Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a system is usable by as many people as possible. In other words, it is the degree of ease with which it is possible to reach a particular place from other locations. In the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 improving accessibility includes actions in transport and ICT fields. More information about accessibility in the Programme context can be found here. (Please refer also to the term internal accessibility).

The principle of additionality means that EU financing shall not replace public or equivalent financing of similar activities (see also Art. 15 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006).
Projects selected for financing are expected to bring added value, something that would not have been possible without the programme financing. In addition, organisations involved in the project activities cannot finance their statutory tasks with the programme financing.

The admissibility check is the first step of the standardised evaluation procedure of project applications.
Upon submission and registration of project proposals, the Joint Technical Secretariat checks their compliance with the formal admissibility criteria. The admissibility criteria consist of minimum technical requirements which are unconditionally applicable to all proposals submitted. See also: quality assessment.

Only ENPI partners are entitled to receive an advance payment. This will be paid to the lead partner after signature of the grant contract and submission of a signed request for advance payment.

Associated organisations in the Baltic Sea Region Programme projects are organisations that support the project implementation but do not have a status as a project partner. These could be e. g. ministries, which do not want to apply for programme funding because of complicated financial administration.
Organisations that do not fulfil the requirements of legal status as stipulated in the Programme Manual of the Baltic Sea Region Programme under 2.1.1 Legal Status, such as private companies, can also participate in the project as associated organisations. The expenditure of associated organisations in the projects cannot be co-financed by programme funds and thus, they have to finance their activities from their own resources.

More information about legal status can be found in the Information leaflet on legal status.

The term "audit" (or second level auditing (SLA)) refers to the checks performed in compliance with Art. 62, (1 a, b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (General Regulation) and Art. 37(2) of Commission Regulation (EC) No 951/2007. The duty of second level auditors is to carry out audits on projects on the basis of an appropriate sample to verify the expenditure declared.

The Audit Authority is responsible for ensuring the effective functioning of the management and control system in the Programme, by performing audits on the MA, CA, JTS and on the first level controllers, and for ensuring that audits are carried out on the operations on the basis of a sample, in order to verify the expenditure that has been declared. The Ministry of Science, Economics and Transport of the state Schleswig-Holstein/Germany was appointed to act as Audit Authority of the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013.

In order to ensure transparent contracting procedures, equal treatment and cost efficiency, the Baltic Sea Region Programme applies the ‘bid-at-three' rule. This means that project partners must collect at least three offers for all contracting amounts above 1,000 EUR (excl. VAT), but below the threshold set by the Community and institutional, regional and national procurement rules.

Predecessor programme of the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013, supporting transnational co-operation in the Baltic Sea region under EU Community Initiative. During 2000 - 2006, the programme invested around 200 million Euros in fostering cooperation around the Baltic Sea region. In total 129 projects were part-financed. For more information check www.bsrinterreg.net. 

There are different first level control (FLC) systems defined in the Member States, Norway and Belarus. In centralised systems a central body is appointed by the Member States or Norway to carry out the first level controls in accordance with Art. 16 of Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006. This body can be designated at a federal, national, or both federal and national level. The following participating countries of the Baltic Sea Region Programme have centralised systems: Latvia, Estonia and Sweden.

See also: decentralized system and mixed system

Clusters are geographic concentrations of related businesses whose geographical proximity is believed to add to their competitiveness. (ref. to Euroabstracts 6/06). In a wider sense, clusters comprise cooperating enterprises, research institutions and public administrations (often referred to as Triple Helix).

The Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 supports the project budget from three different funds: ERDF, Norwegian national funds and ENPI. These programme grants are called ERDF co-financing, Norwegian co-financing and ENPI co-financing. For more information click here. 

