Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to your most frequently asked questions. The FAQ related to the project application are updated for the Second Call for Proposals. The last four categories of the FAQs are tackling the project implementation issues like: eligibility, public procurement, validation of expenditure and audit as well as reporting.
Please note: We are constantly adding new Q&As based on your questions. The level of detail of the answers is limited to an easily digestible quantity. For more detailed information please see the Operational Programme, Implementation Manual or the Application Manual Second Call (available in this section).
To see the answers simply click on the question that interests you. To see all answers click "Show all", to get back to the questions click "Hide all".
General programme information
What is the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme?-
CENTRAL EUROPE is a European Union initiative that promotes innovation, competitiveness, accessibility and the environment in Central Europe. It is financed by the European Regional Development Fund and runs from 2007 to 2013. The Programme invests € 231 million ERDF to support trans-national cooperation projects fostering sustainable growth in the Programme area.
Category: General programme information
- What is the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme area?
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The CENTRAL EUROPE cooperation area comprises the territory, or parts of the territory, of eight EU Member States: Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and the western regions of Ukraine.
Ukraine is member of the Monitoring Committee and can particpate in the programme with national financial contribution. Availability of ENPI funds for the western regions of Ukraine being part of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme area will be announced in due time after confirmation by the European Commission. (see also: Can project partners from Ukraine receive ERDF funding?)
Countries and regions participating in the CENTRAL EUROPE ProgrammeAustria: The whole country
Czech Republic: The whole country
Germany: Baden-Württemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen
Hungary: The whole country
Italy: Piemonte, Valle d'Aosta/Vallée d'Aoste, Liguria, Lombardia, Provincia Autonoma Bolzano/Bozen, Provincia Autonoma Trento, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Emilia-Romagna
Poland: The whole country
Slovak Republic: The whole country
Slovenia: The whole country
Ukraine: Volyn, Lviv, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, ChernivtsiCategory: General programme information
- What is the Programme’s main aim and objective?
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The CENTRAL EUROPE Programme’s 2007-2013 overall programme goal is: Strengthening territorial cohesion, promoting internal integration and enhancing the competitiveness of CENTRAL EUROPE. The overall programme goal will be pursued with the following strategic approach:
1. Improving competitiveness of CENTRAL EUROPE by strengthening innovation and accessibility structures.
2. Improving territorial development in a balanced and sustainable way by enhancing the quality of the environment and developing attractive cities and regions.
Taking the new directions of the European Union’s territorial cohesion policy into account the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme should aim at an even more focused and result-oriented approach and specifically contribute to reaching the Lisbon and Gothenburg objectives.
Category: General programme information
- What is the Programme budget?
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The total Programme budget is 298 Mio Euro out of which 246 Mio Euro Community funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). 231 Mio Euro ERDF is devoted to successful cooperation projects. The rest is used for Technical Assistance, that is programme management and services to project promoters.
Category: General programme information
- How much ERDF funds does the Programme plan to allocate to each of its priorities?
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The funding (ERDF-budget) breakdown per priority is as follows:
Priority 1 - Facilitating innovation across Europe: 49,2 Mio Euro
Priority 2 - Improving accessibility of and with CENTRAL EUROPE: 63,9 Mio Euro
Priority 3 – Using our environment responsibly: 63,9 Mio Euro
Priority 4 – Enhancing competitiveness and attractiveness of cities and regions: 54,1 Mio Euro
Category: General programme information
- How much ERDF have been allocated in the 1st Call?
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In the First Call about 67 Mio Euro ERDF have been allocated to approved projects.
Category: General programme information
- How much ERDF will be available for the 2nd Call?
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In the Second Call around 70 Mio Euro ERDF will be made available for funding good quality projects.
Category: General programme information
- How is the Programme managed?
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The Programme is managed by a structure comprising institutions at the European, national and regional levels. Main decision-making body is the “Monitoring Committee”, which is composed of representatives of the Programme's Member States. As Managing Authority the Department for EU Strategy and Economic Development of the City of Vienna is responsible for the operational management of the programme. It is supported by a Joint Technical Secretariat, an international bureau that is also located in Vienna, and a network of Contact Points, that are located in the Member States.
For more information and contact details see www.central2013.eu/working-with-central/about-central.html and www.central2013.eu/top-menu/contact.html
Category: General programme information
- Whom can I contact for information on the Programme and project proposal development?
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Project promoters seeking guidance in their project development are invited to contact the Joint Technical Secretariat in Vienna or their respective national Contact Points (CPs). The Joint Technical Secretariat and Contact Points regularly organise information and partner search events, which are announced on the CENTRAL EUROPE homepage and in mailings to the CENTRAL EUROPE user community.
The CPs should be addressed for general information on the Programme, the calls for proposals, partner search and national requirements.
The JTS should be addressed for detailed and specific information.
For contact details: www.central2013.eu/top-menu/contact.html
Category: General programme information
- What is the timeline for the 2nd Call?
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The 2nd Call for proposals has been opened on 7 January 2009 and will close on 18 March 2009.
Category: General programme information
Thematic focus/project requirements
- What are the thematic Programme Priorities?
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Priority 1 – Facilitating Innovation across CENTRAL EUROPE – will improve the framework conditions for innovation and build up the capabilities to transfer and apply innovation. In this light, knowledge-development will be strengthened.
Priority 2 – Improving Accessibility of and within CENTRAL EUROPE – will improve the interconnectivity and intermodality of transport across the cooperation area. It will support multimodal logistics cooperation in all relevant transnational fields. Sustainable and safe mobility will be promoted and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will be used for enhancing access. It will help to ensure accessibility also for sparsely populated areas and to find further alternative solutions for enhancing access.
Priority 3 – Using our Environment Responsibly – develops a high quality environment by managing natural resources and heritage, by reducing risks and impacts of natural and man-made hazards. This Priority will support the use of renewable energy sources and increase energy efficiency throughout the cooperation area. The use of environmentally friendly technologies and activities will be strengthened.
Priority 4 – Enhancing Competitiveness and Attractiveness of Cities and Regions – will promote polycentric settlement structures and will address the effects of demographic and social change on urban and regional development. The capitalisation on cultural resources will contribute to achieve more attractive cities and regions.
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- What are the "Areas of Intervention"?
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The 4 thematic Priorities are subdivided in 14 Areas of Intervention.
