Sea Region.

The MA/JS brought to the discussion issues of the biggest concern for the successful implementation of projects: responsibilities and cooperation among project partners, payment and control of funds, eligibility of costs and visibility.

The Russian partners confirmed their commitment to joint work. They were determined that they would catch up:  most of the projects have two more years to create results attractive for the regions and build trust across the borders.

The Monitoring Committee of the Programme recently approved the amended Programme Manual, which is the depository of project rules. It included further guidance for Russian project partners, in particular on first level control, and visibility rules.