Target groupThis seminar is open to all public officials from national, regional or local governments and related agencies, as well people from the private market and NGOs wishing to increase their understanding of the management of EU funds in the field of renewable energy projects. Target groups are the Managing authority of ESIF, the implementing bodies, the beneficiary organisations, experts from the lead ministries, etc.DescriptionEU leaders agreed on 23 October 2014 the “2030 framework for climate and energy policies”. which aims to make the European Union's economy and energy system more competitive, secure and sustainable, and also sets a binding target of at least 27% for renewable energy and energy savings by 2030.Under the new 2014-2020 multiannual framework, a wide range of funding possibilities exists in order to comply with the Renewable energy directive, as well as to close the energy savings gap. However, the capacities for doing so are definitely sub-optimal in many countries. Because of the importance in general of renewable energy and energy efficiency on the European agenda, the European Court of Auditors will also keep a close eye on projects in this field.This two-day seminar first briefly presents the legal background and the overview of funding possibilities in the field of renewable energy. Hereafter, the emphasis of the programme will lie on ERDF and CF and how to use them for your renewable energy projects. We then dig into the different phases of project management before explaining the dos and don’ts with reference to real case examples. At the end of the second day, participants will work in groups to master their proposal writing skills, to successfully handle the intermediate and final phases of a project, and to learn about financial reporting of renewable energy projects. Participants will also learn from a member of the European Court of Auditors how to prepare themselves for audits and how to avoid errors.Learning methodologyThe first part of the programme is presented by European Commission officials and will take the shape of a lecture. However, the focus of this seminar is on real case examples and workshops. We therefore strongly recommend that you go through the reading material that will be provided two weeks before the start of the seminar. This allows everyone to start with basic knowledge on project cycle management and ESIF. These practice-oriented sessions are led by an EIPA expert, a senior auditor at the European Court of Auditors and managing authority representatives. By bringing together a variety of backgrounds, room for debate and expression of different points of insight are ensured.In addition, each speaker will prepare comprehensive documentation for distribution to the participants. Two weeks before the seminar, EIPA will provide the participants with a reader containing relevant background material and documentation.