Priority 1: Facilitating Innovation across Central Europe:
P1.1 Enhancing Framework Conditions for Innovation
P1.2 Establishing Capabilities for the Diffusion and Application of Innovation
P1.3 Fostering Knowledge Development
Priority 2: Improving Accessibility of and within Central Europe
P2.1 Improving Central Europe’s Interconnectivity
P2.2 Developing Multimodal Logistics’ Cooperation
P2.3 Promoting Sustainable and Safe Mobility
P2.4 Promoting Information and Communication Technologies and Alternative Solutions for Enhancing Access
Priority 3: Using our Environment Responsibly
P3.1 Developing a High Quality Environment by Managing and Protecting Natural Resources and Heritage
P3.2 Reducing Risks and Impacts of Natural and Man-made Hazards
P3.3 Supporting the Use of Renewable Energy Sources and Increasing Energy Efficiency
P3.4 Supporting Environmentally Friendly Technologies and Activities
Priority 4: Enhancing Competitiveness and Attractiveness of Cities and Regions
P4.1 Developing Polycentric Settlement Structures and Territorial Cooperation
P4.2 Addressing the Territorial Effects of Demographic and Social Change on Urban and Regional Development
P.4.3 Capitalising on Cultural Resources for More Attractive Cities and Regions
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- What, if a project addresses several Priorities or Areas of Intervention?
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In order to be eligible each project has to select one Priority and one Area of Intervention that best describes the main thematic focus of the project. In addition a project can indicate up to three further Areas of Intervention (belonging to the same priority or a different one).
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- What is the recommended project duration?
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The recommended duration is 30-36 months. However projects with a higher intensity of cooperation or with larger financial resources may require a longer period of implementation and could last up to 48 months.
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- What is a strategic project?
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Calls for strategic projects are planned. Specific information will be provided for these calls.
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- What kind of investments can be implemented within a project?
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There are two major pathways to investment in the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme:
– Pre-investment refers to the preparation of investments (Type of Action “Investments Preparation”) later to be funded through complementary sources such as Objective 1 and 2, EIB or national sources. This can, for example, include the involvement of the decision-making authorities and the general public in order to reach decisions and the elaboration of documents necessary to assess the feasibility of such investments in economic, legal and environmental terms.
- All pre-investment projects must create relevant links to relevant funding sources already during project development and maintain/intensify links during project implementation. Representatives of relevant funding institutions need to be included in the partnership or form a key aspect of the project. Pre-investment projects not showing credible links to complementary funding sources will not be financed.
– Pilot investments (Type of Action “Pilot Action”) demonstrate the viability and effectiveness of an investment in order to pave the way for subsequent investments at a larger scale. The results of the pilot investment should be transferable and the transfer of results should form part of the project. Pilot investments can be undertaken in several partner regions or, in well-justified cases, only a few or just one location.
All investments (both pre-investments and pilots) have to show a clear transnational added value and have to fulfill at least two of the following criteria:
– form part or be the result of transnational project cooperation
– have a transnational effect
– create a physical link or a functional connection between regions, and/or
– have a demonstrating/model or pilot character being jointly strived for and evaluated by the partners.
Please note that in case the proposed investment does not meet the aforementioned requirement the investment will not be eligible and its costs will be taken out from the project budget.
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- What is a “Type of Action”?
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Specific Types of Action differ in terms of activities, outputs and results. The Types of Action chosen characterize a project and demonstrate how and which kind of actual implementation will be achieved. Each project will have to select at least one Type of Action and specify the Core outputs generated through these action(s). A definition of Core outputs is provided under the question “What is the difference between an output and a Core output?"
The Programme has pre-defined five Types of Action:
- Joint strategy + Action plan development
- Transnational Tool development
- Joint management establishment
- Investment preparation
- Pilot actions (including investments)
In well justified cases, applicants may develop another (implementation-oriented) Type of Action.
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- How many Types of Action can be addressed by a project?
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Each project has to select at least one Type of Action in the Application Form and specify the Core outputs generated through these action(s). A definition of Core outputs is provided under the question “What is the difference between an output and a Core output?
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- How shall the project activities be structured?
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The project can foresee up to 7 Work Packages (WP), 3 of which are predefined by the Programme:
WP0 = Project Preparation (not compulsory)
WP1 = Project management and co-ordination comprising 4 pre-defined actions
WP2 = Communication, Knowledge Management and Dissemination comprising 2 pre-defined actions; 2 further actions can be added.
WP3 –WP6 = these WPs and corresponding actions can be defined by the project itself. These WPs have to be split in up to 6 actions each.
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- What is the difference between an output and a Core output?
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An output is the tangible deliverable of the project and refers to the actions carried out. They can be up to 20 per action. It is measured in physical or monetary unit. Examples of outputs (to be quantified) can be: workshops or conferences organised, publications realized, participants etc.
Core outputs are the major outputs produced by the project (0 to 4 per Action; at least one per WP3-6). They are directly used by someone to achieve the intended results. They must be related to the Type(s) of Action chosen. It is advisable to have a few but meaningful number of Core outputs rather than considering all Outputs as Core outputs.
For more information see Application Manual Chapter 4.2.4.
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- What is a communication plan about?
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A communication plan is an important component and necessity of any EU-funded project in order to provide internal and external visibility to the project. Lead Partners of approved projects will be requested to develop a detailed communication plan covering knowledge management, external and internal communication. The communication plan has to be submitted together with the first Progress Report.
A communication plan provides a framework for making sure the project partners share information about their activities and achievements with appropriate audiences on a timely basis and by the most effective means. The quality and competence of communication often makes the difference between a successful or disappointing delivery of a project. Communication planning is not an afterthought but should always be developed in conjunction with the overall plan for any project.
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
- What is a knowledge management strategy about?
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Knowledge management is an important strategic goal of every project. It can be described as the collection/sum up of all strategies and processes designed to identify, capture, structure, and share information to enhance the performance of the project. Please note that there is a strong link between communication and knowledge management. Your communication activities should support your wider knowledge management strategy, for instance by clearly defining your target groups and reaching out to them or by making sure that the knowledge created and/or shared within your project is captured and documented in a clear and easy-to-digest way so that it can disseminated more widely beyond the partnership! It includes at least the objectives, the messages and target audiences, the tools or channels and a work-plan outlining your non-media and media-related communication activities as well as the responsibilities, deliverables and timeframe.
