Jargon Guide
European jargon
European jargon/Abbreviations
ERDF: The European Regional Development Fund aims to reduce regional imbalances and assist disadvantaged regions, particularly run-down areas facing restructuring problems and industrial decline and rural areas.
ESF: The European Social Fund aims to improve employment opportunities in the European Union by providing financial support towards the running costs for vocational training schemes, guidance and counselling projects, job creation measures and other steps to improve the employability and skills of both employed and unemployed people.
Objective 1: Promotes the development and structural adjustment of regions whose economic development is lagging behind - usually those regions whose per capita GDP is less than or close to 75% of the Community average. In Scotland, the Highlands and Islands area is in transition from Objective 1 status.
Objective 2: Promotes economic development and change in four kinds of regions: those hit by particular urban problems; areas which have been hardest hit by industrial decline, where traditional industries such as coal and steel, textiles and shipbuilding can no longer compete successfully; areas which have particular problems in their rural economy; and areas which are dependent on fisheries. There are three Objective 2 Programmes in Scotland: the East, South and West, some areas of which are in transition from Objective 2.
Objective 3: Combats long term unemployment; assists young people and those at risk from exclusion from the workforce; promotes equal opportunities and improves women's position in the workforce; promotes adaptability and entrepreneurship in the workforce; and improves training, education and counselling for lifelong learning. There is one Objective 3 Programme in Scotland, operating in the area outside the Highlands and Islands.
Community Initiatives: Address issues of interest to the European Union as a whole, particularly trans-national links, innovative approaches and exchange of experience. The current Community Initiatives are URBAN, EQUAL, INTEREG and LEADER.
URBAN: Promotes innovative solutions to urban problems of unemployment and population loss. Focused on small areas where the whole community can be involved in bottom-up approaches to regeneration. URBAN II operates in Port Glasgow and South Clydebank.
EQUAL: Promoted equality in the labour market, focused particularly on disadvantaged groups including women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and asylum seekers. The EQUAL programme operated across Scotland through development partnerships working with particular groups or issues.
INTEREG: Promotes co-operation and exchange of experience between regions, based around particular geographies (eg countries who share land borders) or issues. Operates through a system of development partnerships with a number of trans-national partners.
LEADER: Supports rural people in thinking about the potential of their areas and acts as a laboratory in which new approaches to rural development can be tested.
ATLAS: A development partnership, which delivered projects for asylum seekers in Scotland as part of the EQUAL Community Initiative. The partners (led by Glasgow City Council) undertook a range of activities from developing better ways of assessing asylum seekers needs when they arrived to equipping them with appropriate skills, knowledge and confidence to train and apply for employment. SEP Ltd providesdadministrative support to the ATLAS development partnership.
PHARE: The Phare Programme was one of three pre-accession instruments financed by the European Communities to assist applicant countries of central Europe in preparations for joining the European Union. Phare money provided funding for twinning projects in the following central and Eastern Europe states: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania. The other three states, Cyprus, Malta and Turkey benefited from separate pre-accession funding. Phare had three main goals: to strengthen the applicant countries public administrations and institutions to function effectively inside the Union; to promote convergence with the European Community's extensive legislation and reduce the need for transition periods; and to promote economic and social cohesion.
SPD: A Single Programming Document sets out the objectives, strategy and priorities of Programmes. The document is developed by local partnerships and approved by the European Commission.
Programme Complement: This document sets out the plans for use of European Funds in a region in more detail than the SPD, including detailed financial tables, targets and appraisal systems.
Horizontal themes: Four themes (sustainable development, equal opportunities, the information society and innovation) are issues which are important for all European Programmes and economic development projects.
Priority: An allocation of funds to support projects which will address a key issue identified in the Programme.
Measure: A subdivision of a Priority within a Programme, identifying funds for a particular kind of economic development project.
OJ: The Official Journal of the European Union. Large contracts must be advertised in the OJ to ensure that organisations across the European Union have an equal chance of bidding.
Additionality: The principle that European Funding is additional to and not in substitute of national funding.
