FAQ

The Interreg 2 Seas Mers Zeeën 2014 – 2020 Programme is part of the European Territorial Cooperation Objective of the Cohesion Policy for the period 2014-2020. It is a cross-border cooperation Programme part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It supports joint cross-border cooperation projects between organisations from England, France, Belgium-Flanders and the Netherlands, under a variety of themes including research, technological development and innovation, low-carbon economy, climate change adaptation and resource efficiency.

The Programme has two main documents of reference. The principles and regulations for projects developed within the Programme are laid down in the Cooperation Programme. All the rules and requirements for the management and implementation of approved projects are defined in the Programme Manual.

The Programme can support a wide range of organisations; public bodies, public equivalent bodies, not for profit organisations and private bodies are eligible to apply for funding. More information about the eligibility of the beneficiaries can be found in section 2 of the Programme Manual (link).

The Programme supports a wide variety of themes in relation to the sustainable development of the area including research, technological development and innovation, low-carbon economy, climate change adaptation and resource efficiency. You can find the list of the supported themes and some examples of cooperation in the Cooperation Programme.

Yes, organisations that are located outside the Programme area can be included as project partners or observer partners. In case of organisations from outside the 2 Seas area included as official project partners, the partnership will have to demonstrate why the specific expertise is necessary, why it cannot be found within the Programme area and how this expertise will contribute to the quality of the outputs and results.

In case of observer partners that are located outside the area, the partnership will have to demonstrate (as for any other observer partners) which expertise this observer will bring into the project.

Yes, although not recommended, technically this is eligible. The Programme does not recommend partners outside the area to act as Lead Partners as this might lead to delays regarding the approval of certain documents which will cause a delay in the start up of the project and on the ERDF reimbursement to the entire project.

The Concept Note is to be directly filled in online on http://eep.interreg2seas.eu

There are three ways to share information with your partnership; first of all partners can work in the courtesy Word document of the CN before starting to complete the online version in the EEP. Secondly, the Lead Partner can export the information already inserted in the Concept Note into a pdf document that he/she can then transfer to his/her partners. Thirdly, additional users can be provided access (and writing rights) in the EEP directly. The last option is less recommended. It should be avoided that more than one person works on the same Concept Note at the same time as this might lead to error messages and overwriting issues. Moreover, the last option will make the role of the project coordinator very difficult as he/she will not be able to monitor the changes made by each of the partners. 

The Concept Note must be submitted in the three Programme languages: English, Dutch and French. Please be aware that there are character limits which need to be respected. These character limits are the same for each language. This might pose problems as Dutch and French translation of the English version will contain more characters.

All partners having submitted a Concept Note can submit an Application Form, regardless of the feedback of the Member States. However, in order to increase the chances to have your Application Form approved, it is of course recommended to take into account as much as possible the recommendations of the Member States, or, try to clearly indicate why you chose not to implement them. Projects who got positive feedback but do not implement the recommendations might still risk not to be approved. A project that manages to take into account all recommendations of the Member States before the deadline might still be approved.

Projects should identify their main products (i.e. end products) to deliver the expected result. These main products are the outputs of the project. All intermediary steps/products are to be considered as deliverables. These notions are relative and project-related. A similar product (e.g. a feasibility study) could be an output in project X, and a deliverable in project Y. A way to help making the distinction is to analyse whether the delivery of a given product has a direct effect on the specific objective of the project. If the effect is not visible yet, then it is very likely that the given product would represent a deliverable in that project.

An output is “what the money buys”, what has actually been produced for the money given to the project. The result is the change brought by the project to an initial situation/challenge. Linked to the output, one can have specific results, which are the immediate advantage of producing an output telling us about the concrete benefit of using this specific output. If for example your output is a nature based flood prevention measure, your result can be the decrease of economic and environmental impacts of flooding.

No, there is no maximum amount of outputs. Projects should however make sure that the deliverables and outputs remain realistic and pertinent and contribute directly to the project expected result.

Yes, there is a maximum amount of 5 generic work packages. Projects are however strongly recommended to develop their work packages according to the Project Specific Objectives chosen, for which a maximum of 3 applies.

Yes, there is a maximum amount of 3 investment work packages. There is however no maximum amount of investment fiches a project can include per investment work package. It is therefore up to the project to structure its investment work packages (if applicable) to make sure they are coherent with the project result and present value for money.

The Application form is to be directly filled in online on http://eep.interreg2seas.eu.

Similar to the Concept Note, there are three ways to share information with your partnership; first of all partners can work in the courtesy Word document of the AF before starting to complete the online version in the EEP. Secondly, the Lead Partner can export the information already inserted in the AF into a pdf document that he/she can then transfer to his/her partners. Thirdly, additional users can be provided access (and writing rights) in the EEP directly. The last option is less recommended as it should be avoided that more than one person works on the same AF at the same time as this might lead to error messages and overwriting issues. Moreover, the last option will make the role of the project coordinator very difficult as he/she will not be able to monitor the changes made by each of the partners. 

Yes. In order to change the contact person between the submission of the CN and the development of the AF, applicants should:

1. Connect with the details of the previous contact person (the person registered for the CN)
2. Go to the dashboard with the details for your project
3. Create the Application Form (button on the left top of the page)
4. Go to project users and select the Application Form version 1
5. Click on modify users and add the new contact person as Lead Partner.