Please see our Tools and Resources section for more detailed information on successful project communication.
Category: Thematic focus/project requirements
Partnership
- What is the minimum number of partners/ countries to be involved in a project?
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The minimum requirements for partnership are as follows:
- at least three financing partners
- from at least three countries and
- being at least two of the partners located in an EU region of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme area.
Project partners should financially contribute to the project. Associated Institutions (as described in the answer to the question “Can the partnership comprise also associated institutions or partners with an observer status?”) are not considered to be part of the partnership.
Category: Partnership
- Who can be a project partner?
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1) National, regional and local public authorities, such as ministries, regional governments, provinces, municipalities as well as their departments;
2) Public equivalent bodies, such as regional development associations, innovation and development agencies and foundations.
3) Private institutions including private companies.
4) International organisations can also qualify as eligible partners fulfilling certain requirement. For further details see Application Manual Chapter 3.1.1.
Category: Partnership
- What is the definition of a public equivalent body?
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Public Equivalent Bodies, such as regional development associations, innovation and development agencies and foundations means any body that – according to the definition provided in Article 1(9) of Directive 2004/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on public procurement:
- is established under public or private law for the specific purpose of meeting needs of general interest, not having an industrial or commercial character;
- has a legal personality; and
- is financed for the most part by the State, or regional or local authorities, or other bodies governed by public law, or subject to management supervision by those bodies, or having an administrative, managerial or supervisory board, more than half of whose members are appointed by the State, regional or local authorities or by other bodies governed by public law.
(Based on the definition in Article 1(9) of Directive 2004/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 31 March 2004 on public procurement.)
Category: Partnership
- Can private institutions be project partners?
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Private institutions including companies can be project partners and can receive ERDF funding. Private institutions can also act as Lead Partners but only for project proposals submitted under Priority 1.
Private institutions may also participate in projects as subcontractors of public authorities and public equivalent bodies acting as Lead Partner or Project Partner.
Category: Partnership
- Can international organisations participate as project partner?
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There are two types of international organisations:
(1) International Organisations acting under national law of any EU CENTRAL EUROPE Member State. Such institutions can participate as project partners and be also Lead Partner
(2) International Organisations acting under international law: These organisations can only participate as Project Partner upon explicit acceptance and fulfilling all the requirements deriving from the Treaty and the Council and the Commission Regulations applicable in the framework of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme, including but not limited to the list provided in Chapter 3.1.1 of the Application Manual.
Category: Partnership
- Can partners from non EU-countries participate in a project?
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Project Partners located in any Third Countries can participate with their own funds.
Partners located in those countries benefiting from ENPI or IPA funds can check at national level whether specific funds are available to participate in transnational/CENTRAL EUROPE Programme. Please also see question "Are activities implemented outside the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme area eligible?"
Category: Partnership
- Who can be an Assimilated Partner?
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Partners from Italian or German regions located outside of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme area can participate as Assimilated Partners and receive ERDF funding provided that they:
- are NATIONAL public or public equivalent body
- are competent in their scope of action for certain parts of the eligible area but are located outside of it
- implement all core thematic activities in the EU CENTRAL EUROPE Programme area
The detailed requirements for Assimilated Partners and their activities can be found in Chapter 3.1.5 and 3.1.6 of the Application Manual.
Category: Partnership
- Which institution can be considered as an Associated Institution?
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Institutions without financial contribution to the project can be involved as Associated Institutions. Please note that these bodies are not part of the partnership per se, and thus, do not count for the fulfillment of the minimum partnership requirements.
The involvement of Associated institutions must not enter in conflict with public procurement rules: their expenditure incurred should be in principle limited to the reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs related to the participation in project meetings and finally borne by any of the partners (Lead Partner or Project Partner) in order to be considered as eligible.
Therefore, potential External Experts should not be listed as Associated Institutions.
Category: Partnership
- Who can act as Lead Partner?
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The Lead Partner must be located in an EU region of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme area. The following bodies can act as Lead Partner:
- public authorities, that is national, regional and local public authorities, such as ministries, regional governments, provinces, municipalities as well as their departments
- public equivalent bodies (see the specific question “What is the definition of a public equivalent body?”)
- international organizations acting under the national law;
- private institutions but only for project proposals submitted under Priority 1
Category: Partnership
- What is a balanced partnership?
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Partners involved should be suitable to produce the planned outputs and to achieve the envisaged results. The partnership must be competent to develop, implement and disseminate jointly elaborated approaches and tools. Depending on the project goals this can imply the involvement of national, regional and local authorities as well as other players such as research institutions, intermediate bodies, agencies, industry and others.
Category: Partnership
- What is the recommended size of a partnership?
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Even if larger partnerships will not be excluded, the recommended size of a partnership is 8 up to 12 partners.
Category: Partnership
Budget
- Which ERDF co-financing rates will be applied?
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Different rates of ERDF assistance will be granted in the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme depending on the Member State where the institution participating in a project is located, its legal and economic profile and the nature of the activities to be developed:
- Partners from AT, IT, DE: rate of assistance up to 75%
- Partners from HU, CZ, PL, SI, SK: rate of assistance up to 85%
- EU Partners located outside the EU CENTRAL EUROPE AREA : up to 75%
Please note that the ERDF contribution to eligible expenditures incurred by any partner, be it public or private, carrying out project activities falling under the scope of the State aid discipline will be limited to the thresholds set by the de minimis rule. In the absence of any other public funding source, the ERDF granted under the de minimis will cover up to 85% or 75% of the eligible expenditure according to the location of the partner. Nevertheless, if partners receive additional public funding (e.g., national co-financing schemes at central level) this will be accounted for as aid granted under the de minimis rule and, as a consequence, the maximum amount of ERDF that can be received is automatically lower. This limitation does not apply to international organization of any kind.
Category: Budget
- What is the minimum/maximum project budget?
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Typical projects within the framework of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme should have a total budget ranging from 1 through to 5 million EUR. In exceptional cases, smaller or larger projects can also be funded.
Partners should ensure that the financial size of the project truly reflects the activities foreseen in the work plan and that it is based on the principles of sound financial management.
Category: Budget
- What is the national co-financing and how does it have to be proved?
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The national co-financing is the own contribution which each project partner provides in order to finance the share of expenditure not covered by ERDF. This amount has to be confirmed in the duly signed, dated and stamped Declaration that additionally contains the declaration on administrative and financial capacity and legal status.
