Beneficiary capacity building report and toolkit are available online!

For almost two years, the Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat of the Danube Region Programme has been part of the European Commission-OECD pilot project, 'Supporting Managing Authorities to build Cohesion Policy capacities'. Alongside the DRP Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat, five other Managing Authorities participated in this pilot project: the Managing Authority of the Corsica ERDF-ESF+ Regional Programme in France; the Managing Authority of the Emilia-Romagna ERDF Regional Programme in Italy; the Managing Authority of the Programme Technical Assistance for European Funds in Poland; the Managing Authority of the Sustentável 2030 Programme in Portugal; and the Managing Authority of the North-East Regional Programme in Romania.

As the outcome of this pilot project, the OECD published the report Beneficiary Capacity Building under EU Cohesion Policy: A Framework for Action for Managing Authorities, and the accompanying Managing Authority Toolkit for Beneficiary Capacity Building under EU Cohesion Policy

To understand the importance of this document, we shall refer to the OECD's observations that the European Union's Cohesion Policy for 2021–27 represents a substantial commitment to regional development. Cohesion Policy funds provide nearly EUR 400 billion, supplemented by additional funding from EU Member States, to support a highly diverse range of beneficiaries. These investments target sectors ranging from infrastructure modernisation and digital innovation to social inclusion initiatives and the green transition and climate resilience. However, both this funding period and the next (2028–34) are characterised by transformative changes and uncertainties driven by economic fluctuations and shifting policy priorities in response to global crises such as geopolitical tensions and rapid technological advances.

However, the OECD researchers conclude that, regardless of how Cohesion Policy evolves — whether through new priorities, regulatory frameworks, or governance models — the capacity of beneficiaries is a cross-cutting prerequisite for its success.

The Managing Authority/Joint Secretariat of the Danube Region Programme is therefore glad that, through its expertise, work, engagement, and most importantly, the involvement of its stakeholders, contributed to this report and the Beneficiary Capacity Building toolkit.

We encourage other Interreg programmes to examine the documents thoroughly, as they offer practical advice on beneficiary capacity building. These resources will continue to support the work of strengthening beneficiary capacity in the years to come.