Can the Partnership Agreement (PA) be signed before approval of the action? May the applicant and partners introduce/delete certain provisions? If so, should it be sent to the Joint Managing Authority for verification/approval?

According to Guidelines for Grant Applicants 2.1.1.1. and 2.5.1.2.

Yes, the PA can be concluded earlier than after approval of the action, although this is not a requirement.

The Programme provides a template of the Partnership Agreement, to which the applicant and partners may introduce changes at their discretion.

The Partnership Agreement has to be sent to the Joint Technical Secretariat after approval of the action before signing the grant contract. Neither the Joint Managing Authority, nor the Joint Technical Secretariat will act as a signing party of the PA.

The signed PA should be presented to JTS before signing Grant Contract.