Organisation

Management system 2009-14

Input from a series of different reviews and evaluations has helped to shape the current framework. The new programme approach is designed to better target support and increase impact.

Programme operators, mostly public institutions in the beneficiary states, are being given the responsibility to award funding to projects according to agreed criteria and to follow up on their implementation. This approach is in line with recommendations from the mid-term evaluation of the EEA and Norway Grants, which found the funding models of programmes and funds to be most efficient.

The appointment of each programme operator is approved by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway for the EEA Grants, and by Norway for the Norway Grants.

The decision-making authority for the EEA Grants is the Financial Mechanism Committee (FMC). The committee consists of representatives of the ministries of foreign affairs of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the decision-making authority for the Norway Grants.

The oversight and control of all programmes at country-level is carried out by designated national Focal Points (FP). Most of the FPs sit within relevant ministries or public agencies in the beneficiary states, which also manage other European funding schemes.

The donor countries, through the Financial Mechanism Office, will monitor the implementation process. The FMO, which is affiliated to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), operates as the day- to- day secretariat for the Grants. The FMO reports to the foreign ministries of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

Management system 2004-09

During the 2004-2009 funding period, decisions on funding for each project prioritised by the FPs were made by the donor states, based on recommendations from the Financial Mechanism Office (FMO).

Following open calls for project proposals, the FPs reviewed and shortlisted the best project applications. These were then appraised by the FMO before the donor states made a decision on each application. In some countries, the review process carried out by the FP resembled a full appraisal conducted at donor level. This two-step process proved time consuming and costly in some instances. In the 2009-2014 funding period, the beneficiary states are tasked with setting up high-quality programmes with clear objectives.