What you will learn
The multiannual financial framework (MFF, formerly ‘financial perspectives’) is a spending plan that translates the EU priorities into financial terms. It is not a seven-year budget, but the basis for the annual budgetary exercise; it limits expenditure over a fixed period and defines the maximum amounts available for each major category of spending. It therefore provides a political as well as budgetary framework for focusing resources and investments where needed.
The European Council on February 8, 2013 reached agreement on the next MFF, which defines the budgetary priorities of the EU for the years 2014-2020. In line with the consolidation efforts in the Member States, EU leaders agreed to cut, compared to the current MFF 2007-2013, the financial resources which the EU may mobilise. However, in order to enhance growth and jobs, funds for research, innovation and education have been increased. Leaders also agreed on a new initiative dedicated to tackling the pressing challenge of youth unemployment. Irish presidency of the Council of the EU, representatives of the European Parliament and the Commission on 27 June reached political agreement that confirmed the expenditure ceilings agreed by the European Council on 8 February.
How you will benefit
The purpose of the workshop is to give participants the basic information about the 2014 - 2020 multiannual financial framework of the EU. The unique feature of this workshop is that it combines traditional training methods with the participatory approach to learning. A part from the plenary sessions, group exercises and assignments it will provide insight to practical problems participants may experience during their work. Sufficient time will be allotted to questions and answers to enable participants to benefit from the exchange of professional experiences and practical examples.
By the end of the seminar, participants will be able to:
- Explain the concept of EU public finances and multiannual financial frameworks.
- Understand the main issues in the recently concluded EU multiannual financial framework negotiations for the period 2014-20 and the main features of the final agreement.
- Explain the key mechanisms, financial frame and political economy backgrounds of the Common agricultural policy.
- Have full understanding of cohesion policy’s reform, what has changed and why in order to be better able to translate theory into practice, also through IPA II instrument.
Who should attend
The workshop is designed for public officials working in ministries of finance, ministries and offices for EU integrations, line ministries responsible for various aspects of economic and social development as well as agricultural ministries, and for employees of Central Banks.
Requirements
Employment in public sector is required to attend the workshop. Participants must have a good command of English. Active participation during the workshop is required.
Faculty
Emil Erjavec
Full Professor, Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana
Emil Erjavec is Professor of Agricultural Policy and Economics, Vice Dean at the Biotechnical Faculty University of Ljubljana Slovenia and regular visiting professor at the University for live sciences and natural resources (BOKU) in Vienna. His professional expertise includes various aspects of agricultural and rural development policy, especially European Union Common Agricultural Policy, European policy and economics, sector modeling, development economics and policy impact assessments. In the years 1998-2004 he was the member of negotiation team for EU-accession of Slovenia responsible for agriculture. After 2003 he has been involved as adviser in all main activities of the Republic of Slovenia related to the negotiations about the 2007-2013 and 2014-2014 financial perspectives of the EU. He has been national coordinator of various EU FP projects, invited speaker to the conferences on EU integration and agricultural policy issues and senior adviser of several South and Eastern European governments in the field of agricultural policy and EU accession. For his contributions he has been promoted as doctor honora cause from Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. Since 2008, he is a Board member of the European Association of Agricultural Economics and between 2008 and 2013 he was the president of the Slovenian Association of Agricultural Economics.
Mojmir Mrak
Full Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana
Mr. Mrak is a Jean Monnet Chair professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia and regular visiting professor at the universities in Vienna, Austria and Sienna, Italy. He has more than 20 years of experiences in designing and implementing Slovenian Government's policy in areas of international finance and EU financial issues. Between 1992 and 1996, he was the chief external debt negotiator of the Republic of Slovenia. In addition, he was responsible for early credit arrangements of Slovenia with the EBRD and the IBRD. Since 1997, he was chief advisor of the Slovenian Government on financial aspects of the country’s EU accession process. Within this framework, he was responsible for negotiations about the financial package of Slovenia’s accession to the EU (between 2001 and 2002). Later on, i.e. between 2003 and early 2006 and since 2010, he has been involved in the activities of the Republic of Slovenia related to the negotiations about the 2007-2013 and 2014-2014 medium-term financial perspectives of the EU.
Vasja Rant
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana
Vasja Rant is an assistant professor of money and finance at the Faculty of Economics, University of Ljubljana and a member of the teaching staff under the Jean Monnet Chair Mojmir Mrak. He also teaches at the Faculty of Economics’ programme in Kosovo and has delivered lectures and coruses as a part of visiting professor programmes at Dokuz Eylul University (Turkey) and Kyungpook National University (S Korea). His research interests mainly include EU economic topics as well as international finance issues, including the recent financial crises. He has published articles in various refereed journals and has presented his work at several international conferences, workshops or seminars. Professionally, he has cooperated with the Slovenian government on multiple occasions about EU topics, including cohesion and agricultural policies, and has taken an active part in the negotiations about the EU financial perspectives 2007-2013 and the multiannual financial framework 2014-2020. During these negotiations he has provided full analytical support to the government by developing a model of financial flows between the EU budget and member states’ national budgets. He has also been involved in discussions about possible EU budget reform at Slovenian and EU levels, including by taking part in the academic discussions organized by the Bureau of Economic Policy Advisors of the European Commission as well as by participating in an expert group, established by the Slovenian government on this topic.
Peter Wostner
Senior Advisor, Ministry for Economic Development and Technology
Dr. Peter Wostner, AcSS, has for the last decade been directly involved in cohesion policy formulation and implementation. He has first-hand experience on EU negotiations from the level of multiannual financial framework negotiations, down to negotiations of cohesion policy operational programmes. He has headed the preparation of cohesion policy operational programmes and their modifications for three times (app. €5 billion worth of programmes) and been member of all Slovene National Development Plans’ preparation teams since 1999. He is a specialist for cohesion policy as he has been one of the key persons in the discussion on the rational, architecture and design of cohesion policy and has also published extensively on the topic. As a deputy director of the managing authority for structural funds and Cohesion fund in Slovenia (2005 – 2012) he has direct knowledge and experience on cohesion policy implementation systems. Mr. Wostner is also a lecturer at various professional and expert meetings, conferences, trainings and seminars, including regular lectures, in particular on development policies, cohesion policy and EU budget, at the Faculty of Economics and Faculty of Social Sciences, both University of Ljubljana. He is also a referee for scientific journals like the Journal of Common Market Studies and Regional Studies.
Application procedure
Application Closing Date: Sep 5,2013
