The New European Rules on Concessions: What Will They Mean in Practice?

Target group
The seminar will be of particular interest to those planning to award, or currently involved in awarding, contracts which are defined as concessions in EU law or may be capable of being defined as concessions. These include policy makers in EU Member States, public officials from Contracting Authorities, private sector service providers and legal and other professional advisers in EU Member States, candidate countries and beyond. It should also be of interest to academics and to officials in European institutions and organisations.

Description
Are you currently responsible for launching or planning to launch an award procedure for a concession? Are you sure that the procedure followed complies with EU law and will provide value for money in difficult times for the public finances? What does the European Commission and national governments think needs to be done about concessions? Will their ideas work in practice? Could the Competitive Dialogue award procedure be a solution to your problems? The European Commission has now launched a new legislative initiative which sets out new rules for the award of concessions in EU law. These rules - long anticipated - aim to provide greater legal clarity and certainty about the rules governing award of concessions contracts.

Method
EIPA’s new seminar will explain the new rules and what they mean for Contracting Authorities awarding concessions for the delivery of public services and to assess how and to what extent they address current issues in awarding such concessions. At the end of the seminar you will go away with a better understanding of the rules for the award of concessions proposed in the new legislative initiative and how to apply them in practice.

Objectives
The seminar will address legal, economic, financial and operational considerations and the aim will be to use experience to date as a means of:
• Developing a common assessment of the risks, challenges and opportunities arising from the current use of concessions as a means of delivering public services
• Exploring solutions which enable Contracting Authorities to award concessions in a way which meets both the need to secure value for money and to comply with EU law.
It will draw together experience of different countries and stakeholders in the European arena.

Programme
The programme will commence on Wednesday at 9.30 and will finish on the Thursday at 13.15 with a lunch.

Seminar Venue
The seminar will take place in the Blue Conference Room (0.18) at the European Institute of Public Administration, O.L. Vrouweplein 22, NL-6211 HE Maastricht, tel.: +31 43 32 96 222, fax: +31 43 32 96 296.

Working language
The course will be conducted in English.

Fee
The participation fee is € 900 and includes documentation, a guided walking tour, 2 lunches, 1 dinner and refreshments. Accommodation and travel costs are at the expense of the participants or their administration. EIPA offers its members a reduction of 10% of the registration fee. For details, please click here.

Hotel reservation
EIPA has booked a limited number of rooms at Hotel Beaumont**** (www.beaumont.nl) in Maastricht at a special rate of ± € 102 for a single room per night including breakfast and tourist tax. If participants wish us to book accommodation for them, please indicate this on the application form together with arrival and departure dates and the number of overnight stays required. Payment is to be made directly and personally to the hotel on checking out. Please note that if you register after the closing date, hotel reservations cannot be guaranteed.

Meals
Lunches will be served at the Institute’s restaurant and dinner in the evening will be at a restaurant in town. Should you require a special menu (e.g. vegetarian, diabetic), please inform the Programme Organiser so that this can be arranged.

Registration
Kindly complete the registration form and return it before 23 August 2012.
Your name and address will be part of EIPA's database for our mailing purpose only. If you do not want to be included in our mailing database, please tick the box in the registration form.

Confirmation
Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants on receipt of the completed registration form.

Payment
Prior payment is a condition for participation. Please indicate the method of payment on the registration form. For cancellations received within 15 days before the activity begins, we will have to charge an administration fee of € 150 unless a replacement participant is found.

Cancellation policy
EIPA reserves the right to cancel the seminar up to 2 weeks before the starting date. EIPA accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred (travel, hotel, etc.). For EIPA's cancellation policy, please visit our website.