Interpreting At The 3rd Meeting Of The Monitoring Committee For The Ionian Islands Regional Operational Programme (Rop)

BRIEF PRESENTATION

The event was organised by the Ionian Islands Region which is participating in the 2014-2020 NSRF via the Ionian Islands Regional Operational Programme. As part of the programme, a series of projects and interventions have been planned to improve the region. These interventions relate to key sectors of society and the economy such as health, education, tourism development, etc. The meeting we attended was convened in November 2017 to evaluate progress in implementing the Ionian Islands ROP.

THE MEETING

Since NSRF actions are financed by European funds, European Commission officials are charged with evaluating and auditing the programmes. At the meeting we attended, the European Commission was represented by an expert from DG Employment.

The other bodies participating included:

  • Ionian Islands Region
  • ROP Monitoring Committee
  • NSRF Management Board
  • Various Directorates General from Ministries (via their representatives)
  • Mayors from the Ionian Islands Region, etc.

TOPICS DISCUSSED

The topics were highly specialised and technocratic in nature. The issues discussed included:

  • Ascertaining a quorum and approval of agenda
  • Approval of the minutes of the last meeting
  • Statement by Chairman of the Monitoring Committee
  • Presentation of progress in implementing the ROP overall and briefing about achievement of annual targets
  • Evaluation of progress in implementing each individual action separately
  • Approval of new actions for inclusion in the ROP
  • Briefing about the progress of Integrated Spatial Investments
  • Approval of new spatial strategies for inclusion in the ROP
  • Briefing about revision of the ROP as part of technical adjustments being made
  • Briefing about progress in implementing the Programme’s Information and Communication Strategy
  • Results of on-the-spot checks and inspections
  • Evaluation of absorption of funds and achievement of expenditure targets
  • Update on the 1st Progress Report
  • Information about state aid, etc.

THE INTERPRETING

I was commissioned to provide interpreting by Your Interpreter, an agency run by my colleague Zoe Resta. We worked together since it was a long discussion and two interpreters were needed.

During our preparations we examined the materials provided by the rapporteurs to us beforehand, the financial data from the ROP, the project progress reports and the relevant decisions of the Monitoring Committee and the Managing Authority. We then extracted the technical terminology and prepared glossaries not only with the terms but also with the plethora of abbreviations which dominate this technocratic field.

At the meeting we provided mainly whispered interpreting (chuchotage) from Greek to English to an expert from DG Employment who was representing the European Commission. We agreed with my colleague that the interpreter should be alternated every half hour. The expert from DG Employment also gave a presentation in English in the second part of the meeting. Consecutive interpreting was provided into Greek for the other delegates.

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