Jargon Guide
European jargon
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.
EAGGF: The European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund finances
the common organisation of the agricultural markets, the processing
of agricultural products and the structure of agricultural holdings.
FIFG: The Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance finances measures
for the adjustment of fisheries and aquaculture structures and processing
and marketing of their products.
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 entreprenuership 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.
Rural Development Regulation: Supports sustainable development in
rural areas. It complements reforms in the agriculture sector by
fostering an integrated approach to rural development and by recognising
the wider contribution made by farming to rural communities. The
RDR in Scotland is focused on selected rural areas.
Community Initiatives: Address issues of interest to the European
Union as a whole, particularly transnational 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: Promotes equality in the labour market, focused particularly
on disadvantaged groups including women, ethnic minorities, people
with disabilities and asylum seekers. The EQUAL programme operates
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 transnational 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 delivering projects for asylum
seekers in Scotland as part of the EQUAL Community Initiative. The
partners (led by Glasgow City Council) are undertaking a range of
activities from developing better ways of assessing asylum seekers
needs when they arrive to equipping them with appropriate skills,
knowledge and confidence to train and apply for employment. SEP Ltd
provides administrative support to the ATLAS development partnership.
CARDS: (Community Assistance for Reconstruction,
Development and Stabilisation). The twinning instrument is being
exported to the Western Balkans which will mean that the following
countries being eligible for assistance: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia, Kosovo and Montenegro)
and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). At present
only Croatia and Albania have distributed CARDS twinning projects.
PHARE: The Phare Programme is 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 provides 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 benefit from separate
pre-accession funding. Phare has 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.
TACIS: (Technical Assistance to the Commonwealth of Independent
States) The objective of this Programme is to encourage institution
building by means of partnership co-operation projects between public
organisations from the European Union and from the Partner Countries
(Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,
Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan).
These projects aim to accelerate the process of administrative reform
and facilitate the design and implementation of public policies.
Only Russia, Armenia, Ukraine and Georgia have distributed projects.
The Georgia Programme is currently suspended.
SPD: The 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, 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 (or auto-decommitment): 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 Programme.
SEP jargon
SEP: Strathclyde European Partnership - the partnership of public
organisations which access European Funds in the Western Scotland
region.
SEP Ltd: The company which manages the European Funds Programmes
in Western Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Executive and which
works on behalf of the partnership.
PMC: Programme Monitoring Committee: the group which oversees the
implementation of European Structural Funds in Western Scotland.
PIC: Programme Implementing Committee: the group which takes decisions
on project applications.
Advisory Groups: The groups that appraise and make recommendations
to the PIC on project applications.
Policy Groups: The groups that oversee the mainstreaming of sustainable
development, equal opportunities and innovation.
Scottish Executive
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 Executive
meet once a month).
SFAG: Structural Funds Advisory Group, a group of practitioners
from the Scottish Executive, PMEs and partners who discuss pan-Scotland
ERDF and ESF issues.
PME: Programme Management Executive (organisations like SEP Ltd
who manage European Funds Programmes on behalf of the Scottish Executive).
SEP Ltd Board of
Directors: The group which is responsible for the
financial management of SEP Ltd as a company, elected at the AGM
with members from the local authorities, enterprise companies, voluntary
sector and 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.
SEP euroconnections: Is a partnership of experts that promotes economic
and social regeneration across the regions of Europe, particularly
in the accession countries. SEP euroconnections Ltd is a wholly owned
subsidiary of SEP Ltd.
Business Process
Review (BPR): This is the review of methods to
implement and simplify the application and claiming processes which
resulted in changes to the systems in 2003.
Other jargon
LUPS: The 2007-2013 Lowlands and Uplands Scotland European Structural Funds Programme administered by East od 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 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) 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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