N+2: This rule allows for the European Commission to withdraw funds from a Programme if they have not been claimed by the end of the second year after they were allocated.
Technical Assistance: A small amount of funding which can be used to support the effective management and implementation of Programmes.
Virement: The transfer of funds between measures or Priorities.
Retrospection: Where a project is awarded European Funds after it has begun.
The 2000-2006 Western Scotland Objective 2 Programme: The full name (and preferred format) of the main Structural Funds Programme administered by SEP Ltd between 2000 and 2006.
SEP jargon
SEP: Strathclyde European Partnership - the partnership of public organisations which accessed European Funds in the Western Scotland region from 1996 until the end of the 2000-2006 Programming period.
SEP Ltd: The company which has managed the European Funds Programmes in Western Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government and which works on behalf of a wider partnership of eligible organisations.
PMC: Programme Monitoring Committee: the group which had responsibility for the implementation of European Structural Funds in Western Scotland during the 2000-2006 Programming period.
PIC: Programme Implementing Committee: the group which took decisions on project applications submitted to the 20000-2006 Programme.
Advisory Groups: The groups that appraised and made recommendations to the PIC on 2000-2006 project applications.
Policy Groups: The groups that watched over the mainstreaming of sustainable development, equal opportunities and innovation.
Scottish Government European Funds Division: The central civil servants who deal with European Funds, based within the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department.
SFLG: Structural Funds Liaison Group - all PME's plus Scottish Government, which met once a month to October 2007.
SFAG: Structural Funds Advisory Group, a group of practitioners from the Scottish Government, PMEs and partners who discussed pan-Scotland ERDF and ESF issues related to 2000-2006 Programmes.
PME: Programme Management Executive. Organisations like SEP Ltd who manage or managed European Structural Funds Programmes on behalf of the Scottish Government.
SEP Ltd Board of Directors: The SEP Board was responsible for the personnel and financial management of the company. Directors awee elected as appropriate at the company’s AGM. The main partners of SEP Ltd were made up of members from the local authorities, enterprise companies and the FE college network.
IQ Net: A network of Objective 1 and 2 regions across Europe, meeting twice a year to discuss common issues. Managed by the European Policies Research Centre at the University of Strathclyde.
Other jargon
LUPS: The 2007-2013 Lowlands and Uplands Scotland European Structural Funds Programme administered by East of Scotland European Partnership Ltd.
Scottish Enterprise: The main public sector enterprise development body in Scotland.
LECs: Local enterprise companies: Area based offices of Scottish Enterprise.
Local Authorities (LAs): Local government bodies in Scotland responsible for the delivery of many key services including education, social services, roads.
FE: Further Education - there are 19 FE colleges in the region, delivering training and learning courses and supporting access to learning for individuals in local areas.
SLIMS: The company contracted to provide labour market information for applicants to the Objective 2 and 3 Programmes in Western Scotland
Scotland Europa: The organisation which provides a focus for the local enterprise network and other representation in Brussels.
Key Fund: A project that provides access to small grants for community groups.
SME: (Small to Medium Sized Enterprise). A SME employs less than 250 people; has an annual turnover of less than €50m or balance sheet assets of less than €43m; and is independent or has no more than 25% of their capital owned by a larger firm.
Major project: Project costing more than €50m.
Returner: People [ie women or men] returning to the labour market after two years or more out of the labour market to care for children or other dependants
Abbreviations
COSLA: The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
WOSEC: West of Scotland Consortium of Local Authorities
WOSCOP: West of Scotland Colleges Partnership
CRE: Commission for Racial Equality
DRC: Disability Rights Commission
EOC: Equal Opportunities Commission
SEPA: Scottish Environmental Protection Agency
SHN: Scottish Natural Heritage.
JROP: joint regional operational plan
NGO: non governmental organisation
OSF: open society foundation
RDP: regional development plan
RFO: regional framework operation
ROP: regional operational plan
RTA: resident twinning adviser
SOP: sectoral operational plan
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