WELCOME! Agenda of the workshop Presentation on Programme requirements and questions & answers Clustering Exercise: Speed Dating Brainstorming (Management of natural resources, Technology and knowledge transfer, Prosperous and sustainable communities )

PROGRAMME REQUIREMENTS What project promoters cannot ignore about INTERREG IVB NWE project management

Programme Requirements Table of contents The Lead Partner Principle The audit trail Reporting to the JTS: payment claims, progress reports, project modifications N+2 rule and decommitment risk

The Lead Partner Principle (LPP) article 20 (EC) 1080/2006 Programme Requirements The Lead Partner Principle (LPP) article 20 (EC) 1080/2006 One partner steps up on behalf of the whole partnership and bears responsibility for ensuring the project’s implementation. The Lead Partner is the administrative link between the programme and the project (flow of information and fund). The LP responsibilities include that all contact with the Programme takes place via the LP. It is the responsibility of the LP to pass on all relevant information to the project partners.

Differentiate flows, messages and targets Programme Requirements Differentiate flows, messages and targets Official communication JTS ERDF flow information flow LP - - - - - - - « internal cooking » Partner The JTS shall not intervene in the relationship between partners. Similarly, any potential money flow between partners or with the Lead partner is left at their discretion. Communication with the JTS should always take place via the LP (with about 1,000 expected partners, the JTS cannot address directly to partners).

Programme Requirements The audit trail Tracing expenditure from the quote to the reimbursement. Tracing expenditure from the initial quote to the ERDF reimbursement

Role of the Lead Partner controller Programme Requirements Role of the Lead Partner controller The LP controller: checks the expenditure of all partners against the approved AF checks that it fits with the budget planning verifies that all expenditure is in line with what was agreed verifies the validations by the controller verifies that the controllers are those approved by the MS verifies that the controllers’ signature is backed by checklists,… checks that all invoice copies are available at Lead Partner premises verifies that the ERDF contribution has been paid to the partners

Organise your controls Programme Requirements Organise your controls Internal controls at partner and project level Ensure smooth implementation: know what you’ve done and where you’re going, content-wise and financially. Always have a good overview! First Level Controls Controls at project level, prior to the submission of payment claims. Other controls Second level controls, DG Regio and Member States audits, Certifying Authority audits, Quality controls, etc… Every partner in every project will be controlled several times and by different bodies during the project’s lifetime. Save time and money with an efficient organisation!

Project modifications Programme Requirements Project modifications

Project modifications Programme Requirements Project modifications Partnership amendment, revised budget line split, new project end date, etc.: these changes are allowed 3 times in total, no later than 6 months before the end date of the project and only upon formal request and approval by the Secretariat or the Programme’s Steering Committee – depending on the significance of the changes. The “request for changes” form must be used. The Secretariat should be notified of minor changes (change of bank account, new contact person, change of address…) as soon as possible by official letter from the Lead Partner.

Project modifications Programme Requirements Project modifications Budget Line Modifications (BLM) Increases of more than 20% on individual budget lines. Other financial changes Ex: a reduction of grant rate at partner level or a decrease in the overall budget -> use the request for changes form. Note: it is not possible to increase the project’s total ERDF amount. Activities/output The Lead Partner must inform the Secretariat about any changes to the Application Form and use the request for changes form. In some cases (the drop-out of a partner, unexpected results preventing the project from further advancing in the direction originally planned, unforeseen administrative delays, etc.), projects may notice that they cannot successfully implement all actions of the approved Application Form and / or that they wish to implement other or additional actions.

Programme Requirements Reporting and payment procedure

Programme Requirements Some basic rules Payment will be made only if both the Progress Report and Payment Claims are deemed acceptable. Payment Claims and Progress Reports must be filled out in English, submitted together, twice a year (end of April and end of October). “First come, first served” applies. Plan your cash flow as the reimbursement can take from one month to several months. Once the claim and progress report are approved, the JTS sends an email to the LP with the monitoring report and the templates for the next period. The Certifying Authority emails a letter confirming payment. A maximum of 85% of the ERDF project budget can be paid before the submission of the final claim.

Main issues in payment claims Programme Requirements Main issues in payment claims Staff costs: use of contractual data rather than effective figures (e.g. number of working hours or days must come from timesheets). External Experts & Consultants: lack of public procurement procedure Travel costs: outside the eligible area without any prior request to the JTS Publicity: missing logo and lack of call for tender Equipment: depreciation and pro rata are sometimes forgotten Investments: changes, public procurement rules Administration costs: no link with project, random calculation method, thresholds

Main comments in progress reports Programme Requirements Main comments in progress reports Give a clear overview of what happened in the reporting period. Answer questions of each section exhaustively within the given limit of space. Give a joint picture on the progress and not a catalogue of individual actions for each single partner. In progress reports due in April, inform about developments in the last 12 months as opposed to October reports for the last 6-month reporting period. For April progress reports attach annexes that link to relevant actions and are labelled properly. Discuss values of indicators with the project partners to obtain views of the whole partnership. Use comment boxes when reporting on individual indicators. Fill in only the priority specific indicators that are relevant to your project’s priority. Avoid jargon in the description of the activities. Do not mention names of persons with no reference to the organisation/partner they represent.

How to speed up the process? Programme Requirements How to speed up the process? Check that both the Payment Claim and the Progress Report are correct before you submit them. They must bear all the required dates and signatures and be supported by a full set of verification sheets and annexes. Fill in the comment sections as much as possible. Answer the JTS queries as soon and as accurately as possible. Circulate the assessment report to all partners and find ways to implement the recommendations for improvement that will be listed. Be proactive and communicate with the JTS: inform us of any delay or project modification since these may have substantial consequences. If the controllers’ names do not match the approbation certificates, the payment claim will be rejected.

The decommitment situation Programme Requirements The decommitment situation

The Programme expects a decommitment of €5-8 million in 2009. Programme Requirements The decommitment situation The Programme expects a decommitment of €5-8 million in 2009. Subsidy Contract, art. 8 (10) reads: “In the case that the annual contribution from the ERDF for the INTERREG IVB NWE Programme is automatically decommitted by the European Commission […], the Authorities of this Programme reserve the right to consider the possibility of reducing the approved ERDF budget of the project with respect to expenditure not carried out in accordance with the stipulated timetable.” Implement on time Submit your expenditure on time

N+2 risks countermeasures at project level (by LP): Programme Requirements Transfer of information plays a vital role in avoiding loss of funds as a result of decommitment. N+2 risks countermeasures at project level (by LP): Remind all partners to ensure that the project does not deviate significantly from the spending plan; refer to applicable procedures in the project's Partnership Agreement and project handbook. Enforce stringent reporting procedures and have a strict budgetary control; Set up a realistic spending plan together = basis for the LP's monitoring of project expenditures; Anticipate future bottlenecks through frequent updates on forecasts of expenditure by partners.

Thank you very much for your attention! Programme Requirements Thank you very much for your attention!

Speed Dating Name, country and institution Project name and role in the project Previous experience in INTERREG projects

Brainstorming Spend the same but do more! Exchange contact! Get to know each other!   Thematic complementarities? Similar actions? Common communication activities?