Management, Control, and Audit of Projects Financed by EDF, SAFE, and other EU Defence Funds

This highly practical 2,5-day course provides a comprehensive overview and in-depth understanding of the management, reporting, monitoring, control, and audit of EU defence funds, with special focus on the European Defence Fund (EDF) and Security Action for Europe (SAFE) projects financed by the European Commission. The course focuses on the key regulatory, financial, and operational aspects that ensure the compliant, efficient, and successful implementation of EDF, SAFE, EDIP-funded projects, particularly in complex environments such as defence-related programmes and strategic capability investments.

The programme covers:

• A focused overview of the applicable EU regulations, financial rules, and programme requirements governing EDF and SAFE projects, and other available EU defence funds;
• Sound financial management and reporting of EDF and SAFE projects;
• Practical approaches to effective monitoring, management verifications, and control systems applied by public bodies responsible for EDF and SAFE project implementation;
• Best practices in monitoring and control, including how managing bodies and beneficiaries can detect and prevent irregularities;
• Common errors, weaknesses, and audit findings in EC-funded projects, including lessons learned from other EU programmes;
• Practical workshops on audit of defence-related contracts and programmes, financial compliance, and performance monitoring of strategic projects;
• Approaches used by Supreme Audit Institutions and EU auditors when performing financial, compliance, and performance audits of projects financed from EU funds.

A key feature of this course is its strong practical orientation and the exchange of experience from experts involved in EU-funded programmes and project management, monitoring, and audit, including specialists familiar with the auditing practices applied by the European Commission, European Court of Auditors (ECA), and national audit authorities.

Methodology

The course is designed to be highly practical, interactive, and experience based. All presentations are delivered by experts with hands-on experience in management, monitoring, control, and audit of EU-funded programmes and include real examples and case studies from EU-financed projects.

Presentations are followed by practical workshops in small working groups, where participants analyse real-life scenarios such as irregularities in project implementation, weaknesses in control systems, procurement risks in defence contracts, and findings from performance audits.

These workshops allow participants to apply audit methodologies, identify risks and gaps, and discuss practical solutions.

Participants will gain a clear understanding of how programmes and projects financed by EDF, SAFE, and other available EU defence funds are monitored and audited in practice.

It covers what the expectations of EU auditors are regarding management and control systems, and how beneficiaries and public authorities can reduce risks and improve compliance and performance.

Special attention will be given to typical risks in defence contracts and strategic programmes, as well as the main findings identified by Supreme Audit Institutions in performance audits of defence-related public spending.

Who will benefit most:

• Public authorities responsible for the management, monitoring, control, and audit of EDF and SAFE projects, including ministries, managing bodies, programme authorities, and national coordination bodies;
• Supreme Audit Institutions, internal audit units, and national audit authorities involved in auditing EU-financed projects or defence-related programmes;
• Public bodies and agencies implementing EDF and SAFE projects or supervising beneficiaries;
• Beneficiaries and project managers implementing EDF, SAFE and EDIP projects, including defence-related organisations, public institutions, and project consortia;
• Financial managers, compliance officers, and procurement experts involved in EDF- and SAFE-funded projects;
• Consulting and advisory companies supporting beneficiaries in the preparation, implementation, and reporting of EU-financed projects.

The course offers significant added value for both public authorities and project beneficiaries. Public bodies will strengthen their capacity to design effective monitoring and control systems, detect risks early, and ensure sound financial management of SAFE, EDF and EDIP projects. Beneficiaries will gain practical knowledge on applicable regulations, financial rules, and audit expectations, helping them to avoid common errors, address weaknesses identified in audits, and ensure the timely and compliant implementation of their projects.

Project number: 2620607

Course venue – To be confirmed
Madrid (ES)

Senior Project Officer
Ms Rafaella Giussani
Tel: +31 43 32 96 372
r.giussani@eipa.eu

Fee
The fee includes documentation, refreshments, lunches and a dinner. Accommodation and travel costs are at the expense of the participants or their administration.

Discounts
EIPA member fee
EIPA offers a discount to all civil servants working for one of EIPA’s supporting countries, and civil servants working for an EU institution, body or agency.

Who are the supporting countries?
Civil servants coming from the following EIPA supporting countries are entitled to get the reduced fee: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden.

For all other participants, the regular fee applies.

Early bird discount
EIPA offers 10% off on registrations made eight weeks or more before the start of a course. The early bird discount is not cumulative with other discounts or promo codes, except for the EIPA member fee.

Loyalty coupon
As a token of appreciation we offer all our participants a loyalty coupon for one of our future courses. The offer can be shared with colleagues and relevant networks. The coupon will expire one year after its release. This discount is not cumulative with other discounts, except for the EIPA member fee.

Meals
Dietary preferences can be indicated on the registration form.

Confirmation
Confirmation of registration will be forwarded to participants on receipt of the completed online registration form.

Payment
Prior payment is a condition for participation.

Cancellation policy
For administrative reasons you will be charged €150 for cancellations received within 15 days before the activity begins. There is no charge for qualified substitute participants.

EIPA reserves the right to cancel the activity up to 2 weeks before the starting date. In that case, registration fees received will be fully reimbursed. EIPA accepts no responsibility for any costs incurred (travel, accommodation, etc.).

A few days before the start of the course you will receive the log-in details for accessing the course materials. You can log in here.