Cohesion Policy Project Appraisal, CBA, and Economic Appraisal (Basic and Advanced)

This (2-stage) online course will focus on the Project Appraisal requirements for EU co-financed investment projects and the Economic Appraisal Vademecum of DG REGIO. It will clarify the link between the Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) Guide, CBA requirements and using the Vademecum.

For the 2021-2027 period, major projects have no longer been specifically defined. Nor has there been an EU approval mechanism for large investment projects co-financed under Cohesion Policy. However, Member states are still obliged to select the most cost-effective projects. This approach is carried over into the upcoming 2028-2034 period.

The Economic Appraisal Vademecum provided by the EC for the period 2021-2027 is provided as a supplement to the European Commission (DG REGIO) CBA Guide, which remains in use. The Vademecum recommends proportionate efforts in project appraisal and highlights good sectoral practices. It offers a guide to simplified CBA and other appraisal techniques, such as cost-effectiveness tests and multi-criteria analyses.

Course methodology

This 5-day course has 2 stages: basic and advanced

1. Stage 1 (Basic) is over two half-days and it will cover the methods, concepts and calculations contained in the DG REGIO Cohesion Policy CBA Guide.
2. Stage 2 of the course (Advanced) spans three half-days. Leading experts from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank will discuss:
   • best practice in using CBA for project appraisal
   • best practice lessons from Major Projects
   • the current DG REGIO requirements
   • alternative project appraisal techniques; project quality standards, 2021-2027
   • using CBA for other instruments, such as the Connecting Europe Facility
   • key aspects of the theoretical foundations of CBA

If you do not wish to participate in the Basic stage, you can register for the 3-day Advanced stage only.

The course will present principles, methods and criteria which can be used by public decision-makers. It will help you to better understand what information is required to assess the financial and economic viability of an investment project and so make the best co-financing decisions in 2021–2027 and beyond.

Key elements will be practised during workshops with the direct involvement of our EC, EIB (and academic) experts. We will clarify when and how to use CBA, going forward.

• Managing and audit authorities, intermediate bodies and relevant agencies, under Cohesion Policy;
• Beneficiaries eligible for Structural Funds, the Cohesion Fund, CEF and InvestEU;
• Auditors and consulting companies, academics;
• RRF and other actors involved in EU funding programmes and projects.

Project number: 2630209

Online Course
For this online course we make use of Zoom

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

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.

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 € 50 for cancellations received within 7 days before the activity begins. There is no charge for qualified substitute participants.

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.