The New EU Directives on Public Procurement Bring in Some Significant Changes

Breach of the procurement rules in the area of EU Funded Projects does not only negatively influence investments, but can also lead to freezing of payments for the whole fund or programme in a particular Member State. Moreover, the European Court of Auditors’ annual reports clearly state, that incorrect application of European legislation in the field of public procurement is the biggest source of irregularities and errors in EU Funded Projects. For this reason, the European Commission as well as the Member States will strengthen checks and audits of public procurements in the new Programming Period. Projects that include EU funding not only have to comply with the regulations on structural funds but also with public procurement legislation. As this field of law is especially complex and both national and EU procurement legislation have to be respected, the correct application of procurement law causes many practical problems to stakeholders. Therefore, involved experts have to constantly update their knowledge on public procurement procedures for EU funded projects. An attractive opportunity to learn how to implement the new EU Directives on Public Procurement in the praxis is the 3rd European Summer Academy “Public Procurement for EU Funded Projects 2014” from 2nd to 4th June 2014. The event is a three-day intensive practical training whit workshop character which provides practical skills and know-how in the field of public procurements for all authorities within the management and control system of EU funds. Participants will delve deep into the difficulties of the identification of public procurement risks. They will especially learn how to handle irregularities. Practical exercises and tasks will demonstrate how to improve the measures to control public procurement procedures. This year a special focus will be put on: • Implementation and use of the new EU Public Procurement Directives • Meeting the Requirements for the New Programming Period 2014-2020 • Effective Management of the Execution of Public Contracts and Amendments • Preventing, Detecting and Handling Irregularities and Fraud Cases • Check Lists and Methods for an Effective Audit of Public Procurements in EU Funded Projects After each presentation and case study the students will be invited to practice their skills in a practical session. Based on their successful results of the daily knowledge checks, they will be awarded the unique diploma of the European Academy for Taxes, Economics & Law. All details regarding the speakers, the programme and the registration formalities are available here: http://www.euroakad.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/dateien/conferences/3rd_European_Summer_Academy_Public_Procurement_for_EU_Funded_Projects_2014_PR.pdf.