Latest News
07 August 2009
European Structural Funds Division is moving
As from Monday 10 August we will be relocating to:-
5 Atlantic Quay
4th Floor
150 Broomielaw
Glasgow
G2 8LU
All enquires should be sent to Europeanstructuralfunds@scotland.gsi.gov.uk or you can call us on 0300 244 1091.
29 July 2009
Refreshed Communications Plan and Evaluation Plan
Attached today are new versions of two key strategy documents for European Structural Funds in Scotland.
· Our Communication Plan (2007-13) is refreshed by 30 June each year. The plan is provided to the European Commission and published widely for the information of partners. It sets out our overall communication strategy and forward planning to promote the funding provided by European Structural Funds.
· Likewise our Evaluation Plan (2007-13) is also refreshed yearly and voluntarily published for the information of all partners and the public. It shows the overall approach we have adopted for monitoring and evaluation of the Scottish Programmes and sets out the intended work plan for evaluations, as overseen by the Scottish Programmes' Monitoring and Evaluation Group, over the lifetime of the current Programmes.
ESF Legal Context of European Structural Funds State Aid Notification
Today, the Scottish Government has proposed a Legal Context for the European Structural Funds State Aids Notification for the European Social Fund in Highlands & Islands and Lowlands and Uplands Scotland. This Notification has been sent to the European Commission via the State Aids Unit.
The Notification sets out the legal basis which ensures that the European Social Fund in Scotland complies with the relevant provision of the EC General Block Exemption (Commission Regulation No 800/2008).
Click here to see the legal context of the European Structural Funds State Aid notification document.
23 July 2009
ERDF Legal Context of European Structural Funds State Aid Notification
Today, the Scottish Government has proposed a Legal Context of European Structural Funds State Aids Notification. This Notification will go forward to the European Commission via the State Aids Unit.
The Notification sets out our legal basis which ensures that ERDF Scotland complies with the relevant provision of the General Block Exemption (Commission Regulation No 800/2008).
Click here to see the legal context of the European Structural Funds State Aid notification document.
05 June 2009
Extension of the 2000 - 2006 Programmes
The Scottish Government has given careful consideration to the option of extending the eligibility period of the 2000-2006 Structural Fund programmes, as suggested by the European Commission. After assessing the merits of this option, and of front-loading spend in the 2007-2013 programmes on counter recessionary measures, it has been decided that concentrating on the 2007-2013 programmes represents a more effective and secure use of available resources.
Although we welcomed this initiative of the European Commission, it has not been possible to overcome UK budgetary considerations. HM Treasury have informed the Scottish Government that any costs resulting from applications for extensions would be charged to the Scottish Government, in effect a 70 per cent clawback. It is clear that using the finite resources available to us to support an extension would inevitably have a negative impact on spending in other areas and could have undermined the delivery of elements of the Economic Recovery Programme.
In addition to the short term financial considerations, we also believe that offering additional support to projects originally funded in the earlier programming period raised issues of additionality and carried an unacceptable longer term audit risk to the Scottish budget.
The policy of front-loading the spend in the 2007-2013 programmes has seen investment in 472 projects (with a value of £335 million) across the whole of Scotland, since the launch of the 2007 - 2013 Programmes.
18 April 2009
First Minister announces £95 million in European Structural Funds for Lowlands and Uplands Scotland
Today First Minister Alex Salmond announced significant additional funding, to the value of £95 million, for 129 projects under Round Two of the 2007 - 2013 the Lowlands and Uplands Scotland Programme.
This further announcement brings the number of approved projects to 472 (with a value of £335 million) across the whole of Scotland, since the launch of the 2007 - 2013 Programmes.
See the full list of both European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund projects and the awards given here.
23 March 2009
First Minister announces Highlands and Islands European Regional Development Fund
First Minister Alex Salmond announced the Highlands and Islands European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) projects, approved in Round Three of the 2007 - 2013 Programme.
See the full list of projects and the amount of Regional Development Fund awarded.
20 March 2009
Minister announces Highlands and Islands European Social Fund Projects
Today Cabinet Secretary for Education and LifeLong Learning, Fiona Hyslop, announced the Highlands and Islands European Social Fund (ESF) projects, approved in Round Three of the 2007 - 2013 Programme.
Click here for the full list of projects and the amount of Social Fund awarded.
