IPA ENVIRONMENT at a glance

The institutional structure formerly known as the Directorate General for European Union Investments is one of the units of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change, Directorate General for European Union and Foreign Relations. It has prepared the Environment Operational Programme for the purpose of managing the funds provided in the field of environment under the EU Pre-Accession Financial Assistance (IPA) and has been designated as the Programme Authority for projects implemented under the Regional Development component.

During the IPA II (2014-2020) period, our Department, as the authority for the Environment and Climate Action Sector Operational Programme within the sector-based programming, has fulfilled the following Multi-Annual Programme Authority tasks:

• Within the framework of relevant national legislation and European Union acquis, the preparation, implementation and support of the Environment and Climate Action Sector Operational Programme, including the selection and evaluation of projects and activities to be supported,
• Programming, tendering and contracting, implementation of projects and activities or control of completed projects and activities, execution of payments, accounting and related post-implementation control, monitoring and evaluation, and communication of the necessary information, documents and reports to the relevant institutions and authorities, primarily the National Coordinator for Pre-Accession Assistance and the National Authorising Officer, within the specified time frame,
• Establishing the necessary institutional structure and capacity to perform programming, monitoring and evaluation, technical implementation, quality control, procurement, finance, contracting, payment, accounting and reporting functions in accordance with the rules and standards of the European Union in the relevant field.
• Signing operational agreements regulating the duties, powers and responsibilities related to matters delegated to the Final Beneficiary Institution/Organisation.

With the new organisational structure, our units, which have been separated under the names of Department of Project Implementation and Department of Project Preparation and Monitoring, are responsible for the preparation, implementation, monitoring and reporting of programmes and projects carried out in the fields of environment, climate change and related areas within the framework of European Union financial cooperation, under the name of IPA ENVIRONMENT. In this regard, the core areas of responsibility include carrying out project development and programming activities, coordinating tendering and contracting processes in accordance with European Union procedures, ensuring financial management and reporting, and operating quality assurance and control mechanisms. Both departments aim to ensure the effective, transparent and sustainable use of European Union funds in cooperation with national and international stakeholders

The departments operating within the General Directorate for European Union and Foreign Relations and their IPA ENVIRONMENT structure and assignments are as follows:

Departments	Units	Responsibility Areas
Department of Project Preparation and Monitoring	Programming Unit	Preparation of Operational/Multi-Annual/Annual Programmes, project calls, pre-assessment, prioritisation, Strategy Response Sheet, Communication Action Plan, financial planning, visibility activities, IPA website management
	Project Preparation Unit	Preparation of project documents (feasibility study, cost-benefit analysis, EIA, design, etc.), preparation of tender documents, site visits, submission of application documents to the Commission
	Monitoring and Evaluation Unit	Monitoring of programme implementation, field inspections, monitoring indicators, reporting (annual, final, consolidated), Sector Monitoring Committee secretariat, on-site checks, interim and closing evaluations
	Quality Assurance Unit	Monitoring of accreditation criteria, updating of the application manual, audit coordination, reporting of irregularities, risk management plan, human resources documentation, training and workload analyses
Department of Project Implementation	Procurement Unit	Preparation and implementation of tenders in accordance with EU procedures, notices, evaluation, tender timetable, grant calls and contracting
	Contract Management Unit	Implementation of construction, material, service and grant contracts, coordination with beneficiaries, site visits, progress reports, addendum processes, support for payment matters
	Finance Unit	Payment requests and invoice checks, correspondence with the National Treasury, accounting records, bank guarantees, monthly reconciliation, payment plan and financial reporting
	Quality Control Unit	Tender documents and addendum checks, responses to audit reports and action plans, irregularity reports, risk management, human resources documents and training analyses