Glossaire

An agreement is a convention or promise between two or more parties, by deed in writing, signed, and delivered, by which either of the parties pledges himself to the other that something is either done, or shall be done, or shall not be done.

Pilot activity is a practical measure implemented in the context of a territorial cooperation project that aims to test or pilot strategies and tools in the partner regions.

State Aid means action by a (national, regional or local) public authority, using public resources, to favour certain undertakings or the production of certain goods. A business that benefits from such aid thus enjoys an advantage over its competitors. Control of State Aid thus reflects the need to maintain free and fair competition within the European Union. Aid which is granted selectively by Member States or through state resources and which may affect trade between Member States or distort competition is therefore prohibited (Article 107 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union - TFEU). State Aid may nonetheless be permitted if justified by objectives of general economic interest, if it falls within the General Block Exemption (e.g. Article 19 - Cooperation costs of SMEs in ETC), if it falls within de minims, or if it has been notified to and approved by DG Competition.

Pro-rata allocation of costs means proportionate allocation of costs, revenue, shares, etc. to a project or project partner on the basis of a fair, equitable and verifiable calculation method.

Risk assessment aims to obtain better understanding of the project, its environment and/or the project partner, in order to identify and assess the risks of material misstatement due to fraud or error. Sampling methodologies often include risk assessments as a basis for planning the sampling methodology.

Calls for proposals is a mechanism whereby a selection process is launched to choose candidates/projects on a competitive basis. Actors are invited to submit project proposals. Calls for proposals are publicly announced. Information is provided on the type of projects that will be considered for funding and on specific conditions to be met in each Call for Proposals. Only part of the proposed projects will pass the selection test.

A conditional approval is a project selection decision that a project can be approved only if it meets a number of conditions (e.g., budget cuts, work plan modifications) before final approval. The conditions cannot fundamentally change the project, and must be met within a deadline. If not, the project could be rejected.

An audit is the process of verification that implementation of the programme is in line with EU regulations and programme rules. Audit is delivered yearly by an Audit Authority (see: audit authority) and it consist of two parts; one is audit of operations which is a verification of eligibility of expenditures claimed from and reimbursed by the EC. The second is a system audit, which is the verification that all the systems described in the description of management and control system function properly.

The Managing Authority (MA) is the operationally-responsible body of the programme. It ensures the effective and efficient implementation of the programme, and delivers the programme strategy in accordance with preset quality standards. The MA therefore takes the lead in establishing systems and procedures, and ensures that these are maintained. The MA usually handles the more formal communications ‘upwards’ to the Member States and the European Commission (EC).

An Opinion is an instrument that allows the institutions to make a statement in a non-binding fashion, in other words without imposing any legal obligation on those to whom it is addressed. An opinion is not binding. It can be issued by the main EU institutions (Commission, Council, Parliament), the Committee of the Regions, and the European Economic and Social Committee. While laws are being made, the committees give opinions from their specific regional or economic and social viewpoint.