IMPORTANT: CHANGES TO INTERREG MAC PROJECT MANAGEMENT DOCUMENTS
Please be advised that the following documents have been updated:
- Financial Management Manual
- Eligibility Rules for Expenditure
- Technical Data Sheets:
- Sheet 1: Personnel Costs
- Sheet 4: External Services and Consultancy Costs
- Annex I: Partner Declaration_ State Aid (new)
- Annex II: Company declaration_ State aid (new)
- Sheet 5: Equipment expenses
- Sheet 6: Expenditure on infrastructure and works
- Project modification guide
The new versions of these documents have been published in the ‘Documentation’ section with the changes highlighted in yellow.
All the changes made apply to expenses incurred during the tax return period, which is currently open and ends on 30 April.
PRESENTATIONS AND RECORDINGS FROM THE TECHNICAL WORKSHOPS ON FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT NOW AVAILABLE
The presentations and recordings from the technical workshops on financial management—aimed at improving the quality of Statements of Expenditure Paid—are now available via the links below. These workshops were held online in the programme’s three European regions:
| Región | Date | Presentations | Recording |
| Azores | 10/03/2026 | Presentation Azores | https://youtu.be/Mx1INTlQnlo |
| Canary islands | 12/03/2026 | Presentation Canary | https://youtu.be/7xqL6v05S-A |
| Madeira | 16/03/2026 | Presentation Madeira | https://youtu.be/172V6Iie5Rg |
ONLINE TECHNICAL CONFERENCE MARCH 2026
The Interreg MAC 2021-2027 programme will hold an online technical conference this March with the aim of improving the quality of ERDF partners' expenditure declarations.
They will be delivered by the Regional Controllers with the support of the Joint Secretariat, specifically for partners in the three European regions:
- 10/03/26 (10:00 local time), partners from the Azores:
https://zoom.us/j/96649774704?pwd=6tw4lweYZTjR8qAdbcYRvRWPKKaP92.1
- 12/03/26 (10:00 local time), partners from the Canary Islands:
https://zoom.us/j/97782780218?pwd=aGjLNGbMdBbvnxoTVIDrv42r9G8DUu.1
- 16/03/26 (10:00 local time), partners from Madeira:
https://zoom.us/j/93387116040?pwd=ZQwFk3bxrKMxwbpoacqBxAV52PxAPr.1
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT EVERYONE INVOLVED IN THE EXPENSE REPORTING PROCESS ATTENDS.
ADVANCE NOTICE OF THE NEXT EXPENSE DECLARATION PERIOD
We would like to inform you of the advance notice of the next mandatory period for declaring your expenses within the framework of approved projects.
All expenses paid from 1 September 2025 to 31 March 2026 must be declared in the month of April (instead of May).
This deadline applies to both the 1st call and the 2nd call (capitalisation) projects.
The decision has been taken by the programme's management and control bodies for strategic reasons with a view to complying with the N+3 rule in 2026.
We will shortly be amending the Financial Management Manual in this regard, which will include other changes that we will detail for you.
CLOSURE OF THE INTERREG MAC 2014-2020 PROGRAMME
The authorities of the INTERREG MAC 2014-2020 programme (Management, Certification and Audit) have submitted the programme closure documents on time, in compliance with the European Commission's guidelines on the closure of programmes for the 2014-2020 period.
The amount certified to the European Commission by the Interreg MAC 2014-2020 programme totalled €129.83 million, representing a financial execution of 91.28% of the total amount of the programme.
A total of 122 projects have been implemented in the two calls for proposals, including the HEXAGONE strategic project.
The strategic axis with the highest number of projects, in line with the financial allocation per axis of the programme, was Axis 1 on R&D&I, where a total of 33 projects were developed. This is followed by Axis 2, focused on improving business competitiveness, with 29 projects, and Axis 4, aimed at environmental protection and efficient use of resources, with 28 projects. Within the framework of Axis 3, aimed at combating climate change and risk prevention and management, 18 projects have been implemented. Finally, a total of 14 projects have been carried out under Axis 5, aimed at improving institutional capacity and the efficiency of public administration.
It is worth noting the high level of participation by entities from African third countries, particularly Cape Verde, which is involved in 76% of the projects, followed by Senegal (38%) and Mauritania (31%). The high degree of transnationality of the projects is also particularly noteworthy: 84% of the projects had partners from African countries in their partnerships.
