Programming period. What is it?

Programming is one of the essential elements of the functioning of the Structural Funds. It involves the preparation of multi-annual development plans and is undertaken through a partnership-based decision-making process, in several stages, until the measures are taken over by the public or private bodies entrusted with carrying them out.

Currently, each programming period is to last for a single period of seven years in order to maintain the simplification of the management system defined in Regulation (EC) No 1260/1999′. The seven-year periods began in 2000, hence the previous programming periods were 2000-2006 and 2007-2013, and the current one 2014-2020.