Current ● Well-founded ● Professional Articles from our blog
It’s not rocket science: finding, applying for and receiving EU funding
Read moreA smarter, greener, more social Europe. That’s the goal of dozens of funding opportunities arising from the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds). Too complicated, too confusing? Not at all. It’s actually less time-consuming searching for the right EU funding instruments than you might think. Our author Tim Müßle explains how this works, using the example of the geothermal scheme in Schwerin.
How to implement the New Operational Programmes succesfully
Read moreThe new 2021-27 programming period has started and brings many innovations in terms of the shared management of ESI funds. There are new, more specific objectives for existing funds such as ERDF and ESF+, but there are also completely new funds in place. We asked Merike Niitepõld, Head of Managing Authority Central Baltic Programme, (Regional Council of South-West Finland): How do you prepare a needs-driven and results-orientated programme? And how do you negotiate with the EU Commission?
ESIF & ERDF: Streamlining the funding process with simplified cost options
Read moreThe Common Provisions Regulation of the European Structural Funds defines, inter alia, accounting and control procedures for funded projects. In recent years, member states have criticised the regulations on the grounds that they are too complex. Now the Simplified Cost Options (SCOs) have been introduced to streamline the funding process. We asked Christian Debach, former head of the EU Financial Control Unit at the Independent Audit Control for EU Structural Funding in Karlsruhe, to assess the…
Co-financed by the EU and built by China: Croatia’s new bridge
Read moreThe Pelješac Bridge, one of the largest EU-funded projects, was inaugurated in Croatia in July 2022. The EU contributed EUR 357 million to the project, as well as a loan from the European Investment Bank. Following the revelation that the Chinese contractor may have violated workers’ rights, we asked the Spokesperson’s Service of the EU Commission for information regarding the matter.