Yes all partners need to provide an original signed letter of commitment with the Application Form. The templates of the Programme are to be downloaded from the EEP (Electronic Exchange Platform) at the moment the Application Form is submitted. The signed documents have to be uploaded before the Programme Monitoring Committee takes place.

For the deadline of Step 2 Application Form submission, your partnership should complete the following documents:

• The online Application Form without signature
• The “net revenue analysis template” if partners plan to generate revenues after the project closure and possibly during the project lifetime. This document is not filled in directly online. It has to be downloaded from the Programme website/Application pack (link) and uploaded into the EEP.  

At the moment the Application Form is submitted, you will be able to export documents support your application that will need to be signed and uploaded before the date of the Programme Monitoring Committee:

The documents that need to be submitted before the Programme Monitoring Committee takes place are:

• The scan of the signed Letters of Commitment for each formal Partner
• The scan of the signed Observer Letters (only if one or more observer(s) participate in the project)
• The scan of the signed De Minimis Aid Form (if applicable).
• The scan of the signed AF confirmation page.

No, no annexes other than the letters of commitment, observer letters, net revenue analysis and De minimis Aid form can be uploaded into the system.

The Application Form must be completed and submitted in English only.

The selection procedure is undertaken by the Programme Member States supported by the Joint Secretariat. Admissibility check, eligibility check and quality assessment compose this selection procedure. More information about each step of the process can be found in the section IV D of the Programme Manual.

The Withdrawal Agreement between the EU and the UK means that projects will be able to continue as planned, under the same arrangements and rules as before. If the end of the transition period means any changes for your project, the JS will contact you immediately. For now, you should carry on delivering your project as planned; the following questions may help if you have specific queries.

We will update this information if we receive further information from the UK Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government or from the European Commission.

If you have any questions please send them to:​

• j.foster@interreg2seas.eu (Territorial Facilitator)
• s.burnett@interreg2seas.eu (Territorial Facilitator)

The Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU confirms that 2014-20 ETC programmes will be able to continue with UK project partners, and UK project partners can continue delivering their projects in line with existing programme rules and timescales.  

Yes. The Withdrawal Agreement between the EU means that UK organisations can still apply for funding and can deliver projects until project closure. UK organisations can and should continue to secure funding and deliver successful projects for the current programming period. 

The Withdrawal Agreement means that your project can continue as planned, including under the existing terms of your contract. You are still subject to the same eligibility rules as set out in your contract, you still have to follow all audit and first level control requirements, and you will remain liable for any irregular expenditure that you claim. 

The Withdrawal Agreement means that your project is still able to continue, and please be reassured that the programme wants to support you to deliver successfully. If you are concerned that you may no longer be able to undertake some activities in full, you should discuss this with your JS contact. 

Your project can continue as planned under the existing terms of your contract, and all expenditure remains eligible providing it is delivered in line with the programme eligibility rules as set out in your contract and the applicable EU and national rules. You will still have to follow all audit and first level control requirements, and you will remain liable for any irregular expenditure that you claim. 

Office and administrative expenditure, which includes bank charges for administering an account, is covered by your existing overheads budget line, i.e. a flat rate of [15%] of each partner's staff costs. 

Guidance on this is contained at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-domain-names-what-you-need-to-do-before-the-end-of-the-transition-period, and this will apply to all UK organisations. You should follow the advice here, including to contact your domain registrar to understand what this means for you. You should also contact your Lead Partner or Joint Secretariat contact to seek their advice. 

A number of UK-based ETC project partners have already transferred domain registrations to one of their EU project partners, and this may be something that you wish to explore within your project.

If there are any such additional costs, these would be eligible for your project provided they are in line with EU, programme and national rules and the terms of your contract. You may want to speak with your JS officer and/or your First Level Controller to clarify any specifics relating to your project. 

Please be aware that the expectation is that you manage this within your existing project budget; any requests for additional budget would [need to be managed through the programme’s modification procedures]

Following article 45 or GDPR, The European Commission is conducting a data adequacy assessment of the UK. If the EU grants positive adequacy decisions by 1 January 2021, it would mean that personal data can flow freely from the EU/EEA to the UK, as it does now, without any action by organisations.
Article 71(1) of the Withdrawal Agreement contains provisions that continue to apply EU data protection law to certain ‘legacy’ personal data in the event that the UK has not been granted full adequacy decisions by the end of the transition period.

Otherwise, GDPR provisions for third countries may apply. You  are strongly encouraged  to closely monitor these developments and follow the advice provided here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-personal-data-in-your-business-or-other-organisation-after-the-transition-period 

Following article 45 or GDPR, The European Commission is conducting a data adequacy assessment of the UK. If the EU grants positive adequacy decisions by 1 January 2021, it would mean that personal data can flow freely from the EU/EEA to the UK, as it does now, without any action by organisations.
Article 71(1) of the Withdrawal Agreement contains provisions that continue to apply EU data protection law to certain ‘legacy’ personal data in the event that the UK has not been granted full adequacy decisions by the end of the transition period.

Otherwise, GDPR provisions for third countries may apply. You  are strongly encouraged  to closely monitor these developments and follow the advice provided here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-personal-data-in-your-business-or-other-organisation-after-the-transition-period 

Yes, you will still be able to access the programme IT systems you need to be able to manage your project and receive payment. 

The Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU means that the UK will continue to participate in current programmes until they end. UK organisations currently acting as lead partners in projects should therefore continue to undertake all functions and responsibilities as at present.