This seminar will cover the live issues of Financial Management, Financial Control and Audit for Operational Programmes in the 2014-2020 period and look forward at how the new Regulations will have an impact on these areas for 2021-2027. There will be a special focus on management verifications, the most frequent audit issues, and financial planning in programmes.

The first topic will be programme planning and finance, and the risk of automatic de-commitment facing some programmes in 2018. We consider the progress of the annual accounting process and the calculation of the annual balance, as well as the link to n+3. This is followed by an in-depth examination of how one Managing Authority is dealing with so-called first level control – management verifications, and the key issues of eligibility of expenditure, simplification and compliance.

A leading Member State audit practitioner will then look at how control and audit differ, and look in detail at the audit of accounts, systems and operations, plus an examination of the treatment of risk, irregularities and corrections.

The seminar will also look in a highly practical way at the special link between finance and performance, using the Performance Framework. The rest of the seminar is then dedicated to simplifying programmes: how to use all types of Simplified Costs Options and the implications of the new OMNIBUS regulation.

The seminar will include numerous workshops and exercise sessions where examples and case studies will be presented. Participants will be encouraged to exchange practical examples, experiences and good practice in managing EU Structural Funds.

Who will benefit most?

This seminar is intended for practitioners from national, regional and local authorities and from other public bodies of EU Member States (and associated countries) working with ESI Funds. The seminar is also open to economic and social partners working with the Structural and Investment Funds, such as universities, NGOs, employers’ associations, consultants