Article 13 checks have become a household term over the past eight years, keeping faith to their 2000-06 predecessor, Article 4. Management verifications have traditionally been dominated by 100% administrative verifications and sample physical on-the-spot checks, leading to long hours of document checking and unwelcome financial corrections. Yet, this was not enough. According to the Court of Auditors, Managers of programmes focused more on absorbing the money (outputs) than on achieving results and impact on the ground. Something had to change. In fact, the design of the Cohesion Policy 2014-2020 and its Operational Programmes are now strongly in favour of results.

What are the effects on the first-level of control? Will verifiers be replaced by evaluators? Where does financial management and control feature in this new drive? And sound financial management?

This course elicits discussions on these and other questions, to better understand the role of all the authorities in their monitoring and audit of performance for the 2014-20 Programmes. Together with our experts and guest speakers, participants analyse the implications of the Performance Framework, the stronger use of simplified cost options and financial instruments, the management declaration and annual summary, e-Cohesion, the new Procurement Directives, the possible knowledge gaps in the MAs, IBs, CAs and AAs and the recommendations the Court of Auditors and the European Commission. Certainly, management verifications will never be the same.