Rate used for calculation of the amount of grant from the EU and Norwegian funds to the project partner. It is calculated as co-financing divided by the project partner's budget. It is expressed in percentage format. The co-financing rates depend on the geographical location of each partner as well as on the type of funds applied for (ERDF, ENPI, Norwegian national funds). The programme co-finances rates are as following:

• up to 75% of costs generated by partners from Denmark, Germany, Sweden and Finland
• up to 85% for partners from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland
• up to 50% for partners from Norway
• up to 90% for partners from Belarus

The Cohesion fund is in addition to ERDF and ESF providing the financial means for implementing the EU cohesion policy. About 70 billion EUR have been allocated to the Cohesion Fund for the period 2007-2013. Funds are allocated especially to European transport networks, the environment and solidarity.

The cohesion policy of the European Union aims at reducing the development gap between the different regions of the EU. Actions carried out in the framework of the cohesion policy aim at strengthening the economic, social and territorial coherence of the regions. For the period 2007-2013 a total budget of about 340 billion EUR has been allocated to this policy area, which is more than a third of the EU budget. The cohesion policy is organised around three priority objectives: 1. Convergence, 2. Regional competitiveness and employment, and 3. European territorial co-operation. An overview of EU cohesion policy can be found here.

Communication guidelines are addressed to persons responsible for communication & information issues in projects part-financed by the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013, mainly, project communication managers. These guidelines have been drafted by the Joint Technical Secretariat to help projects with communication during project implementation. They provide explanations of common terms used, practical examples of communication activities and useful tips for different stages during project implementation.

To download these guidelines click here.

The communication plan is a document defining information and communication activities to be carried out during the project implementation. This plan should include communication aims, target groups, messages, communication tools, activities, outputs and indicators. It is a key document to achieve successful communication of the project activities and results.

The term control refers to the check performed by the first level controller (FLC) in compliance with Art.16 of Regulation (EC) No 1080/2006 (ERDF Regulation) and chapter 10.2 of the Operational Programme. The duty of the first level controllers is to validate the legality and regularity of expenditure declared by ERDF and Norwegian partners and to verify the legality and regularity of expenditure declared by ENPI partners.

The lead partner and all project partners involved in the implementation of the project and receiving funds from the Baltic Sea Region Programme must maintain, amongst other things, cost itemisation lists in English. These are overviews of all project expenditure incl. payment day, VAT specification and a brief description of the cost item. Templates for cost itemisation lists for one project partner and the total project are available and can be downloaded here.

Sharing of project costs is understood as the allocation of certain single project expenditure or a group of thematically related expenditure to at least two project partners according to a transparent and equitable method. The shared costs derive from joint project implementation and as a result of carrying out activities that benefit either a number of project partners or the whole partnership (e.g. project coordination and management, project website, project publication, such as brochures, project events etc.) The Programme Manual specifies certain requirements for cost sharing, which must be observed by the project partners. See also: implementing partner, paying partner.

See: subsistence allowance.

De minimis is a ceiling of the maximum amount of aid that can be granted to undertakings without further notification to the European Commission. The de minimis rule is an exception to the EU competition policy which normally does not allow support for enterprises from public funds as this might distort the principle of free competition. More detailed rules about de minimis can be found in the Commission Regulation (EC) No 1998/2006 on the application of Articles 87 and 88 of the Treaty to de minimis aid. The de minimis rule applies to undertakings in all sectors, with a few exceptions. In most cases the maximum amount of aid granted to one undertaking is EUR 200,000 over any period of three fiscal years.

There are different first level control (FLC) systems defined in the Member States, Norway and Belarus. In decentralised systems, the controlled beneficiary is free to appoint its controller. Lead partners and project partners propose their controllers to the respective designation body before the first expenditure is validated and the progress report submitted to the JTS. The following participating countries of the Baltic Sea Region Programme have a de-centralised system: Finland, Germany, Lithuania and Belarus.

See also: centralised system, mixed system.

The European Commission demands from the structural fund programmes that each annual ERDF co-financing for the years 2007 to 2010 (as stated in the financial table of the Operational Programme) is spent within the three following years. Similarly, each annual ERDF co-financing of 2011 to 2013 must be spent within two years. This means that ERDF co-financing which the Certifying Authority does not claim from the European Commission in time is automatically de-committed from the programme budget and therefore lost.
The above described principle is the so-called "n+3/ n+2 rule", where "n" represents the year for which the co-financing was planned and "+3/+2" refers to the time (in years) during which the co-financing has to be spent. The rule does not apply to project partners that receive Norwegian or ENPI co-financing.