There are two types of co-financing:
a) Public co-financing is public funding at central, regional or local level, obtained via specific co-financing schemes set up by the Member States or provided directly by the partners with own funds. Co-financing from public equivalent bodies is also considered as public co-financing. Likewise, match funding of international organizations falls under this category.
b) Private co-financing refers to the amount of own funds provided as match funding by private institutions or by bodies constituted under public law but not fulfilling all requirements to be considered as a public equivalent body.
Category: Budget
- What is ENPI and IPA funding?
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ENPI (European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument) and IPA (the Instrument for Pre-Accession) are financing instruments instituted by the European Union in order to respectively promote enhanced cooperation and economic integration with neighboring countries and assist pre-accession countries with a view to membership.
The countries covered by ENPI are: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Russia, Syria, Tunisia, and Ukraine.
The countries covered by IPA are: Croatia, Turkey, Former Yugoslav Republic Macedonia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo under UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
Project Partners wishing to receive funding from these instruments have to directly address the respective bodies in their country.
Category: Budget
- What is the 10% Flexibility Rule?
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In accordance with Article 21.3 of the ERDF Regulation, the ERDF may finance expenditure incurred in implementing projects or parts of projects on the territory outside the European Community up to a limit of 10% of the amount of its contribution to the Operational Programme (10% flexibility rule), where they are for the benefit of the regions of the Community. However, in the case of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme funds allocated to a single project under this rule may also not exceed 10% of the total ERDF contribution to this project. This flexibility option can be used for implementing activities in any Third Country under the condition that the benefit for the CENTRAL EUROPE area of activities to be implemented in Third Countries is clearly demonstrated in the project proposal.
Funds allocated under this 10% flexibility rule shall be spent under responsibility of a Lead Partner or project Partner located in the EU CENTRAL EUROPE cooperation area (or assimilated to it) in order to ensure proper financial control. The use of 10% flexibility rule must be described in the Application Form and approved by the Monitoring Committee.
Category: Budget
- Who is to be considered as end user / controlled institution in the State Aid Self-Declaration Annex?
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The notion of "controlled institution" in this context refers exclusively to the delegation of the implementation of the project or parts of the project to an institution fully owned by the applicant. In the event of project approval, this controlled institution will be the one using the ERDF funds (i.e., it will be the "end user") instead of the partner itself. In most cases this will refer to public authorities delegating tasks by means of an in-house subcontracting procedure (i.e., without the need of tendering) to one of its controlled bodies. This excludes other cases such as external experts which will be paid by the partner but are neither owned nor controlled by it. In this respect, applicants already at this stage must mainly pay attention to the effective existence of the requirements needed in order to proceed with an in-house subcontracting.
Category: Budget
- Are preparation costs eligible?
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Preparation costs can only be eligible for those projects finally approved for funding. These costs must relate exclusively to preparation activities carried out between 1 January 2007 and the date on which the Application Form has been submitted. Payment of these costs can nevertheless intervene in part or in full after the submission deadline. The eligible preparation costs are subject to a ceiling of EUR 20,000. Please note that eligibility rules also apply to these costs; in particular, selection of external service providers (e.g., external experts assisting the partners in preparing the project proposal) must be made on the basis of a regular awarding system.
Category: Budget
- As from when expenditures for project implementation are eligible?
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Expenditures related to the project implementation are eligible from the start date until the end date of the project duration. At the earliest, costs are eligible as from the day after the submission of the Application Form, provided that this day is the official start date of the operation. On this basis, partners may decide at their own risk to start the implementation phase before the operation is finally selected for granting.
Category: Budget
- Are expenditures after the end date of the project duration eligible?
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Expenditures related to project closure (e.g., preparation of final reports and, where applicable, related audit costs) are eligible until the deadline for submission of final reports that will be set in the Subsidy Contract.
Category: Budget
- Who are the responsible national First Level Control institutions?
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The list of the responsible First Level Control (FCL) bodies nominated by the Member States is available at the country-specific information section of the Programme website www.central2013.eu
Category: Budget
- Is VAT considered to be eligible expenditure
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VAT does not constitute eligible expenditure unless it is genuinely and definitively borne by the partner. VAT which is recoverable by whatever means cannot be considered as eligible even it is not actually recovered by the partner.
Category: Budget
- Are expenditures for housing eligible?
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Expenditure related to housing is eligible if in line with the general requirements set in Article 7 of Regulation 1080/2006 and the detailed specifications provided by Article 47 of Regulation 1828/2006. Please note nevertheless that any intervention in the field of housing in the framework of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme should be limited to pilot actions having a demonstrative effect and being the result of a cooperation process among the partners involved.
Category: Budget
- Are expenditures for the acquisition of land eligible?
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Acquisition of land is not eligible.
Category: Budget
- Are in-kind contributions eligible?
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In-kind contributions shall be eligible expenditure if they fulfil the following conditions:
- they are eligible according to national eligibility rules;
- they consist of the provision of land or real state, equipment or raw materials, research or professional work or unpaid voluntary work and their value can be independently assessed and audited. In the framework of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme, the provision of services between partners (e.g., estimation of costs for making available own premises for holding meetings and events) is not eligible;
- they are below 5% of the total partner’s budget and do not exceed 5.000€.
Category: Budget
- What, if a project will generate revenues?
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Revenues are earnings made through the sales of products and merchandise, from tuition fees for conferences and, in general, by any provision of services against payment. When it is expected that a project proposal will generate revenue, the amount of this must be deducted from the eligible costs in full or pro-rata depending on whether it was generated entirely or only partly by the co-financed operation.
A specification of revenues is not requested at the application stage. Revenues will be subject to control during the process of certification of expenditure. Specific attention will be provided to those cases where the approved proposals foresee the realisation of investments.
Category: Budget
- What kind of investment is eligible?
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The CENTRAL EUROPE Programme cannot be considered an investment Programme in traditional terms. Projects can prepare investments later to be funded through other sources (pre-investment) or implement pilot investments in the framework of pilot actions. Both pre-investments and pilots have to show a clear transnational added value.
In order to be eligible, all investments have to fulfil at least two of the following criteria:
- Form part or be the result of transnational project cooperation,
- Have a transnational effect,
- Create a physical link or a functional connection between regions (independently of the neighbouring position of these regions) or/and
- Have a demonstrating/model or pilot character being jointly strived for and evaluated by the partners; the results of this ‘pilot investment’ should be transferable, a transnational transfer of results should form part of the project.
