European Structural and Investment Funds
Intensive Workshop | 25.11.2019 - 26.11.2019 | Venice | Language: English

ESI Funds: First Level Control & Verifications

Join Lexxion's Event in Venice

Receive guidance on how to improve your strategies for administrative and on-the-spot verifications and how to verify the eligibility of expenditure, Simplified Cost Options, State aid and public procurement. Become familiar with the new requirements of the assurance package and how to handle irregularities and financial corrections.

Deepen your knowledge in managing verifications, financial management and first level control. We will help you to answer questions like “How to deal with personnel and overhead costs?”, “Regulatory environment 2014‐2020 for first‐level control – what is new?”, “What accounting records have to be kept?”.

Since our speakers have a lot of practical experience in the fields of administrative verification, risk analysis and ESI Funds management, this workshop will guide you through the Regulatory environment 2014‐2020. Benefit from in-depth presentations, practical exercises, cases and discussion rounds with our renowned experts.

Please register in time. Share this event with your colleagues working within the area of ESI Funds.

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Overview

First level control plays a crucial role in financial management and control system of ESI Funds 2014-2020. Managing Authorities and Intermediate Bodies have to conduct administrative and on-the-spot verifications in order to ensure efficient and reliable first level control procedure. High quality controls take time and resources, especially bearing in mind that controllers are often asked to control 100% of expenditures. There are many complex areas of control, such as State aid and public procurement, which require specific expertise. Such new obligations, related to the Assurance Package, as drawing up, certifying and submitting Payment Applications and Annual Accounts to the EC, also raise a number of questions to first level controllers.

Furthermore public officials in charge of first level control have to constantly conduct risk assessment in ESIF programmes and projects and have to be aware of preventing and detecting errors and irregularities, especially in cases of public procurement. Serious shortcomings can lead to repayments and financial corrections. Therefore, national authorities have to meet the challenges of stronger financial controls and carry out the respective audits.

This intensive workshop for experts from Managing, Certifying, Audit Authorities and Intermediate Bodies will provide in-depth knowledge, practical exercises and exchange of experience on financial management & control of ESI Funds with the special focus on the new procedures and requirements for a proper first level control of ESI Funds 2014-2020.

Programme

This two-day intensive workshop focuses on the following topics:

  • Financial management and first level control requirements
  • Verification of expenditures: Guidance on management verifications
  • How to improve the verification strategies for administrative & on-the-spot verifications
  • Conducting verifications in practice
    • Verification of eligibility of expenditure
    • Verification of Simplified Cost Options
    • Verification of State aid and public procurement
  • The Assurance Package: new challenges and obstacles from the perspective of first level controllers
  • How to analyse risks and reduce risks through more effective management verifications
  • Most common irregularities in ESI Funds and common procurement errors
  • Reporting and financial corrections
  • Group exercise on improving verifications and avoiding irregularities

Who should participate?

  • Representatives from public authorities in charge of first-level control and audit, especially from:

–  Managing Authorities
–  Certifying Authorities
–  Audit Authorities
–  Intermediate Bodies
–  Regional and local authorities
–  Court of Auditors

  • Beneficiaries of EU funded projects, i.e.: Private and public companies, associations, research institutes
  • Bodies working in European Territorial Cooperation
  • Public and private banks and other financial intermediaries
  • International, national and local associations and networks
  • Consultants and lawyers specialised on ESI Funds

Workshop Material – No need to miss anything!

If you are unable to make it to the workshop you may want to order a copy of the printed material including the access data to all presentations shown during the events. The price is € 199,- (each, excl. of VAT).
If interested, please contact Enrica Corpace.

Day 1: Monday, 25 November | 08:15 - 17:30

08:15

Registration & Welcome Coffee

08:45

Welcome Note & Introduction Round

Session 1 – Verification of Expenditures: Methodology & Practice

09:15

Financial Management and First‐level Control Requirements

  • Regulatory environment 2014‐2020 for first‐level control – what is new?
  • Roles and responsibilities of the bodies involved
  • First‐level control checklist and first‐level control report
Zsuzsanna Kondor ,  Researcher, National University of Public Service, Budapest
10:00

Verification of Expenditures: Guidance on Management Verifications

  • Legal requirements
  • Verification methodologies
  • Delegation principles
  • Timing / nature / frequency of verification
Zsuzsanna Kondor ,  Researcher, National University of Public Service, Budapest
11:00

Coffee Break & Networking

11:30

Administrative and on‐the‐spot Verifications

  • Strategy and planning: Administrative versus on‐the‐spot verification
  • Cooperation between Managing
  • Authorities and Intermediate Bodies
  • Segregation of duties
  • Record‐keeping and reporting requirements
  • How to put together a verification methodology for on‐the‐spot checks
  • How to deal with personnel and overhead costs?
  • The importance of documentation in the verification process
  • Risk analysis and sampling
Alina Ploae ,  Contracting Officer, MA for ETC Programmes, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Bucharest
13:00