In the period 2007-2013 support for the European Neighbourhood Policy is provided by a new financial instrument - The European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI). It aims at strengthening the cross-border co-operation between EU Member States and the neighbouring countries (partner countries). In the Baltic Sea Region the ENPI component forms an integral part of the transnational programme and contributes to the total programme funding. It enables  Belarusian organisations to take part in the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 as equal partners to the partners from EU Member States and Norway. There are joint management, application and implementation procedures for projects co-financed by ERDF, ENPI and the Norwegian national funding.

The programme distinguishes between equipment and investment.
Project equipment is defined as a tool or device which is purchased by a project partner or already in possession of a project partner and used in order to carry out project activities (e.g. equipment for carrying out necessary measurements in a project). Equipment does not have to be used by project partners or a project target group after the project duration. However, the equipment must be essential for the project outcomes and related solely to the project. For equipment only the depreciation expenditure resulting from applying the national accounting regulations is eligible.

The European Spatial Development perspective (ESDP) was adopted in May 1999 at the Informal meeting of the Council of Ministers responsible for Spatial Planning. It contains main challenges, policy aims and options as well as actions to achieve a balanced and sustainable development of the EU territory. The ESDP is still a valid policy document for territorial development of the EU and it was accentuated through the Territorial Agenda of the EU.

ESPON - European Spatial Planning Observation Network is an EU funded applied research programme in the field of territorial development. Its aim is to provide European policy makers with new knowledge about territorial trends influencing regions and territories. ESPON carries out policy impact studies and promotes scientific networking and capacity building.

The EGTC is an institute of cooperation groupings aimed at facilitating the implementation and management of territorial cooperation actions within the framework of different national laws and procedures. Thus, the EGTC aims to facilitate and promote cross-border, transnational and regional cooperation. Unlike the structures which governed this kind of cooperation until 2007, EGTC is now a legal entity and has all related powers and obligations. It can therefore buy and sell goods, as well as employ personnel. EGTC members can be:

• Member States
• regional or local authorities
• associations
• any other public body

For further information click here.

The aim of the territorial cooperation objective is to strengthen the cross-border, transnational and interregional co-operation. The transnational programmes focus on innovation, environment, accessibility and sustainable urban development. For the period 2007-2013 about 7,8 billion EUR has been allocated to the objective. The Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 is one of the 13 transnational programmes of the European territorial cooperation objective.

The programme distinguishes between (a) an extension stage for investments and (b) an extension stage for strategic projects.
(a) Projects may apply for an extension stage to implement and evaluate their investments, which have been prepared during the regular project lifetime (e.g. through feasibility studies).
(b) Strategic projects will be given an opportunity to apply for an extension stage in order to considerably strengthen the final results of the project (e. g. to implement transnational investments, to demonstrate in a chosen region the implementation of the action plan developed in the project, to carry out a training programme in order to disseminate the jointly developed new method).
The maximum duration of all extension stages is two years.

The term refers to the ease of reaching the Baltic Sea Region from destinations located outside (by means of transportation, communication, and internet). Improving the external accessibility could, for instance, mean to improve links at the BSR ‘borders' to the Trans-European transport network TEN-T. For more information about accessibility in the context of the Programme click here.

Person appointed by the Lead Partner of a project and responsible for the proper management of the project budget, including ERDF/ENPI/Norwegian co-financing, and for an orderly accounting practice.
The tasks assigned to a financial manager can be outsourced.

See: control

Foreign direct investment is an "investment made to acquire lasting interest in enterprises operating outside of the economy of the investor".

