The Monitoring Committee of “Human Resources Development” Operational Programme 2014-2020 is a collective body established on the principle of partnership, as well as in the spirit of the European code of conduct on partnership in the framework of the European Structural and Investment Funds, which monitors the implementation of the Operational programme. It performs the functions of a Monitoring Committee of “Human Resources Development” Operational Programme for the period 2007-2013 as well.

The Committee was established in 2014 and is composed of representatives with voting rights pursuant to Decree No. 79 of CM of 10.04.2014 on the establishment of Monitoring Committees of the Partnership Agreement and the programmes co-funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds for the programming period 2014-2020, as follows:

• The Managing authorities of the other operational programmes, the Commission for Protection against Discrimination, the Agriculture State Fund, specialized directorates within the administration of the Council of Ministers, the Central Coordination Unit within the administration of the Council of Ministers, specialized directorates at the Ministry of Finance, the Secretariat of the National Council for Cooperation on Ethnic and Integration Issues;
• The National Statistical Institute;
• The institutions responsible for the policies to be supported under the programme;
• The National Association of the Municipalities in the Republic of Bulgaria;
• The Regional councils for the development at NUTS 2 level;
• The national representative organizations of employers, employees and workers recognized by the Council of Ministers by virtue of the Labour Code;
• The national representative organizations of people with disabilities recognized by the Council of Ministers and by virtue of the Integration of People with Disabilities Act;
• The academic community;
• Non-governmental sector;

Members in advisory capacity are representatives of the:

• “Audit of European Union Funds” Executive Agency;
• Public Procurement Agency;
• Certifying Authority under the programmes co-funded by the European Social Fund;
• European Commission.

The Monitoring Committee holds meetings biannually and its main functions are as follows:

• To examine and approve the methodology and criteria used for selection of operations proposed by the Managing Authority, as well as subsequent amendments and supplements thereto, while for operations where the financial aid is envisaged to be allocated to more than one programme – for that specific programme; methodology for the selection of operations shall be approved, when applicable;
• To examine and approve an Indicative Annual Working Programme drafted by the Managing Authority, as well as any subsequent amendments thereto;
• To approve the increase of financial resources for the procedures for selection of projects and the procedures for direct grants;
• To examine reasonably justified proposals and approve the termination of procedures for the selection of operations and for direct grants, if this is applicable to the programme;
• To review the implementation of the programme and monitor the progress reported by the Managing Authority for attaining the objectives and priorities of the programme based on the indicators specified therein, including the indicators within the Performance framework;
• To monitor the general progress of the Performance framework, to consider and approve proposals for allocation of the performance reserve between the different programme priorities;
• To examine and approve the Annual implementation reports and the Final implementation report drafted by the Managing Authority;
• To approve and monitor the implementation of the Evaluation plan and to examine the information provided by the Managing Authority on the results, conclusions and recommendations following the evaluations performed, as well as the follow-up actions;
• To keep track of the progress in the implementation of the applicable ex-ante conditionalities which have not been met at the date of approval of the programme by the European Commission;
• To review the information about the findings and recommendations from the Annual Control Reports drafted by the Audit Authority for the programme;
• To examine the information from the Certifying Authority concerning the financial management and implementation of the programme;
• To coordinate the National Communication Strategy for programming period 2014 – 2020, as well as the amendments thereto, and to propose the Strategy for approval by the Monitoring Committee of Partnership Agreement;
• To consider the information about the Annual action plans and the measures for information and communication for the respective programme in compliance with the National Communication Strategy in the programming period 2014 – 2020, drafted by the Managing Authority; to examine on an annual basis the information about their implementation, as well as the analysis prepared by the Managing Authority on the results of the information and communication activities;
• To examine and approve any proposals for amendments to the programme, including for re-allocation of the funds along the priority axes of the programme; in the cases when the Partnership Agreement Monitoring Committee approves any amendments in the information about the Partnership Agreement ensuing from a decision to amend HRD OP approved by the HRD OP Monitoring Committee, then the chairperson of the Monitoring Committee shall present to the members of the HRD OP Monitoring Committee the decision for their information;
• To examine the progress in the implementation of Joint action plans, if such plans are applicable as part of the programme, and to keep track of the activity of the respective Steering committees;
• To examine the progress in the implementation of the financial instruments, if such instruments are applicable under the programme;
• In the case of implementation of financial instruments under the programme, to examine the strategic document about the financial instruments implemented by the Managing Authority and to obtain information about the ex-ante evaluation of each instrument;
• To monitor the implementation of the instrument “community-led local development”, if it has been put to effect with the financial support of the programme;
• To monitor the implementation by the Managing Authority of the principles of sustainable development, including of environmental protection, gender equality, equal opportunities and non-discrimination, as well as accessibility for persons with disabilities;
• To examine other issues related to the implementation of the programme;
• May address comments to the Managing Authority about the implementation and evaluation of the programme, including activities aimed to reduce the administrative burden of beneficiaries. The Committee shall be monitoring the activities initiated as a result of its comments.