ESIF 2014-2020:
Technical Assistance Platform for
financial instruments (TAP)
DG Regional and Urban Policy,
Unit B.3 Financial Instruments, IFI Relations
Regional
Policy
Main TA needs for designing, setting-up & implementing FIs in cohesion policy
TA and advisory needs at various stages of FI implementation
Forms of delivering assistance
Design of FIs
• advice on procurement and selection of bodies implementing FIs,
• development of business plans of FIs for thematic objectives,
• Drafting and conclusion of funding agreements, etc.
Implementation of FIs
• guidance on the investment process (identification, evaluation and selection of
final recipients or projects),
• financing agreements with final recipients,
• financial management (treasury, disbursement, repayment, follow-on
investments),
• cost and fee structures,
• detection and settlement of irregularities,
• monitoring, auditing, reporting, etc.
Exit / Winding-up of FIs
• advice on exit strategies,
• legacy requirements,
• situations of default , etc.
Multi-region Assistance
Implementation
cycle of FIs
Horizontal Assistance
Set-up of FIs
Programme- and instrument-specific assistacne
• advice on conducting ex-ante assessments,
• assessing market demand, policy fit, sector-specific investment strategies and
products,
• development of implementation structures,
• identification of potential co-financing sources,
• State aid and procurement considerations,
• features and economic viability of target final recipients, etc.
Two forms of assistance delivery under the TAP
MS-level support
[outside the scope of
the TA platform]
European Commission
Initiated by EC
Paid by EC
Horizontal assistance:
• applicable to all MS and types of
financial instruments
• initiated and financed by the EC (topdown)
• activities would typically include the
exchange of best practice and the
networking across MS, as well as
trainings or guidance on common
themes such as ex-ante assessments,
public procurement, regulatory aspects
concerning cohesion policy, possibly
State aid, etc.
Paid by EC
Multi-region assistance:
• initiated by CP stakeholders for the
benefit of more than X managing
authorities in a minimum number of Y
MS (bottom up); paid by the EC
• on the basis of several open calls for
project proposals to be organised by EC
• activities would typically include support
for the development of FIs targeting
development objectives or market
failure that are shared by a number of
regions (e.g. EE interventions in housing
in CEE or cross-border initiatives
(Baltics)).
Initiated by MA/IFIs/NFIs
under the TAP
• services and guidance regarding the
design, set-up and implementation of a
specific FI within specific programme
• requested by managing authorities and
financed by the MA from the TA budget
of the programme involved.
• activities would typically include the
formulation of sector and territoryspecific investment strategies, the
design of specific loan, equity or
guarantee products or the development
of procurement procedures.
Any service provider
Appropriate advisory service providers (IFIs, NFIs, other)
TA
Programme-specific assistance:
TA
Member States, managing authorities and other ESIF stakeholders
Requested
by MA
Paid by MA
MS/MA, ESIF stakeholders
TA
Proposal: EC management of TAP horizontal and multi-region assistance
STRATEGY
SUPERVISORY BOARD

EXECUTIVE
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
EC internal contract management
Horizontal Assistance
Multi-region Assistance
(REGIO DGA1.B.3)
(EC; IFIs; independent experts)
Advice on horizontal & multi-region assistance
Individual
Co-ordination
group (EC/EIB)
Agreement
Horizontal Assistance
agreements
Agreement
Agreement
Advisory
Service
Provider 1
Advisory
Service
Provider 2
Advisory
Service
Provider …
(IFI, NFI, other)
(IFI, NFI, other)
(IFI, NFI, other)
Multi-region Assistance
Member States, managing authorities and other ESIF stakeholders
IMPLEMENTATION
EIB Group
ADVISORY
1. Call for project
proposal (identifying
also service providers)
2. Agreement with
advisory service
provider for selected
projects
ADVISORY BOARD
Direct award of
one single multiannual service
contract
Project
Proposals
First messages from the public survey (1)
 Three questions with sub-sections for which the number of responses
ranges from 53 to 60
 1. Thematic Objectives which are of interest for financial instruments:
 The strongest interest for "3. Enhancing competitiveness of SMEs" with 58% followed
by "1. Strengthening research, technological development and innovation" with 45%
and "Supporting the shift to low-carbon economy in all sectors" with 45%.
 The three areas with lowest interest are: "9. Promoting social inclusion and combating
poverty" with 12%, "10. Investing in education, skills and lifelong learning" with 12%
and "11. Enhancing institutional capacity and an efficient public administration" with 7%.
 2. From whom the respondents received certain TA services in 20072013:
 Design phase: the Commission/EIB Group Joint Initiatives played the most important
role in delivering guidance on market assessments (29%) and together with Holding
Funds on governance structures (21%).
 Set-up and Implementation phases: Holding Funds at the pole position for all but
"monitoring and auditing of FIs" where the Managing Authority is first (33%). In those
phases, the role of the Commission/EIB Group Joint Initiatives is the highest for
"assisting/managing the procurement process to select FI manager (19%) and the
lowest in "apprising business plans/investment strategies" (9%) and "Negotiating
agreements with project promoters" (7%).
 Exit/winding up phase: advice on "exit strategies" and "legacy requirements" was
received by most respondents from the MA (26%, 28% respectively) and "on how
handle defaults and delayed payments" from the Holding Fund (26%).
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First messages from the public survey (2)
 3. How respondents think TA can be best provided by the TAP:
 For all tasks in all phases there is a clear preference for the Horizontal Assistance
(HA).
 The shares of respondents preferring this option are more or less double as high as
those for Multi-regional Assistance (MRA).
 The smallest differences for the four phases can be found for "Guidance on specific
issues related to the Thematic objectives" (41% HA vs. 36% MRA), "Guidance for the
selection of Fund Managers" (50% HA vs. 33% MRA), "Guidance on business plan and
application support for project types" (51% HA vs. 28% MRA) and "Advice on exit
strategies" (68% TA vs. 25% MRA).
 Next steps:




Full analysis of the survey results should be available soon
Discussion with the Member States experts today
Discussion with stakeholders on 20 June
Development of a catalogue of specific activities based on the results of the public
survey by October (EIB study)
 Conclusion of the necessary contractual arrangements for the Horizontal Assistance
before end-2013: Horizontal Assistance to be operational as of 1 January 2014
 Call for proposals for the Multi-regional Assistance to be launched by end-2013
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Thank you for your attention!
DG Regional Policy – Directorate B, Policy
7
Regional
Policy