Global integration zones cover the territories of the world's highest concentrations of people, money, and industry. In the EU one such zone has been identified. This zone is defined as the territory including London, Paris, Milan, Munich and Hamburg. Another zone that could be distinguished is ‘the Blue Banana' zone (also known as the Hot Banana, European Megalopolis or European Backbone). It is a discontinuous corridor of urbanisation in Western Europe. It stretches approximately from North West England in the north to Milan in the south. The curvature of this corridor (hence the "banana" in the name) takes in cities such as Brussels, Amsterdam, Cologne, Frankfurt, London, Basel, and Zurich. Around 90 million people live within the Blue Banana zone. On the global scale the EU Euro-zone (being integrated by a common currency), or Asia Pacific Region (Hong Kong, Singapore etc.) can be regarded as global integration zones.

In June 2006 the European Council adopted a renewed Sustainable Development Strategy for the enlarged EU, building on the Gothenburg strategy for sustainable development. The Gothenburg strategy was adopted in June 2001. Regarded as the "third pillar" of the Lisbon Process, the other two being economic and social reform, the Gothenburg strategy focuses on a new emphasis to protect the environment and achieve a more sustainable pattern of development. The priorities of this strategy are: combating climate change, ensuring sustainable transport, addressing threats to public health, and managing natural resources in a more responsible manner.

For further information click here & here. 

The grant contract (in the programme period 2000-2006 = subsidy contract) is signed between Investitionsbank Schleswig Holstein (as Managing Authority) and the lead partner of the approved project. The grant contract stipulates the obligations and rights of the contracting parties and constitutes the main agreement between the project and the programme.

The Group of Auditors assists the Audit Authority and carries out the second level audits. It comprises one representative of each EU Member State and Norway. An external auditor contracted by the Managing Authority will carry out the second level audits for ENPI expenditure and will act as observers. All group members and observers must be independent from the first level control system.

ICT means information and communication technology. The ICT sector employs about 6% of the workforce in the EU.

This term stems from the cost sharing concept. The implementing partner is the project partner who is responsible for generating the relevant cost(s) (e.g. contracting an external expert) that will be shared later on. The implementing partner is responsible for the maintenance of the full accounting documentation according the bookkeeping rules of its country. If relevant, the implementing partner is responsible for fulfilling the required public procurement or contracting requirements, etc.

In-kind contributions are non-cash inputs to a project budget which can be expressed as cash values. In the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013, in-kind contributions - except for unpaid voluntary work - are not eligible as part of the project partner's contribution.
However, this does not mean that the work of project partner's staff members for the project is not eligible. The project partner paid the salary/wage, social security contributions, etc. for the staff members. These costs are understood as personnel costs. All personnel costs related to staff directly engaged in the project and employed by the project partner institution on the basis of an employment/labour contract are eligible under budget line 1 ‘Personnel'. (For details please refer to the chapter about budget lines in the Programme Manual.)

An indicator can be defined as the measurement of an objective to be met, a resource mobilised, an effect obtained, a gauge of quality or a context variable. In the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013, the use of output and result indicators is foreseen.

Person appointed by the Lead Partner of a project and responsible for implementation of information and communication measures (e.g. drafting of information and communication plan, producing information materials, organising events etc.)

Innovation can be defined as successful production, assimilation and exploitation of novelty in the economic and social spheres; distinguished usually into process and product innovations, but comprising also development of the "innovation environment". In the framework of Structural Funds (ERDF) innovation is related to interventions, creation and development of scientific and technological networks, enhancement of regional research and technology development and innovation capacities, where these make a direct contribution to a balanced economic development of transnational areas (REGULATION (EC) No 1080/2006, Article 6, 2a) For further information click here.

Innovation sources
Innovation sources are usually understood as research institutions and/or enterprises and clusters of them in different branches.

Diffusion of innovation
Diffusion of innovation is understood as transfer of knowledge or innovations and the application of these in the economic and social spheres.