For further details please refer to the Application Manual, Chapter 4.3
Category: Budget
- Are Common Costs allowed?
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In the framework of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme the practice of splitting cost items among the partners (i.e., sharing common costs) should be avoided.
When building the operation’s budget, partners should aim at defining a fair distribution of these activities and their related costs among the entire partnership instead of having them concentrated, also financially, under the responsibility of one single partner.
In the event that common costs cannot be avoided, partners are invited to receive from their controllers (FLC) the acceptance on the principle of sharing costs among them before submitting the project proposal. If positive confirmation is received, the division of costs should be made according to a transparent, fair and equitable method agreed between the partners that will be later clearly laid down in the Partnership Agreement. In these cases, when preparing the operation’s budget, and if costs related to any activity are to be split among partners, please bear in mind that each partner’s budget should already include the envisaged share of these costs.
Category: Budget
- When do the rules on competition and public procurement have to be respected?
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The purchase of goods and services, as well as the ordering of public works, by public services or other public bodies, is subject to national, Community and international rules. The procurement rules aim at securing transparent and fair conditions for competing on the common market and should be followed by the project partners when commissioning the above services, works or deliveries.
Please note that, even if the value of the purchase doesn’t exceed the thresholds, the purchaser must take into account the general principles of sound financial management laid down in the EC Treaty and ensure the adequate transparency and equal treatment when purchasing goods and/or services. Whichever rules (EC, national or statutory) are more stringent must be applied.
In the framework of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme, rules on public procurement are of mandatory respect also by private bodies and international organisations. For more details please refer toApplication Manual Chapter 4.6 and also see the FAQs devoted to implementation.
Category: Budget
- Which costs shall be allocated to the “Equipment” budget line?
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The “Equipment” budget line refers to the purchase of IT equipment – including software – needed for office purposes and necessary for successfully running the project. Where strictly necessary, office furniture is considered as eligible expenditure and should also be charged to this budget line.
Being depreciable assets, their full cost can only be charged to the project’s budget if the period going from the date of purchase to the end date of the project is longer than the normal depreciation period for each type of equipment. Otherwise, only the portion of the equipment’s depreciation corresponding to the rate of actual use for the purpose of the project may be taken into account. For this reason, partners are advised to purchase any needed equipment in the start-up phase and, in any case, well before project closure.
For further information, please see Application Manual Chapter 4.3.2
Category: Budget
- Which costs shall be allocated to the “Investments” budget line?
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In budgetary terms, only costs clearly linked to Pilot Actions corresponding to the investment category shall be allocated in this budget line. These costs include:
• Costs related to financing infrastructure works;
• Costs related to the purchase of equipment which is not of office use and thus does not fall within the scope of the equipment budget line. This equipment may be either linked or independent from the infrastructure and construction works themselves;
• Costs related to the purchase of any good, which is neither IT equipment nor is of office use (e.g., information panels).
Costs for infrastructure and works may refer either to an investment that will be set up ex-novo or to adaptation of an already existing infrastructure. Whatever the case, these costs are only eligible if referring to pilot actions having a demonstrative effect.
For further information, please see Application Manual Chapter 4.3.2
Category: Budget
- How to build the spending forecast?
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When building their spending forecasts, partners should take into consideration the following elements:
- The reporting periods run on a six-monthly basis;
- The spending forecast should be an estimation of the actual payments to be done in each reporting period. Therefore, it only partly reflects the activities taking place in a certain period. Indeed, if an activity is carried out close to the end of a reporting period, the related payment may only be possible in the following period and the costs should therefore be budgeted only in the following reporting period.
Please note that spending forecasts will be subject to analysis during the assessment process as well. In particular, artificial splitting of total costs evenly throughout the project duration will be negatively evaluated due to its negative effect on the decommitment calculations on Programme level.
With regard to the decommitment calculation please refer to the CENTRAL EUROPE Implementation Manual.
Category: Budget
Project Application Evaluation Procedure
- When will the first projects be approved?
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The approval for project submitted under the 2nd Call depends on the amount of project proposals actually received and is scheduled for summer/autumn 2009.
Projects that have been approved for funding might receive additional conditions to be fulfilled deriving from the results of the quality assessment.
Only after the fulfillment of these conditions and additional administrative requirements the negotiation process can be finalized with the signature of the Subsidy Contract.
Category: Project Evaluation Procedure
- Can the Application Form and Annexes be submited in national language?
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Since the Programme language is English, all documents have to be provided in English.
Category: Project Evaluation Procedure
- How to submit the project application?
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The Application Form and its Annexes has to be sent by normal post/courier or directly delivered by hand on the date of deadline at the latest (date of the post mark) to the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme Joint Technical Secretariat. In both cases the envelope must include the hard copy of all necessary documents and a CD-Rom or any other electronic support where the electronic version of the Application Form, the map with the location of partners and, in case of private Lead applicant under Priority 1, the Simplified Financial Statement document are saved. Submission via e-mail is not accepted.
The hard copy version of the Application Form is considered to be the official application.
Category: Project Evaluation Procedure
- Will there be additional checks for private Lead Applicants?
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For private Lead Applicants in Priority 1 the financial capacity check will be performed on the base of the Simplified Financial Statement and using the financial rates as described in Chapter 5.2.2 of the Application Manual Second Call.
Category: Project Evaluation Procedure
- What are the criteria for the technical and financial assesment?
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For the evaluation of project proposals 5 criteria have been set up:
- Relevance
- Partnership technical and operational capacity
- Implementation and Methodology
- Quality of the outputs and sustainability of the achieved results
- Budget and cost effectiveness
Category: Project Evaluation Procedure
Project implementation - eligibility
- Is expenditure incurred outside the CE area and within the EU territory eligible?
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For projects approved within the 1st call, expenditure incurred outside the CENTRAL EUROPE area and within the EU territory is eligible only if specified in the approved Application Form and if definitively paid and borne by project partners (including assimilated partners from Germany and Italy).
Category: Project Implementation
- Is expenditure incurred in third Countries eligible?
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Expenditure incurred in third Countries is eligible only if specified in the approved Application Form and if definitively paid and borne by project partners (including assimilated partners from Germany and Italy). It has to be noted that for this expenditure it applies the so called “10% flexibility rule” as mentioned in § 3.1.6 of the Application Manual.
