DThe Partnership Agreement analyses, based on EU, national and regional strategic documents, the current socio-economic situation of the Czech Republic, local disparities, development needs and the potential. It defines priorities and expected results for the entire programming period. This analysis is a key indicator where aid from ESI Funds will be directed. The Partnership Agreement includes, inter alia, the basic implementing measures or a description of integrated approaches. An integral part of the document is an annex for the fulfilment of ex ante conditionalities, which is a set of measures that must be met in order for the Czech Republic to draw funds from the ESI Funds.
Due to its nature of an umbrella strategic document for the programming period 2014–2020, the Partnership Agreement is determinative and its content is binding upon individual programming documents. It is hierarchically superior to these documents and the orientation and contents of programmes are based on it. However, the Partnership Agreement does not include detailed information about the programmes, it is more general. Specific matters related to the future functioning of individual programme will be included in the actual programming documents.
The Partnership Agreement was finally approved by the European Commission on 26 August 2014, thereby completing a nearly three-year process of negotiations about this document.
Under the leadership of the MoRD, the Partnership Agreement was prepared in a broad partnership, which included representatives of the European Commission, other ministries, regional and local governments, employers' and employees' unions, the non-profit sector, the academia and many others. The Partnership Agreement is therefore a document based on a broad consensus of all stakeholders in the CR. The MoRD put maximum emphasis on this aspect throughout the preparation process. The MoRD aimed to draw up a key strategic document in a form all involved partners in the CR can identify themselves with. Only such a document can be a quality cornerstone for successful drawing of funds from ESI Funds in the programming period 2014–2020.