TESIM Support Update: July 2017
Bringing programmes together
While summer gradually gets closer and the prospects of well-deserved holidays increasingly become our daily thought, this is maybe the right time to wrap up a number of processes in which TESIM has been heavily involved throughout the first half of 2017.
This is particularly the case when it comes to the finalisation of written guidance. Four documents, mostly dealing with audit issues (e.g., preparation of the audit strategy, requirements on audit of accounts), will soon be available on our website, together with the updates of the guidance on compliance assessment prepared back in 2016. As opposed to what the timing of their publication may imply, these are not meant to be your favourite readings this summer. But take a look at them and give us a heads up if there is something we may have forgotten! In the meantime we will prepare an additional range of materials, several of which will have a particular focus on the specificities of CBC Partner Countries on a couple of hot topics, namely State aid and public procurement.
We are also about to put an end to the first phase of services related to the closure of ENPI CBC programmes. The meeting on recoveries held in Brussels on 27 June represented the last step of this phase, as a result of which a full Guide on closure and a set of Questions & Answers are ready for publication in final version. Time now for you to let us know how we can be of further help in the process. Be it through individual working sessions or simply addressing queries you may be confronted with, do not hesitate to ask!
You may have seen some information on our social media channels concerning the 2nd LabGroup on Large Infrastructure Projects that took place in Vilnius on 20-21 June. This is yet another process in which the focus shifts, from project summaries to full application forms. With over 40 summaries already approved, several experiences concerning the first stage of selection were shared among the participants of the event, which counted also the presence of DG Near. And since our next bulletin will come with very short notice, get ready for our next networking event! We will meet in Budapest on 13-14 September to discuss financial issues of relevance to the evaluation and selection of project proposals. Yes: State aid will be discussed…but we will tackle many other topics too! The official announcement and draft agenda will be circulated in the next days.
Spreading the word
Good news! Our common proposal with DG Near and DG Regio for a workshop on ENI CBC during the European Week of Cities and Regions has been accepted by the organisers. We will discuss how regions and cities along the external borders can be important agents for change. Save the date (11 October) and make sure you sign up for the workshop when registration opens. We would love to count on your opinion on this topic too! And our own activity in the framework of European Cooperation Day 2017 is officially launched. What do young future journalists living in Brussels know and think about life at the external borders of the EU? We will discover their views on 26 September. But this encounter may be only the beginning of a really exciting trip. This is a tiny piece of a secret that we will keep to ourselves until the next bulletin, though.
Before greeting you until September, allow us to send a very warm thank you to all the people in Sicily who contributed to the success of our latest media mission on ENPI CBC project results! Can CBC bring a positive change to the lives of young farmers producing traditional sheep cheese or to the income that fishermen receive for their catch? Yes, it can! And it will be our task to duly reflect it in the final video.
Well, bye for now. But only for what concerns this bulletin: our services never stop in full! Enjoy your holidays and come back ready. The rentrée will be certainly one to remember!
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