Lunch Break

Session 2 – Practical Group Exercise: Carrying out Verifications in Practice and Eligibility of Expenditure

14:00

Verification of Eligibility of Expenditure

  • Practical Excercise
Alina Ploae ,  Contracting Officer, MA for ETC Programmes, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Bucharest
14:45

Verification of Simplified Cost Options

Practical Exercise

Alina Ploae ,  Contracting Officer, MA for ETC Programmes, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Bucharest
15:30

Coffee Break & Networking

16:00

Verification of State Aid and Public Procurement

Practical Exercise

Alina Ploae ,  Contracting Officer, MA for ETC Programmes, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Bucharest
16:45

Planning the Activities for Upcoming Months in your Member State/Operational Programme

  • Interactive Session

Discuss your current and upcoming activities and challenges with our experts as well colleagues from other institutions and Member States.

Alina Ploae ,  Contracting Officer, MA for ETC Programmes, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Bucharest
17:30

End of Day 1

Day 2: Tuesday, 26 November | 09:00 - 15:30

Session 3: The Assurance Package – New Challenges and Obstacles for First Level Controllers

09:00

The Assurance Package – New Requirements and Obligations from the Perspective of First Level Controllers

  • Documents to be submitted by February 2020
  • Timing obligations for programming bodies and division of tasks
Irena Dankova , 
Financial Management and Quality Control Department, National Fund Directorate, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Bulgaria, Sofia

09:30

How to Draw up, Certify and Submit Annual Accounts to the EC: Exchange of Experiences from 2018 and 2019

  • Timeline for structuring payment application and annual accounts
  • Preparation, documentation and reporting requirements
  • Content of payment applications and annual accounts
  • Which information can be added after submission to the EC

Participants will be offered to go through the template for annual accounts and discuss, how to summarize the information from all payment applications into annual accounts.

Irena Dankova , 
Financial Management and Quality Control Department, National Fund Directorate, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Bulgaria, Sofia

(invited)
11:00

Coffee Break & Networking

Session 4 – Errors, Irregularities, Financial Corrections and Risk Assessment

11:30

Most Common Errors and Irregularities in ESI Funds

  • Definition of an irregularity
  • Difference between error, irregularity and fraud
  • Overview on most common types of errors and irregularities
  • State aid as new source of irregularities?
  • Simplified cost options and irregularities
  • Role of first level controllers with regard to irregularities
  • Types of breaches and irregularities
Dafina Dilova ,  Former Chief Certification and Financial Management Expert, CGAP, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Bulgaria, Sofia
12:30

Lunch Break

13:30

Treatment of Irregularities, Reporting and Financial Corrections

  • Criteria indicative of fault or negligence by MS
  • When do irregularities lead to recoveries, withdrawals and financial corrections?
  • Purpose and types of financial corrections
  • Ex-ante and ex-post financial corrections
  • What accounting records have to be kept?
  • How to treat financial corrections in annual accounts
  • Rules on treatment and reporting of irrecoverable amounts
  • Recoveries and withdrawal workflow
Dafina Dilova ,  Former Chief Certification and Financial Management Expert, CGAP, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Bulgaria, Sofia
14:30

Improving Verifications and Avoiding Irregularities

Group Exercise

The speaker will present real‐life cases. Applying their theoretical knowledge, participants will have to find errors and analyse & present them in groups.

Dafina Dilova ,  Former Chief Certification and Financial Management Expert, CGAP, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Bulgaria, Sofia
15:30

End of workshop and Distribution of Certificates

*Programme may be subject to change

Speakers

Zsuzsanna Kondor
Researcher, National University of Public Service, Budapest

More info
Alina Ploae
Contracting Officer, MA for ETC Programmes, Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Bucharest

More info
Irena Dankova
Financial Management and Quality Control Department, National Fund Directorate, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Bulgaria, Sofia

More info
Dafina Dilova
Former Chief Certification and Financial Management Expert, CGAP, Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Bulgaria, Sofia

More info

Venue

Exclusive Venue in the Centre of Venice

n/a
Venice, Italy
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Online-Registration

Intensive Workshop | 25.11.2019 - 26.11.2019 | Venice | Language English

Teilnahmegebühren
Reduzierte Teilnahmegebühr für Angehörige einer Hochschule/Behörde: € 1.240,- (exkl. USt)
Reguläre Teilnahmegebühr: € 1.640,- (exkl. USt)

22% USt (Italien) wird zusätzlich berechnet.

Teilnehmerbegrenzung
Die Anzahl der Teilnehmer ist begrenzt.

Are you a public authority?
Ticket Type Price Spaces
ESI Funds: First Level Control & Verifications | Programme Planning
Regular fee / Reguläre Teilnahmegebühr		 €1.640,00
ESI Funds: First Level Control & Verifications | Programme Planning
Reduced fee for public authorities / Reduzierte Teilnahmegebühr für Angehörige einer Hochschule/Behörde		 €1.240,00

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