Annual meeting with ETC programmes
Harmonised Tools for ETC Financial Management
22-23 April 2013 | Brussels
HIT Financial Package, including:
• Eligibility of expenditure: budget line fact
sheets
• FLC Checklist and Certificate
• State aid and ETC
• Tools for Audit Authorities
•…
ETC can best contribute to EU 2020, if:
1) ETC eligibility rules are based on a
common, well–defined set of rules
2) State aid rules are adapted / clarified to
make them work in a multi-country ETC
context
ETC Eligibility rules
ETC eligibility rules should be based on a
common, well–defined set of rules
•
5 fact sheets for 5 budget lines (staff costs,
office and administration, external services and
experts, travel and accommodation, equipment
and investment)
•
Eligible and ineligible costs, examples of
programme-specific rules, etc.
•
Harmonised approach to calculating eligible
cost, simplified cost options, etc.
•
Matching FLC report and checklist
ETC Eligibility rules
ETC eligibility rules should be based on a
common, well–defined set of rules
To make this work:
• We hope for all provision in a Delegated act
• Additional programme-specific provisions in ETC
programme rules
• National rules for ETC should be adapted to EU
and programme rules (few exceptions, eg:
public procurement)
State aid and ETC
ETC fears State aid control
State aid and ETC
INTERACT Survey: Involvement of SMEs in ETC
Of the ETC programmes that responded to the
survey (33 TN+CBC):
In the current period
• About 50% of the ETC programmes do NOT allow
SMEs as project partners.
• Of these 40% explicitly mention state aid as a
main reason. Only 1 programme clearly said the
reason is not related to state aid.
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State aid and ETC
INTERACT Survey: Involvement of SMEs in ETC
In the future period:
• All programmes currently involving SMEs also
consider SMEs for the next period.
• Many consider allowing SMEs for the first time.
• Among the programmes having experience with
SME involvement, at least 65% consider state
aid as a main issue to be solved.
8
State aid and ETC
Can ETC learn how to function better
within the current state aid framework?
• Yes
• Guidance needed:
• What is state aid, what is not?
• How can the rules work in a multi-country
•
context (e.g., one country registering /
notifying aid for other countries, de minimis)?
What are best practices of ETC programmes?
State aid and ETC
Is de minimis EU-wide or national?
Country 1/ MA
Has NOT
reached the de
minimis limit in
its country
SME
Country 2
SME
?
Has reached
the de minimis
limit in its
country
Can the red SME receive de minimis from the ETC
programme?
10
State aid and ETC
ETC is hoping for provision specifically for
ETC in one or more of the state aid
instruments
“State aid rules were made for the
national context and work well in the
national context. Why not make them work
for cooperation?”
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State aid and ETC
Provision specifically for ETC
A tool that:
 allows the same co-financing rates for all
countries, types of partners and types of
activities within ETC
 does not require excessive analyses in all
participating countries
 leads to attractive co-financing rates that take
the additional burden of cooperation into
account
State aid and ETC
Article 78 of the draft RAG
 A single aid ceiling for all cooperation
partners
To make it work for ETC additional consideration are
necessary:
• The scope should be extended to cover all cooperation
activities not just those related to ‘investments’.
• The aid ceilings should be based on easy to assess criteria
such as the total partner budget outlined in the application
form rather than the highest investment or eligible costs.
• ?
Are there also solutions for programmes not covering regional
aid map areas?
Eg, Possible solutions in other categories of aid?
State aid and ETC
Your support is needed!!!
Sign up for:
http://groupspaces.com/INTERACTFinanceManagement
to receive information about public consultations:
de minimis and GBER
• Repsond to the consultations!
• Contact your national state aid experts and
make them respond, too!
• Let your opinion be heard!
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State aid and ETC
ETC loves State aid control