First Level Control (FLC)

Controllers are responsible for checking that main project expenditure is eligible according to the Interreg Eligibility Rules, European regulations, and national legislation.

The Northern & Western Regional Assembly are First Level Controllers for the following Interreg Programmes and regions:

Interreg Atlantic Area                            –           Ireland

Interreg Europe                                     –           Northern & Western Region

Interreg Northern Periphery & Arctic      –          Northern & Western Region

What should a first level controller do?

The first level controllers’ task is to verify that the expenditure reported by the partners in each progress report fulfils the following conditions:

– the costs are eligible, incurred and paid.

– the programme’s conditions, the approved application form (AF) and the subsidy contract have been observed and followed.

– the invoices and payments are correctly recorded and sufficiently supported by evidence.

– the related activities, sub-contracted supplies and services are in progress or have been delivered or carried out.

– Community rules have been respected, especially regarding information and publicity, public procurement, equal opportunities and protection of the environment. The first level controller should be able to establish a full audit trail of the expenditure claimed by the project partner.

Timing a first level control

To ensure timely submission, controls at project partner and lead partner levels must be scheduled carefully in relation to the submission deadlines. It is up to the partnership to decide on those deadlines considering the availabilities of the controllers. In this context, it is important to keep in mind that:

– expenditure must be reported regularly (on a 6-month basis),

– the project lead partner’s controller can only carry out the control after receipt of all the documents from the partners.

– some project partner’s controllers have fixed time limits for carrying out the control, which must be respected when the documentation is submitted (and which limits the time for potential clarifications).

– the lead partner can only submit the progress report after receiving and having checked the control documents from the partners reporting expenditure.

Further enquiries

FLC Team, Northern and Western Regional Assembly, The Square, Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon, Ireland. F45 W674  E: ei.ar1730836703wn@cl1730836703f1730836703

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