The webinar was hosted by fi-compass, a platform for advisory services on financial instruments under the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) that is designed to support ESIF managing authorities and other interested parties, by providing practical know-how and learning tools on financial instruments.
Organised by DG REGIO, DG AGRI and DG EMPL in partnership with the European Investment Bank (EIB), the webinar introduced new flexibilities for ESIF financial instruments under the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII) and CRII Plus. Both measures mobilise cohesion policy to respond to the rapidly emerging needs in the most exposed sectors. They also help Member States to address three priorities: spending on healthcare, support to short-time work schemes and support to the SMEs working capital.
The measures also include amendments to the Common Provisions Regulation 1303/2013 (CPR), ERDF and EAFRD regulations and the State aid Temporary Framework. The amended CPR introduces new flexibilities for the implementation and use of financial instruments to help provide an effective response to the outbreak. These include the relaxation of the requirement to modify ex-ante assessments when adapting existing financial instruments to respond to the crisis, the new rules related to the support of working capital and the State aid Temporary Framework.
The webinar concluded with a Q&A panel during which experts from DG REGIO, DG EMPL, DG AGRI and the EIB responded to questions submitted by the attendees. You can listen to this session in the webinar video recording here.
Representing DG EMPL were Loris Di Pietrantonio, Head of Unit, DG EMPL, European Commission, Andrea Leruste, Deputy Head of Unit, DG EMPL, European Commission and Andrea Da Pozzo, Policy Officer, DG EMPL, European Commission.
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Source: fi-compass
