Who will most benefit?

This workshop is directly relevant to public officials from government ministries, regional governments, municipalities etc. who are assessing possible financing sources for infrastructure projects across all sectors, The particular focus is on those which are potential beneficiaries of EU Structural and Investment Funds for infrastructure projects for which the use of private finance may be appropriate with or without credit enhancement in the context of the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI). The workshop is also directly relevant to Managing Authorities, Certifying Authorities and Audit Authorities. The workshop will also be of interest to academics and to service providers and private sector entities interested in bidding for, financing or acting as professional advisers/consultants on such projects.

What is this workshop about?

Potential beneficiaries of EU Structural and Investment Funds are faced with new and complex choices about how to deliver projects. Publicly financed projects using a combination of national and EU Funds are a long established way of delivering infrastructure and continue to be a viable option. Private finance in different forms via the use of PPP projects have also been an option for several years, and there are significant sums of private capital available for investment in infrastructure projects. But the combination of PPP and EU Funds has so far proved to be very challenging. Up to now the rules for both have not made it easy to manage the complexity of the interface between them. Now the scope for use of private finance has potentially been broadened by the availability of credit enhancement via the mechanism of the EFSI. This Fund in itself calls for a decision about the need for and desirability of credit enhancement as well as choices about how to structure finance supported by such credit enhancement.

There is no default option - choices must be made on a case by case basis. And the right choice of the delivery and financing model is the key first step to the effective design and execution of an infrastructure project.

This workshop will help you make better choices through:

• A better understanding of the rules, principles and challenges associated with using European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) to modernise infrastructure
• A better understanding of how private finance can be used to modernise infrastructure and the challenges in using it both to deliver desired outcomes and to secure value for money
• Setting out the choices, challenges and opportunities associated with blending ESIF with private finance and with using credit enhancement via EFSI
• The practical experience of those who have implemented projects using ESIF, private finance and credit enhancement
• A better understanding of the decision making process to be followed to choose between the options.

How will it help you?

The workshop will be based on presentations, practical exercises and case studies. It will enable you to discuss specific issues which you are currently facing and exchange experiences and concerns in making choices about which infrastructure projects to prioritise, what delivery and financing model to use for the projects which have been prioritised and how to design and execute the selected projects to deliver the desired outcomes for your stakeholders. It will enable you to consider how you might approach these choices differently in the future.