DECENTRALISED IMPLEMENTATION SYSTEM

The structure of Decentralised Implementation System (DIS) in Croatia is divided on national authorities and officials designed by the Government of the Republic of Croatia, with certain responsibilities and obligations.

DIS basically represents a transfer of obligations of tender and contracting procedures from the Delegation of the European Commission to a beneficiary country, whilst the Commission retains the final responsibility under the EC Treaties. In this particular case, the EC Delegation preserves the right for ex-ante control, that is approves all the activities in contracting procedure. implementation system where management and responsibilities have been conferred to the beneficiary country where the Commission still exercises a systematic ex-ante control over tendering and contracting of projects whilst it retains the overall final responsibility for general budget execution under article 53 of Financial Regulation and under relevant provisions of the EC Treaties.

Besides CFCA, the structure of Decentralised Implementation System (DIS) in Croatia consists of:

National Aid Coordinator (NAC) is the high ranking official responsible for issuing, monitoring and suspension or withdrawal of accreditation of body within IPA structure.  Mr. Slavko Linić holds the position of National Aid Coordinator in Croatia.   

National IPA Coordinator (NIPAC) is the State Official responsible for overall coordination of aid from IPA programme in beneficiary country.  NIPAC ensures close connection between overall accession process and utilization of EU financial assistance and bears the responsibility for monitoring of programme.  He is also responsible for coordination between components of IPA programme, programming within the scope of IPA TAIB component, as well as coordination of beneficiary country’s participation in relevant cross-border cooperation programmes. Mr. Matija Derk, Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Regional Development and EU Funds performs the role of NIPAC.  

National Authorising Officer (NAO) is the State Official responsible for overall financial management of pre-accession funds from contract. Mr. Maroje Lang, Assistant Minister in the Ministry of Finance, performs the role of NAO.  

Programme Authorising Officer (PAO) is the State Official who heads the CFCA. PAO bears the responsibility for the operations of CFCA and sound financial management of the projects to be implemented. Mr. Domagoj Šimunović, the Acting director of CFCA, performs the role of PAO.

National Fund (NF) is the central authority established as treasury in beneficiary country through which the EU pre-accession funds are channelled.  National Fund organizes and manages the bank accounts, submits requests for funds from European Commission, endorses the transfer of funds to operational structure or final beneficiaries and is responsible to National Authorising Officer.  National Fund in the Republic of Croatia is an organizational unit within the Ministry of Finance.

The Delegation of the European Union in the Republic of Croatia (DEU) in Zagreb exercises previous,
i.e. ex-ante control over project selection, tender procedure and contracting, but not over payments. The DEU is part of the Commission's internal control and should not be perceived as part of the internal control system of the national administration. It is important to emphasise that, albeit DEU endorses the contracts, it is not the contracting party. This means that the national administration retains all rights and obligations arising from the contract.

Sectoral Monitoring Committees (SMCs) for individual component or operational programme within IPA programme and Monitoring Committee are bodies responsible for monitoring of programme/project implementation on highest level. Members of these monitoring bodies are high representatives of European Commission, National IPA Coordinator, National Authorising Officer; depending on the component/operational programme – high representatives of operational structures from national institutions including PAO. The tasks of monitoring bodies are primarily coordination of pre-accession assistance and monitoring of implementation of individual programmes or overall IPA programme from technical and financial perspective.  

Senior Programme Officer (SPO) is the official or leading public servant from line ministry or beneficiary institution from IPA Component I programme responsible for technical implementation of project; Project Implementation Units (PIUs) are responsible to him/her.  SPO is responsible to PAO in CFCA (ultimately to NAO) for duly execution of all transactions within line ministry/agency.

Project Implementation Unit (PIU) is an unit within the line ministry or beneficiary institution of IPA Component I programme responsible for provision of assistance to SPO in technical implementation of projects under his/her responsibility.