These results demonstrate the success of the INTERREG MAC 2014-2020 Programme, as well as the excellent work carried out by all those involved, both project managers and programme management bodies, whose coordination and commitment have been fundamental to the achievement of the objectives set.
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION REPORT 1st CALL
Projects approved in the 1st call must report on the physical, administrative and financial implementation of the project through an Annual Implementation Report to be submitted by 31/01/2026.
The task in e-MAC must be carried out by the Lead Partner of each project with the information collected from the entire partnership.
A Guide to correctly completing these Interim Implementation Reports is available in the Documentation section of the website. These reports will assess the effective fulfilment of the objectives, the means used for implementation, the results, final products and indicators achieved compared to those planned, and the destination of the financial resources.
The information collected in the project implementation reports is essential for preparing the reports that the programme must submit to the European Commission.
118 PROJECTS SUBMITTED TO THE 3rd CALL FOR PROPOSALS
A total of 118 projects have been submitted to the 3rd call for projects under the Interreg MAC programme, requesting more than 272 million euros of ERDF funding (more than 5 times more than the available funding).
A total of 426 different entities participate in the projects, 270 from the European part of the cooperation area (MAC) and 156 entities from the 7 African partner countries.
| Nº entities* | Nº projects | |
| Madeira | 45 | 100 |
| Azores | 54 | 86 |
| Canary Islands | 171 | 115 |
| Cape Verde | 41 | 101 |
| Ivory Coast | 17 | 35 |
| Gambia | 12 | 16 |
| Ghana | 15 | 30 |
| Mauritania | 28 | 40 |
| Senegal | 30 | 58 |
| St. Tomé and Príncipe | 13 | 28 |
| Total | 426 | 118 |
| Entities without duplicates and without associated participants | ||
The majority of the 118 projects were submitted under Priority 1 SMART MAC (49%), followed by Priority 2 GREEN MAC (47%) and finally Priority 4 MOBILITY MAC (4%).
| PRIORITY | Nº projects presented | FEDER available | FEDER requested | % requested vs available |
| P1 – Smart MAC | 58 | 25.456.916 | 136.969.376 | 538% |
| P2 – Green MAC | 55 | 24.712.535 | 128.355.930 | 519% |
| P4 – Mobility MAC | 5 | 3.089.579 | 6.819.559 | 221% |
| TOTAL | 118 | 53.259.030 | 272.144.866 | 511% |
The average budget for the projects submitted is €2.7 million, and the average number of partners per project is 11 entities.The admissibility criteria of the projects submitted are being analysed. Those that are
admissible will proceed to the evaluation phase and those that do not meet any of the
admissibility conditions will be excluded. The Lead Partners will be informed accordingly.
CHANGES TO ELIGIBILITY RULES AND FINANCIAL TECHNICAL DATA SHEETS
We hereby inform you that the Monitoring Committee has approved changes to the Eligibility Rules and Financial Technical Data Sheets 1 (Personnel expenses) and 4 (Expenses for external services and advice):
- ELIGIBILITY RULES: Section 13.2.1.
- TECHNICAL DATA SHEET 1: Section 4.2.1.
- TECHNICAL DATA SHEET 4: Section 5.
The new versions of these documents (version 4) have been published with the changes marked in blue in the sections indicated.
HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE NEW EU’S OUTERMOST REGIONS STRATEGY
The European Commission has launched a call for evidence to gather input on the upcoming strategy designed to help the outermost regions benefit more fully from EU policies, funds and programmes.
Purpose: To align the strategy with new political priorities, boost prosperity, address the specific needs of the outermost regions, and unlock their unique potential as the EU’s gateways to the world.
We look forward to your feedback! Strategy for the EU’s outermost regions
Deadline: 15 December 2025
2nd CALL (CAPITALISATION): PRESENTATION AND RECORDING OF THE ONLINE SEMINAR ON THE START-UP OF APPROVED PROJECTS NOW AVAILABLE
You can download the presentation of the online Seminar on the start-up of the 16 approved projects, held online on 29 October 2025, in the section Calls / 2nd Call Capitalisation / Seminar on the start-up of approved projects:
You can access the recording of the webinar on the programme's YouTube channel:
YouTube Link: https://youtu.be/4RtNX9tC3JA