Category: Project Implementation
- What is the difference between an assimilated partner and an associated institution under the financial point of view?
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An assimilated partner, that is a national public or public equivalent body located outside of the CENTRAL EUROPE eligible area but is competent in its scope of action for certain parts of the eligible area (e.g., ministries), are to be considered as fully eligible and therefore the same financial rules foreseen within CENTRAL EUROPE apply to them. Assimilated partners can be found only in Germany and Italy.
An associated institution, that is a body involved with an observer status without financially contributing to the project, has no financial obligation. In order to be considered as eligible, expenditure incurred by these bodies shall be finally borne by any of the institutions acting as financing partner. This expenditure should be in principle limited to reimbursement of travel and accommodation costs related to their participation in project meetings. They have to be accounted for by the financing partner under the budget line “External Expertise”, on condition that it is possible according to national eligibility rules and that public procurement rules are strictly applied.
Category: Project Implementation
- Are costs incurred from the approval of the project and the signing of the subsidy contract eligible?
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Expenditure related to the project implementation is eligible from the official project start date until the end date of the project duration. These dates are set in the Application Form and in the Subsidy Contract. At the earliest, costs are eligible as from the day after the submission of the Application Form, provided that this day is the official start date of the project. On this basis, partners may decide at their own risk to start the implementation phase before the project is finally selected for funding.
Category: Project Implementation
- Are there any limits for expert fee rates or overhead costs?
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In principle, no ceilings apply to these costs. However it has to be kept into account the following:
Expert fee rates: normal market rates resulting from public procurement procedures apply according to a sound financial management of public funds.
Overhead costs: must be based on real costs effectively paid out by the beneficiary, which have to be demonstrated with invoices and other probative documents.
Category: Project Implementation
- Is it possible to have increases of salaries for those employees involved in a CENTRAL EUROPE project?
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Salaries of staff employed by the partner(s) must refer to the actual salary rate stated in the regular employment contracts, in line with the national rules of the partners’ country. Given that no unjustified ad-hoc salary increases for project purposes are possible, performance bonuses or other additional payments to employees are only eligible if they are allowed according to national eligibility rules and if they are foreseen in the signed employment contract and in the national or internal regulations.
In case the regular employment contract does not foresee additional payments to the employee, but an additional contract is stipulated, it has to be highlighted that this additional fee cannot be considered as “Staff Cost”. It has to refer to the “External Expertise” budget line. Accordingly, transparent selection and, where applicable, public procurement procedures must strictly apply.
Category: Project Implementation
- Is it mandatory to have timesheets for staff involved in a CENTRAL EUROPE project?
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Staff costs must be based on real worked hours: timesheets are mandatory and they have to report not only the project hours but also the total worked hours of the employee, unless the partner institution has a different mean to keep full time records of the staff. Timesheets for employees contracted full-time in a project may not be needed if such possibility is foreseen according to national rules, but only for staff carrying out tasks related exclusively to one single work package and in case no difference exists between the planned and the actual number of worked hours.
Category: Project Implementation
- Are over-hours work eligible?
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If foreseen by the employment contract, over hours are eligible for full-time employees or for part-time employees with a contract related exclusively to the project. In all other cases, over hours can only be eligible if foreseen in the contract and transparently and proportionally allocated to the project.
Category: Project Implementation
- Is it possible to calculate overhead costs with a lump sum or flat rate?
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The so called “overhead costs”, which in CENTRAL EUROPE refer to the “Indirect Administration Costs” budget line, cannot be calculated on a lump sum or flat rate basis. They must refer, as it is for all other expenditure, to real costs for which the effective payment must be proved on the basis of invoices and other probative documents.
Category: Project Implementation
- Is it possible to have the reimbursement of costs for external experts/services/supplies which are not foreseen in the approved application form?
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External expertise, services and supplies are eligible only if they are clearly mentioned in the approved Application Form. In the case that additional external expertise/services not originally foreseen are needed for a proper implementation of the project, prior approval is to be granted by the Managing Authority/Joint Technical Secretariat in order to be considered as eligible. Eventual approval of unforeseen costs will not imply any increase of the total ERDF.
Category: Project Implementation
- Are contractual advances for external experts /services /supplies eligible?
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Payment of contractual advances has to be in accordance with applicable laws and practices and they have to be foreseen in the contracts entered into force with the supplier. In order to be eligible, they must be based on invoices (e.g., advance payment for a consultant carrying out a study) and they must have a later confirmation that the services or goods have been delivered (at the latest by the end of the finalisation month as quoted in the Application Form).
Category: Project Implementation
- Do external experts have to provide time sheets?
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External experts paid on the basis of a daily fee do not have to provide time sheets. Nevertheless, the contract must clearly indicate the total number of days foreseen and the expenditure must be based on invoices that include also a clear quantification of the days charged, the price per unit and the total price.
Category: Project Implementation
- Are business or first class flights eligible?
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Business or first-class tickets for air transport are not eligible, irrespective the fact that this may be allowed by the internal rules of the institution. For other transportation means national eligibility rules must be respected.
Category: Project Implementation
- Are travels of an external expert eligible? And those of an external speaker in a project event?
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Travel costs of external experts participating in project activities are eligible and must refer to the “External Expertise” budget line. Travel costs of external speakers and external participants in project meetings and events are also eligible if these costs are definitively paid by project partners and if they are duly justified. These costs refer to the “Meetings and events” budget line.
Category: Project Implementation
- Is it possible to have the full reimbursement of an equipment?
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Full cost of equipment is eligible only if the period starting from the date of purchase to the end date of the operation is longer than the normal depreciation period for each type of equipment according to applicable national rules. Otherwise, only the portion of the equipment’s depreciation corresponding to the share of actual use for the purpose of the project can be reimbursed.
Category: Project Implementation
- How can the depreciation cost for equipment be calculated?
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The depreciation method used for the calculation of the share of cost of an equipment to be reimbursed within a CENTRAL EUROPE project must refer to the national rules on accountability as well as to the internal regulations of the partner. The use of depreciation methods set in place ad hoc for the project and leading to an unjustified increase of the depreciation share are not allowed.
Category: Project Implementation
- Is second hand equipment eligible?
