EU Funds Audit Recent developments in Structural Funds

EU Funds Audit – Recent developments in Structural Funds Eurosai Seminar on "Audit of Public Aids and Subsidies“, Prague, 6 -8 November 2006 Gabriele Cipriani Director - Structural and Internal policies (gabriele. cipriani@eca. europa. eu)

Some key issues o The reform’s guiding principles o The administrative capacity o Sound financial management o External audit 2

The reform’s guiding principles o Concentration o Simplification o Proportionality o Decentralisation 3

Concentration (geographical) 4

Concentration (thematic) • Research and technological development (R&TD), innovation and entrepreneurship • Information society • Transport • Energy • Environmental protection and risk prevention • Adaptability of workers and firms, enterprises and entrepreneurs • Access to employment and sustainability • Social inclusion of less-favoured persons • Human capital 5

Simplification Objectives Structural Funds and instruments Convergence ERDF ESF Competitiveness and Employment ERDF ESF European territorial Cooperation ERDF o Cohesion Fund A General Regulation (No 1083/2006) n n European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Regulation (No 1080/2006) ; European Social Fund (ESF) Regulation (No 1081/2006) ; The Cohesion Fund (No 1084/2006) ; The European Grouping of territorial cooperation (EGTC) (No 1082/2006). 6

Proportionality The financial and administrative resources shall be proportional to the total amount of expenditure allocated to an operational programme for. . . • Choice of indicators for output and results; • Evaluations; • Reporting and monitoring in case of sub-delegation; • Arrangements for auditing the functioning of the systems, and • Annual and final report on implementation. 7

Decentralisation . . . one of the key objectives is to clearly delimit the framework, the nature, and the division of responsibility between the different actors concerned by the execution of the Community budget. These include the Member States and the implementing bodies, on the one hand, and the Commission, on the other. 8

Administrative capacity o Member States o Commission 9

Sound Financial Management o Concept o Evaluation 10

External audit o Context o Audit strategy 11