The issue of impartiality of voivodeship board members involved in the implementation of the European Union funds within the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-27

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to consider the standard of impartiality promoted by the European Commission regarding the implementation of European Union funds and expressed in particular in identifying and excluding conflicts of interest in terms of the issue of its adequacy at the level of regional programmes in Poland. We attempted to answer the horizontal question of whether and what legal problems are raised by potential inadequacy in this respect and how they can be constructively counteracted. In our study we primarily used the dogmatic-legal method. The findings of our research show that in some situations, the “zealous” implementation of EU standards of impartiality may result in unexpected legal issues, such as in the situation related to the declarations of members of voivodeship boards who are managing authorities of regional programmes. The value of the study lies in its critical and at the same time constructive approach towards the issue of counteracting a possible conflict of interest through declarations of interest by members of voivodeship boards (as the managing institution of the regional programmes financed with EU funds) during the period of the real start of implementation of EU funds by Polish regions in the financial perspective 2021-27.