Courses
AutumnAcademy
Efficient Audit and Control of the European Social Fund and Cross-Border Projects:
Practitioner’s Toolbox
openregistration
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Description
How to manage, control and audit effectively European Social Fund (ESF) and cross-border projects? What are the specific problems, significant risks, challenges, common errors and findings related to such projects? How to develop risk based management verification methodology for ESF and cross-border projects in the new programming period? How to use effectively the simplified costs options? How the MA can establish effective and proportionate controls to prevent and detect irregularities, conflict of interests and fraud indicators in these projects?
Answering all these questions is the key point of the current workshop on best practices in the verifications and audits of ESF and cross-border projects. The participants will gain practical knowledge and know-how on the selection, management, control and audit of ESF and European Territorial Cooperation projects. They will get to know what are the common problems and challenges in the selection, management and control of ESF and cross-border projects. The workshop provides unique combination of practical skills and know-how covering all essential stages of the ESF and European Territorial Cooperation projects: selection, management, verifications, monitoring and audit of these projects with plenty of examples, case studies and discussion panels, where the participants will be able to raise questions and case studies.
We believe learning happens best with practical knowledge and discussing realistic, lifelike, and complicated cases and real examples.
WHO IS THE WORKSHOP FOR?
- Representatives from Public Authorities in charge of the selection, management, verification, monitoring and audit of ESF and European Territorial Cooperation projects;
- Managing Authorities;
- Certifying Authorities;
- Audit Authorities;
- Intermediate Bodies;
- Joint Secretariats;
- First level controllers
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Programme
Wednesday 16 October 2024
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09.00
Welcome note by ESI FA
Introduction Round of the participants. Expectations of the participants.
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09.15
Simplified cost options. Experience and best practices from Latvia
- Examples of ESF projects SCO from Latvia;
- System of elaboration of SCOs methodologies in Latvia;
- The involvement of Audit Authority in preparation of SCOs methodologies (ex-ante assessments);
- Audit of SCO
Jeļena Keirāne; Expert on Audits of EU Funded programmes and operations
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10.30
Coffee Break
Networking
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11.00
Management verifications and irregularities in ESF projects – experience from Latvia. Part 1
- System of management verifications implemented in Latvia;
- On-the-spot checks;
- Verifications of payment claims;
- Ex-ante procurement checks;
- Risk based management verifications in ESF projects;
- Use of data bases and IT tools for management verifications
Jeļena Keirāne; Expert on Audits of EU Funded programmes and operations
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00.30
Lunch
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13.30
Management verifications and irregularities in ESF projects – experience from Latvia. Part 2
- System of management of irregularities implemented in Latvia;
- Examples of non-fraudulent irregularities in ESF projects in Latvia;
- Examples of fraudulent irregularities in ESF projects in Latvia;
- AFCOS work regarding fraudulent irregularities in Latvia
Jeļena Keirāne; Expert on Audits of EU Funded programmes and operations
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15.00
Practical exercise: Case studies
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16.00
End of the Official Programme Day 1
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18.00
Walking Tour in Malaga
Walking Tour followed with a common get-together dinner in Malaga
Thursday 17 October 2024
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09.00
Programming, simplified cost options and evaluation of ESF projects. Experience and best practices from Croatia
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10.30
Coffee Break
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11.00
Management verifications and irregularities in ESF projects – experience from Croatia Part 1
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00.30
Lunch
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13.30
Management verifications and irregularities in ESF projects – experience from Croatia Part 2
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15.00
Practical exercise: Case studies
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16.00
End of the Day two
Friday 18 October 2024
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09.00
Evaluation and First level control of European Territorial Cooperation projects
- Specific risks related to cross-border projects;
- Centralized or decentralized control;
- How to define appropriate and adequate project indicators;
- Risks related to the sustainability of the projects;
- Quality assurance by the MA and NA in case of the decentralized controls and outsourcing;
- Risk based management verifications for cross-border projects. HIT methodology;
- Best practices for prevention, detection and combating irregularities and fraud in European Territorial Cooperation projects;
- Action plans and corrective measures;
+ Questions and discussion
Radoslav Nedyalkov, CGAP, audit expert
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10.30
Coffee Break
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11.00
Common errors and audit findings related to cross-border projects
- Common risks, challenges and best practices in the evaluation of project proposals and first level of control;
- How to prevent and detect conflict of interests;
- Identification of system errors and fraud risks;
- Role and importance of on the spot checks;
- Common errors, findings and irregularities;
- Best practices and lessons learnt from the current programming period
+ Questions and discussion
Radoslav Nedyalkov, CGAP, audit expert
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00.30
Lunch
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13.30
Practical exercise: Case studies
Radoslav Nedyalkov, CGAP, audit expert
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15.00
Final conclusions from the workshop, questions and discussion
Radoslav Nedyalkov, CGAP, audit expert
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15.30
End of the Academy
Handing out of the Certificates
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Experts
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Venue
4* Hotel in Malaga
Next to the training materials the trainign fee is covering:
a) the Catering during the training (3 Coffee Breaks and a Lunch every day);
b) a Walking Tour in Malaga in the evening of the First Day of the Training;
c) a get-together dinner in the evening of the First Day of the Training.
