“This is the first meeting in the current programme period entirely dedicated to First Level Controllers, and it is no coincidence that it was chosen to be held in Italy. This is further confirmation of the attention paid to this professional figure and their role in expenditure verification, which is particularly effective in Italy.” These were the words of Gianfranco Gadaleta, Joint Secretariat Coordinator, at the information seminar dedicated to first level controllers, held in Bari. Almost 70 participants, both remotely connected and present at the Fiera del Levante, took advantage of this opportunity for in-depth discussion and networking, and got to the heart of the issues addressed by the Joint Secretariat and the Managing Authority.
The institutional greetings from the Puglia Region, were given by Gianna Elisa Berlingerio, Director of the Department of Economic Development, and Claudio Polignano, Director of the Interreg Management Structure. “Compliance with European rules in cross-border cooperation is also ensured by the role of first-level controllers, who play an important role in the regularity of the Programme’s progress. Apulia has been participating in Greece-Italy for over 30 years, with clear successes and prudent use of cooperation resources. Proof of this is that the Programme Secretariat is based in Apulia”.
For Polignano, “the event is further confirmation of the solid cooperation between Italy in general and Puglia in particular with Greece. The importance of the role of first level controllers is evident on several levels, as they operate with delegated powers but represent national authorities”.
The meeting was also attended by two members of the Managing Authority – Unit C, responsible for verifying and controlling the expenditure of Greek beneficiaries, Dimitris Gertsos and Dimitris Karavatos, who focused, respectively, on on-the-spot check procedures and the functionality of the MIS system for FLCs.
Finally, the Joint Secretariat’s project officers, Giuseppe Gargano and Tina Ranieri, focused on the FLC system in Italy and the eligibility of expenditure.
The session concluded with a fruitful question and answer session with remote and in-person participants, who actively sought clarification and advice, taking advantage of the live responses. A useful opportunity to enrich one’s knowledge of cooperation and its technical aspects.
Download here the presentations of the speakers.
