The project appraisal  process carried out by domestic institutions consists of three stages. The project selection process performed by the Polish side is based on two types of criteria – general criteria (including administrative and eligibility criteria), as well as content-related and technical criteria.

Stage I:

Once  the application submission stage is completed, the Intermediate Body (or an Auxiliary Institution acting to its order) performs a preliminary selection of applications based on the administrative requirements. Should any deficiencies or irregularities be discovered, applications are not reviewed any further and shall be returned to the applicants. Next, the Intermediate Body evaluates the applications against eligibility, as well as content-related and technical criteria. The appraisal procedure results in the preparation of a list ranking eligible projects on a scale of highest to lowest score awarded. The ranking list is  submitted, along with a justification, by the Intermediate Body, to Steering Committee members. The said justification regards the decision on the selection of a given project and its position in the ranking list, in light of the general, as well as content-related and technical criteria.

Stage II:

Based on the ranking list of eligible projects and the justification, as presented by the Intermediate Body, the Steering Committee decides on the possible financing from the mechanisms projects on the ranking list. In the case of disagreement in the votes of the Steering Committee members, additional appraisal may be ordered, in accordance with the Committee’s by-law, from an independent expert or the panel of experts constituted especially for this purpose by the Intermediate Body.

Upon conducting a vote on individual projects the Steering Committee submits, through the Intermediate Body, to the Focal Point, the recommended list of projects eligible for support under the EEA Financial Mechanism and/or the Norwegian Financial Mechanism. The list is presented in the form of a ranking list and contains a justification of the projects selection.

After conducting assessment by the Steering Committee and establishing final list of projects, Intermediate Body informs the beneficiary whether the project will be qualified to the next stage or not. Furthermore, the information about qualified and refused projects has to appear on the website of a particular Intermediate Body and of the Focal Point. After receiving information about approving the project by the Steering Committee, the beneficiary is obliged to prepare within 10 working days English version of the application and supporting documents. English version has to be identical with the Polish one, approved by the Committee. If the number of  pages of appendix in Polish version exceeds 20, the beneficiary may prepare in English version only the summary. Appendices with fewer pages need to be translated as a whole. After submitting English version of an application form and Appendices to the Intermediate Body, translation will be verified within next 10 working days. Intermediate Body is responsible for the correctness of a translation the moment it signs on the  confirmation of compliance of the translation with the original.

Application forms confirmed  with regard to language correctness are submitted by Intermediate Body to the Focal Point.

Stage III:

The Focal Point verifies the applications for their compliance with formal requirements and checks the degree to which the general criteria are fulfilled by individual applications . Appraisals drawn up in such a manner are attached to individual applications. In the case of a negative assessment, the Focal Point returns the application, along with its evaluation, to the Intermediate Body, which then communicates the decision of the Focal Point to the Steering Committee and the applicant, and presents the justification of the said decision (evaluation).

The Focal Point submits, within 30 calendar days from the receipt, from the Intermediate Body, of the approved by the Steering Committee list of projects along with the justification,, the final list of eligible projects to the Financial Mechanism Office in Brussels. The list is accompanied by a justification (separately for each project), with evaluation of the degree to which the general criteria are fulfilled.

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The final decision on awarding financial resources for the implementation of a project under the EEA Financial Mechanism and/or the Norwegian Financial Mechanism is made by institutions of the donor states: the Financial Mechanism Committee and/or the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.