09 March 2009
European Commission audit report on Highlands and Islands 1994-1999 European Regional Development Fund
Recently the European Commission carried out an audit on the Highlands and Islands Objective 1, 1994-1999 European Regional Development Fund.
Click on the links for more information on the final audit report and/or the European Commission's final decision on their audit.
27 February 2009
Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion: Turning Territorial Diversity into Strength - Scottish Government Response
The Finance and Sustainable Growth Minister, John Swinney, submitted the following paper to the Commission in February 2009, in response to the EU Green Paper on Territorial Cohesion.
03 February 2009
Extension of 2000-06 Programmes
Partners will be aware that the European Commission offered Member States the option of extending the eligibility period of the 2000-2006 Programmes. The Scottish Government has applied to take advantage of this flexibility and we are awaiting confirmation that this request has been accepted.
If technical issues can be satisfactorily resolved with both the Commission and Treasury we will contact the sponsors of infrastructure projects of national strategic importance, business support and Venture Capital/loan fund projects who did not claim up to the level of the ERDF grant offered to them to see if they can make another claim. Claims must be supported by a full transaction list to cover the period of the additional expenditure and the normal rules on the existence of a full and transparent audit trail and document retention will apply.
Ministers are keen that any additional funds made available to sponsors through this exercise will have an immediate impact on the economy. To allow us to report to Ministers on the likely impact of this intervention sponsors will be asked to provide a report on what the additional funding will be used for.
23 December 2008
Global Grants Body - South of Scotland
Applications are now being sought through EUROSYS for projects eligible to apply in the Dumfries & Galloway and Scottish Borders local authority areas, through the new South of Scotland Global Grants Body.
The Global Grants Body will be responsible for delivering projects under the £19 million package agreed for the area. The projects will be able to bid through Priority 4 (Rural Development) of the Lowlands and Uplands ERDF Programme.
In the New Year also watch out for the advertising for an Advisory Group for the Global Grants Body. Details will be published at www.sosep.org.
Finally, a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all readers from us.
26 September 2008
Publicity Guidance for Structural Funds projects
The Scottish Government and our Intermediate Administration Body (IAB) partners have today published guidance on how projects can comply with European Commission publicity requirements.
The guidance is available on both the ESEP and HIPP IAB websites.
12 September 2008
Stage 1 applications
The Scottish Government and our Intermediate Administration Body (IAB) partners, ESEP and HIPP, are currently assessing the Stage 1 applications received for the ERDF and ESF Programmes in both the Lowlands and Uplands (LUPS) and Highlands and Islands (H&I) areas. The following number of applications are being assessed:
- LUPS (application round 2) - 155 ESF applications. 113 ERDF applications.
- H&I (application round 3) - 42 ESF applications. 23 ERDF applications.
These assessments will be complete soon and all project contacts will be notified of the outcome, via e-mail from the new on-line system, €UROSYS. Those applications successful in the Stage 1 process will then be invited to submit a further Stage 2 application on €UROSYS by no later than 10 October 2008.
Evaluation contracts awarded
The Scottish Government has set up an evaluation framework contract to cover all evaluation activity under the four 2007-13 Scottish Programmes. The contract, awarded after a full competitive tendering process, will run for 3 years, with an option for a further one year extension at the end of that period. The 3 successful companies to be placed on the framework contract are:
- Blake Stevenson
- Fraser Associates
- Hall Aitken
The Scottish Government looks forward to working with all 3 companies to deliver on the detail of the Scottish Programmes' Evaluation Plan.
05 September 2008
Call for Advisory Group Members
Applications are being sought today for a limited number of additional members of the Advisory Groups which were established last year for the 2007-13 European Social Fund (ESF) and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programmes. This is to ensure a good representative balance of external stakeholders with relevant experience and expertise.
Applications should be submitted in time for the appraisal of second round applications. There are different deadlines for the Programmes operating in different parts of the country:
- For Highlands & Islands Advisory Groups a response is required no later than Friday 19 September 2008.
- For Lowlands and Uplands Advisory Groups a response is required no later than Friday 28 November 2008.
Full details are available in the Nominations for Advisory Groups for the 2007-2013 Programmes guidance. The information is also being released on the IAB websites at ESEP and HIPP.
Scottish Structural Funds Operational Programmes
Available for download today is the documentation for each of the four the Operational Programmes: