Key strategic programming documents of cohesion policy
The European Union in connection with the implementation of cohesion policy observe s the Community Strategic. Guidelines on Cohesion (CSGC), in which the tasks of economic and social cohesion (ESC) policy for the 2007-2013 period are defined. Each Member State creates its own National Development Plan (NDP) describing the primary development issues of the country. Although it need not always apply that the development priorities of the state correspond to Europe-wide cohesion policy agreed by all EU Member States on the transnational level, common ground between the NDP and CSGC has to be found.
The document representing compliance of the NDP and CSGC and defining the form of implementation of ESC policy in the Member States is the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF).
The Czech NSRF describes the strategic objectives, the method of management and coordination of ESC policy in the Czech Republic, represents the system of financial flow of EU funds in the Czech Republic and determines the Czech operational programmes for execution of ESC policy.
The Ministry of Regional Development (MoRD) is the central coordinator for the use of EU funds in the Czech Republic. For the execution of this function, the National Coordination Authority (NCA) has been set up at the MoRD. This body is equivalent of the central coordination institution in other EU Member States. The National Development Plan, National Strategic Reference Framework and other official documents for 2007-2013 were created in the purview of the MoRD. The process of implementation of the NSRF is monitored by the Management and Coordination Committee (MCC). The committee is chaired by the Minister for Regional Development and the efforts of the MCC secretariat are carried out at the NSRF Management and Coordination Department.
National Strategic Reference Framework
For procuring financial resources from EU funds, the Czech Republic, like other EU Member States, has created a set of programme documents and necessary institutional guarantees. The National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) represents a basic programme document of the Czech Republic for using EU funds in the 2007-2013 period.
Download the NSRF
The basis for drafting the National Strategic Reference Framework was the National Development Plan of the Czech Republic, which was recognised by Government of the Czech Republic Resolution No. 175/2006.
The analytical section of the NSRF focuses on identifying key strengths of the Czech Republic for improving its competitiveness, as well as problem areas and weaknesses that could stand in the way of sustainable development of the economy and society.
The strategy focuses on key European (CSGC) as well as domestic strategic documents (Sustainable Development Strategy, Economic Growth Strategy, Regional Development Strategy 2007-2013 and other valid ministerial and regional strategies).
The National Strategic Reference Framework determines the system of operational programmes under economic and social cohesion policy for 2007-2013, through which the various cohesion policy objectives are implemented.
The Czech National Strategic Reference Framework was adopted by the European Commission on 27 July 2007. The Czech operational programmes were approved after that.
The National Strategic Reference Framework of the Czech Republic for 2007-2013 is drawn up based on the obligations of each member state, as these are defined in Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 of 11 July 2006 laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund and the Cohesion Fund and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999.