Financial Management of EU Structural Funds

Target Group
This seminar is intended for practitioners from national and sub-national authorities and from other public bodies of the EU Member States and associated countries working with Structural Funds.

Description
The speakers will be high-level representatives of the European institutions, including the European Commission, as well as of various Member States’ authorities. The seminar will also include sessions where case studies are presented, encouraging the participants to exchange practical examples and experiences in managing EU Structural Funds.

Learning Methodology
As the seminar will be of a participatory nature, the participants will be strongly encouraged to actively take part in discussions throughout the entire programme. Moreover, they will have ample opportunity to informally exchange views on the seminar topics, both with the speakers and each other.

Objectives
The objective of this seminar is twofold:
• to bring together practitioners from the European, national and sub-national levels, as well as academic experts, to enable them to share experiences and identify cases of good practice in the financial management of Structural Funds in different Member States;
• to discuss ways of implementing financial management rules such as eligibility rules, financial controls, different co-financing rates, state aid aspects, etc. The seminar will also show participants how to work with useful instruments such as the COCOF self-assessment tool for Managing Authorities.

Programme and walking tour of Maastricht
The programme will commence on 26 April at 09.00 and finish on 27 April at 16.15. Registration of participants on the first day starts at 8.30. A guided walking tour in the historic centre of Maastricht is foreseen on the first day at 13.30. The tour takes a maximum 1.5 hours.

Seminar venue
The seminar will take place in the Green Conference Room (1.45) at the European Institute of Public Administration (EIPA), O.L. Vrouweplein 22, NL-6211 HE Maastricht, tel.: +31 43 32 96 222, fax: +31 43 32 96 296.

Working language
The seminar will be conducted in English.

Fee
The participation fee for each seminar is €890 and includes participation in the seminar, documentation, two lunches, one buffet meal, refreshments and the guided walking tour. 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 reservations
The European Institute of Public Administration will be pleased to make reservations for you at a hotel in Maastricht. For this seminar we have made a block booking at
Hotel Beaumont**** (www.beaumont.nl), at a rate of ± € 99,99 p.p.p.n. (incl. breakfast and tourist tax) and
Hotel Mabi **** (www.hotelmabi.nl), at a rate of ± € 100 p.p.p.n. (incl. breakfast and tourist tax).

Should you wish to make use of this possibility, please indicate the name of the hotel and the dates of arrival and departure on the registration form. Payment is to be made directly and personally to the hotel on checking out. Should the hotel of your choice be fully booked, you will automatically be placed in the other hotel. Please note that if you register after the closing date, hotel reservations cannot be guaranteed.

Meals
All meals will be served at the Institute’s restaurant. Should you require a special menu (e.g. vegetarian, allergies), please indicate this on your registration form so this can be arranged.

Registration
Kindly complete the online registration form before the closing date 12 April 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 on 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. In any case, the participant or his/her administration will receive an invoice for the payment of the registration fee. For administrative reasons you will be charged €150 for cancellations received after the closing date of registration. There is no charge for qualified substitute participants.

Cancellation policy
EIPA reserves the right to cancel the seminar up to two 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.