About this course

The goal of this highly practical course/workshop extending over two and a half days is to present the following:

• Changes in the 2021–2027 programming period (CPR and other regulations): simplified costs/financing not linked to costs, proportionate control arrangement, annual accounts and audits, conditionalities, performance, proportional anti-fraud measures etc.
• Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) – what are the requirements of the European Commission in relation to the measures of the Member States to prevent, detect and correct conflicts of interests, corruption, fraud and double financing, and to ensure sound financial management of the RRF funds? How do we establish effective and efficient internal control systems? Is it a good idea for Member States to rely on the control systems for the national budget funds? Who will audit RRF funds? How the audit will look like and what are the proportional anti-fraud measures under RRF?
• What are the new fraud risks and corruption practices and how can we prevent and combat them?
• Organisation, mission, procedures and vision of the European Anti-Fraud office (OLAF) for the new programming period 2021–2027: what should we expect from OLAF in relation to RRF inspections?
• Fraud in Structural and Cohesion Fund co-financed projects: real-life examples are presented by an OLAF expert.
• The ARACHNE programme: a practical tool of fraud prevention and detection for MSs. How do we use ARACHNE effectively in the management verifications of the Managing Authorities? How do we use ARACHNE in the sampling methodology of the Managing Authorities if we decide to perform checks on a sample base?
• ESF/ERDF/CF audits: where are the differences? How do these function in the programming period 2021–2027?
• Main elements of the ESF/ERDF/CF audits: how do we plan efficient ESF/ERDF/CF audits?
• What are the main conflicts of interests and fraud risks in the processes of a selection of project proposals and management verifications in the current programming period?
• What are the main errors and irregularities in projects co-funded by the ESF/ERDF/CF and significant risks related to RRF projects?
• ESF/ERDF audit findings in different Member States are presented, including real case studies.

After the presentations, you will work in small groups with experts on practical case studies.

Course methodology / highlights and level

The course has a very practical and interactive character. All presentations are given by audit and fraud prevention experts from the National Audit Authority, the European Commission and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) include concrete examples and real-life case studies.