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Second-hand equipment is eligible provided that the following conditions are met:
- the seller of the equipment provides a declaration stating its origin and confirming that at no point it has been purchased with the aid of other financial instruments (EU, national or other grants);
- the price of the equipment must not exceed its market value and must be less than the cost of similar new equipment (on the basis of a statement of an independent expert);
- the equipment must have the technical characteristics necessary for the project and comply with applicable norms and standards.
Category: Project Implementation
- Are investment-related equipments for the exclusive use of a project fully reimbursed?
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Equipment which belong to the “Investments” budget line, and that are exclusively devoted to the project, can be fully reimbursed according to the approved Application Form.
Category: Project Implementation
- Are costs for investment-related equipment only partly devoted to project implementation eligible?
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Investment-related equipments for which the exclusive use in the framework of CENTRAL EUROPE projects cannot be demonstrated should be charged on a pro-rata basis, in relation to their effective use for project purposes. It is a duty of the beneficiary to clearly demonstrate the share of use of the equipment for project purposes, through adequate methods (e.g. signed log files, etc.).
Category: Project Implementation
- To which budget line does software refer to?
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Software for office use refers to the budget line “Equipment” and it might be reimbursed on a depreciation basis according to relevant national regulations. Specific software related to demonstrative pilot actions refer to the budget line “Investments” and it can be fully reimbursed according to the approved Application Form.
Category: Project Implementation
- Are functioning costs for investments eligible?
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Costs related to the functioning of investments are eligible only if clearly described in the approved Application Form, and they must refer to the budget line “Other costs”.
Category: Project Implementation
Project implementation - public procurement
- What is the minimum threshold for applying public procurement?
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Procedures adopted for purchasing of goods and services have always to ensure transparent and fair conditions for competing on the common market, irrespective of the concerned amount of expenditure. This considered, and unless stricter rules apply, purchases which are below the thresholds set by the Community and national/internal procurement rules and above € 2.500,- must be carried out applying at least the “bid for three” rule. For further information please consult the CENTRAL EUROPE Control & Audit Guidelines (available for download in this section) as well as the web site of the European Commission - DG Internal Market.
Category: Public procurement
- Are private bodies and international organizations subject to public procurement rules?
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In the framework of the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme, rules on public procurement are mandatory and have to be respected also by private bodies and international organizations according to the relevant EU, national and Programme rules.
Category: Public procurement
- Do public procurement rules apply in case of in-house subcontracting?
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In case of wholly publicly owned companies, public procurement rules do not apply to in-house subcontracting. It has to be noted that conditions for in-house subcontracting are to be considered as fulfilled in the case that both following pre-requisites are existing:
1. according to the latest ruling on this matter by the European Court of Justice (Judgement C-26/03 of the European Court of Justice – “Stadt Halle”, 11 January 2005), the public body awarding the contract must exert on the “in house” company an analogous control to that exercised upon its own internal services. The participation – even if in a minority share – of a private enterprise excludes this pre-requisite;
2. the “in house” company must carry out the majority of its tasks for the awarding public body.
It has to be underlined that in order to be considered eligible, costs of the contracted company must always be charged on a real-costs basis, thus without any profit margin.
Category: Public procurement
Validation of expenditure (FLC) and audit
- Do public procurement rules have to be followed in the selection of an external controller in decentralized FLC systems?
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If the national system allows for the appointment of external controllers, the selection must take place in respect of public procurement rules, keeping in mind that the qualification of the controller must be a key point of the selection process, while the financial aspect of the received offers shall only be taken into account if the necessary qualification requirements are met. Nevertheless, applicable market rates must never be exceeded.
In Germany and Austria, the preliminary choice of the controller carried out by a partner is subject to validation by an approbation body. For further information see also the Country specific section of the CENTRAL EUROPE web site.
Category: FLC and audit
- Is it mandatory to annul original documents (invoices and other probative documents)?
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In order to avoid double funding from different co-financing sources for the same expenditure item, it is mandatory to void the originals of the invoices and of the other probative documents, by using of a stamp containing the following information:
- the reference to the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme;
- the index and acronym of the project;
- the amount claimed for reimbursement.
The voiding of original documents could be performed by the project partner, before sending the documents to the First Level Control, or by the controller her/himself.
Category: FLC and audit
- Is it possible to send copies of the documents to the controllers instead of the originals?
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It is possible to send copies to the controllers for the validation of the expenditure, but they have to be true copies. It has to be underlined that the annulling of invoices and other probative documents aimed at avoiding double funding must be performed on the originals and not on the copies (see also the previous FAQ).
Category: FLC and audit
- Is it possible to change the EURO conversion rate during project implementation?
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The selected option for the EURO conversion method must remain unchanged during the entire lifetime of the project. CENTRAL EUROPE partners outside the Euro zone must choose a conversion method which is stated both in the Partnership Agreement and in the Start Up report.
Category: FLC and audit
- Why is it necessary to submit to the controller not only the documents concerning expenditure but also the description of activities and the respective outputs?
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The FLC controller is responsible for verifying the legality and regularity of the expenditure declared by the beneficiary, through the verification of the delivery of co-financed products and services, the soundness of the expenditure declared for the project implementation and the compliance of such expenditure and of related activities with Community, national and Programme rules as well as relevant EU Policies. Accordingly, these verifications must be based not only on a financial report but also on a report describing the activities carried out, having the respective outputs obtained as attachments.
Category: FLC and audit
- What are the “on-the-spot checks”?
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On-the-spot checks are additional controls performed at the appointed seats for project implementation (partners premises, locations where pilot actions have been implemented, etc.) by different bodies, i.e.: the FLC controllers, the Managing Authority also through the Joint Technical Secretariat, the Audit Authority and the EU Commission. The checks are undertaken in order to verify the existence of the project as well as to perform an extended verification of the validated expenditure.
Category: FLC and audit
- What do on-the-spot checks performed by FLC refer to?
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In addition to the desk checks carried out by the controller for the verification of the expenditure, the controller has also to perform on-the-spot checks addressed to verifying the existence of the project (mainly the verification of equipment and investments). In most CENTRAL EUROPE countries, on-the-spot checks set up at FLC level are performed on a sample basis.
Category: FLC and audit
Project implementation - reporting
- Is it possible to include not validated expenditure in the progress report?
