Circulars

The ESF Paying Authority has issued a number of Circulars which offer an interpretation of EU Regulations governing the use of ESF.

Circulars issued by the ESF Paying Authority

• ESF/PA/1-2001 (esf_pa_1.doc)
  Financial Management and Control Procedures for the European Social Fund (ESF) 2000-2006
• ESF/PA/2-2001 (esf_pa_2.doc)
  Eligibility Rules
• ESF/PA/3-2001 (esf_pa_3.doc)
  Explanatory leaflet to the ESF Eligibility Rules for the period 1 January 2000 - 31 December 2006
• ESF/PA/4-2001 (esf_pa_4.doc)
  Description of management and control systems required under Article 5 of Commission Regulation (EC) No. 438/2001.
• ESF/PA/5-2002 (esf_pa_5.doc)
  The purpose of this circular is to advise NDP/CSF Managing Authorities and departments with delegated Managing Authority functions, of changes to procedures for ex-ante certification of expenditure in order to draw-down funding from the European Commission.
  
• ESF/PA/6-2002 (esf_pa_6.doc)
  The purpose of this circular is to implement improvements to certain practices and procedures following a Commission "Preventive audit on management and control systems for Managing and Paying Authority", Ireland.

Closure of 2000-2006

The closure of all EU Structural Fund Programmes 2000-2006 is fast approaching and based on the experience of previous closures, It is important that we begin the preparation for the same at an early date if we are to mitigate the pressures on the system and ensure an orderly and successful closure of all ESF Programmes. The European Commission have prepared closure guidelines on the arrangements and procedures to be put in place by Member States, which is attached for your convenience. In order to maximise the drawdown of ESF receipts, it is important that all closure material required by the European Commission is of the appropriate standard and quality and is provided in a timely fashion to assist the closure process. It will therefore be necessary for the final report and final expenditure declaration to be submitted to the Managing Authorities no late that 30th June 2008 in order to meet EU regulatory deadline. This in effect will necessitate a cut of date of 31st March 2008 for acceptance of payment claims by the implementing bodies. Therefore effective planning is required at this stage to ensure that deadlines are met and the maximum ESF drawdown is achieved. For example, in support of their final payment claims the implementing bodies will have to review previous expenditure declared, prepare and provide a schedule of all irregularities identified to-date, ensure that such irregularities have been reported to OLAF (the European Anti Fraud Office) and deducted from claims made to the Commission. A review of all audit reports and control checks will also have to be undertaken to ensure that all recommendations have been implemented. It should also be noted that the documentation supporting the final claims are required to be retained for 3 years after the final closure payment is received.