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The progress report must only include expenditure that is validated by the First Level Controllers of the LP and the PP, and the “Confirmations of Control” (including the FLC internal control reports and checklists) must be annexed in original to the progress report.
Category: Reporting
- What if an expenditure is not validated within the deadline for submission of the progress report?
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Activities performed during the reporting period and referring to expenditure borne and paid out during the period but not validated at the deadline for submitting the Progress report, have to be described in the activity part of the report in order to give a clear and updated picture of the project implementation. Nevertheless, the related expenditure cannot be included in the financial part of the progress report and claimed for ERDF reimbursement. However, this expenditure have to be mentioned in the Section 9 (table 9.2) of the progress report, and it will then be included in the progress report in which the validation will take place.
Category: Reporting
- If an expenditure is borne in a reporting period and paid out in the next period, to which progress report period does it refer to?
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Costs reported in the progress report must refer only to expenditure paid out within the reporting period to which it refers to. It is not possible to include any costs which are paid after the last day of the reporting period, even if these costs refer to activities reported within the period and they have been validated by the relevant FLC. Expenditure falling into this case have to be included in the further progress report.
Category: Reporting
- What are the compulsory annexes to be attached to the progress report?
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There are two main categories of compulsory annexes:
- confirmations of control delivered by the First Level Controller of the LP and the PP that must be in original and covering the 100% of the expenditure to which the report refers to. They have to be completed by a FLC internal control report and a FLC checklist;
- additional annexes obtained/elaborated or published during the reporting period and requested in order to allow the verification of the existence of the project. These annexes can include: agendas, minutes and lists of participants of all meetings; promotional material; relevant deliverables of the project such as studies, SWOT analyses etc., external independent appraisal if foreseen, any other output that the Lead Partner may deem important.
In addition, it is compulsory to attach to the first progress report also the project Communication Plan.
In case the Lead Partner legal representative has changed, an official communication/document stating the change has also to be annexed.
Category: Reporting
- Why should I activate macros while filling-in the progress report?
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The progress report is a tool based on an Excel file which contains several automatic functions. These functions can work properly only if macros are activated on your computer. Please refer to the help function of Excel in order to activate macros.
Category: Reporting
- What is the “check-sum” function?
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The check-sum function is an advanced function which transfers a code number to the side of the page allowing to compare the electronic and hard copy versions of the progress report. In order to ensure a proper working of this function, the file has to be saved before the final printing. Please note that the check-sum changes each time the file is opened and saved, therefore it is not possible to print different parts of the progress report by opening the file at different times. In order to avoid any differences in the check-sum, the entire workbook is to be printed at once.
Category: Reporting
- Why is it necessary to report the staff employed in the project by indicating the name of each employee?
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This information is requested in order to avoid double funding of the costs of the same employee. It will allow make cross verification among different projects having the same organization involved as partner.
Category: Reporting
- What are the “categories” of staff working in a project?
-
The category refers to the main function exerted by an employee within the single project WP. Three categories are foreseen:
- management: staff involved in project implementation with a management function, as it is the project coordinator, the financial manager, etc.. This category is mainly involved in WP 1 and 2;
- administration: staff involved in the project implementation having specific administrative duties as main activity (accounting of expenditure, etc.). This category is mainly involved in WP 1;
- technical: staff involved in the project implementation with technical functions related to the core project implementation. This category is mainly involved in the technical WPs.
If an employee falls within more than one category, the predominant category is to be selected.
Category: Reporting
- Is it possible to report one single employee in more than one workpackage?
-
The same employee might be involved in more than one WP, and she/he can also belong to more than one of the staff categories. In this case, the employee has to be reported in more lines of the table for staff costs, in relation to her/his involvement in the WPs, by distributing the share of costs among the concerned WPs. It has to be noted that, in this case, the distribution of the costs of an employee in more than one WP has to be supported by a duly description in the time-sheets, even if the employee is working full time in the project.
Category: Reporting
- What are the “no. of attendees” in the table referring to Travel and Accommodation?
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The “no. of attendees” means the number of people of the same organization participating in the mission. It might occur that the attendees have different dates of start and end of the mission. In this case, in the relevant column it has to be indicated the earliest start date and the latest end date of the mission.
Category: Reporting
- What does the “%” of progress refer to in the table dedicated to works within the budget line Investments?
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The “%” of progress of a public work refers to the overall progress of the works according to the last updated progress report drafted by the executor of the works.
Category: Reporting
- Where should the costs borne by partners from third Countries be accounted in the progress report?
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Costs occurred by partners from third Countries should be reported in Section 8 (Table 8.3) of the progress report. It has to be noted that these costs do not require any confirmation of control since they are not co-funded by ERDF.
Category: Reporting
- How can I see if the project is subject to the risk of decommitment of funds?
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According to the chapter 5 of the CENTRAL EUROPE Implementation Manual (available for download in this section), the maximum ERDF underspending acceptable after three reporting periods is of 15%. The progress report gives information to the Lead Partner concerning the overall spending progress in comparison to the spending target set up in the Subsidy Contract on the basis of the approved Application Form. In particular, section 8 (Table 8.2) provides clear evidence of the spending progress of the project with reference to both the last reporting period as well as the total accumulation of expenditure since the start of the project.
Category: Reporting
- How to prepare a good and effective financial section of the Progress Report?
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It is important that rules for financial management are clearly settled (and understood by the partners) from the very beginning of the project.
Main measures to be adopted by the LP’s financial manager in order to avoid delays in preparing the financial section of the Progress Report are:
- to send to the partners reporting templates developed according to the information needed by the LP for the preparation of the Progress Report;
- to give to the partners a calendar of the deadlines for submitting their reports and the relevant annexes to the LP.
The project financial manager should have the necessary capacities (e.g., expertise, language skills, basic knowledge of the theme) in order to allow for a proper and timely fulfillment of the tasks.
Due to the different time needed for obtaining validations of expenditure from the First Level Controllers, projects may face the lack of one or more confirmations of control by the deadline for submitting the Progress Report. Therefore, it is recommended to initiate the validation process as well as the Progress report preparation in a timely manner!
In case of delayed confirmations of control, there are two possible ways to deal with:
a) The Lead Partner requests a postponement of the PR deadline. This request must be sent to the JTS at the latest one week prior to the due deadline.
b) The Lead Partner submits the progress report and, during the analysis of the report by the JTS, includes the amounts which have been certified after the initial deadline.
Category: Reporting