Integrated coastal zone management ICZM is a strategic planning and management approach aimed at a sustainable development of coastal areas. The aim of ICZM is to achieve synergies between different sectors and administrative levels. Participatory and knowledge-based approaches are cornerstones of the concept. In June 2007 the EU Commission released a communication including an evaluation of the implementation of the EU recommendation on ICZM adopted in 2002. The communication (COM(2007)308 final) outlines the main policy directions for further promotion of the concept in Europe.

For further information click here.

Actions funded under the transnational cooperation programmes should support integrated territorial development, i.e. the impact of these actions on relevant sectors in a given territory should be taken into account. This requires a cross-sectoral approach to be applied and the territorial conditions of a specific area to be considered (for example infrastructure, resources and settlements, economic, social, ecological and cultural conditions) when developing and implementing the actions (i.e. projects funded by respective programmes).

In the Baltic Sea Programme 2007-2013 the term refers to the ease of reaching (by means of transportation, communication, and internet) destinations located within the Baltic Sea Region borders. Improving the internal accessibility could, for instance, be measures undertaken to reduce or eliminate bottlenecks in transport corridors for goods and passengers, or actions improving the fast internet connections in rural areas.

The Investitionsbank Schleswig Holstein located in Kiel/Germany was designated to act as Managing Authority (MA) and Certifying Authority (CA) to the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013.

The Baltic Sea Region programme distinguishes between equipment and investment. The term investment refers to an output or a result of project activities that remain in use by the project's target group after the completion of project activities. It must have transnational value either as a part of a transnational physical or functional link or because of their pilot character as a transnationally transferable practical solution. The Programme Manual (chapter on investments and chapter on budget lines) provides more examples and eligibility rules.

The Joint Technical Secretariat (JTS) is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013, including project applications, assessment, monitoring, and programme marketing. The JTS also supports the Monitoring Committee, Certifying Authority and Audit Authority in their tasks. The main
office of the Joint Technical Secretariat is located in Rostock, Germany, with a branch office in Riga, Latvia. The list of JTS staff. 

Each project needs to appoint one organisation acting as lead partner and taking full financial and legal responsibility for the implementation of the entire project. The lead partner organisation needs to be located in an EU member state or, in duly justified cases, in Norway.

In March 2000 the European Council launched the "Lisbon Strategy". It aims at making the EU the most dynamic and competitive economy in the world by 2010. The strategy relies on three pillars; an economic, a social and an environmental pillar. After a mid-term review in 2005 the Lisbon process was renewed putting even more emphasis on generating growth and jobs. The member states report regularly on the implementation of the strategy in the framework of National Reform Programmes.

For further information click here.

See also Investitionsbank Schleswig Holstein. The Managing Authority is responsible for managing and implementing the programme on behalf of the participating states in accordance with the relevant Community and national legislation. The MA is also responsible for tasks of the Joint Managing Authority defined in the ENPI Regulations. Managing Authority staff.

Maritime safety is a desired state where human activities do not cause danger to the environment and human life at sea. Enhancing maritime safety comprises all measures and means that aim at reducing the risk of maritime accidents, marine pollution from ships and the loss of human lives at sea.

A metropolitan area is a large population centre consisting of urban areas, satellite cities and intervening rural land that is socio-economically connected to the urban core city, typically by employment ties through commuting, with the urban core city being the primary labour market.

Milestones are important moments in the work package implementation and may indicate the delivery of a main output or the readiness to start a new stage in the implementation.

The Member States participating in the Programme, as well as Norway, have set up different systems for first level controls. In a mixed system the controlled beneficiary is free to appoint its controller from a pre defined list of approved controllers. The chapter on first level control of the Programme Manual specifies specific requirements for the qualification of these first level controllers. See also: centralised system, mixed system.

The Monitoring Committee is the main decision making body of the Baltic Sea Region programme. It is composed of representatives of all eleven member states participating in the programme. The MC is supported by the National Sub-Committees. Contact details here.

Multimodal transport solutions are solutions in the field of transport technology, infrastructure or logistics, which stimulate the use of various transport modes in the door-to-door movement of goods.

The National Sub-Committees safeguard the information flow to regional and local authorities, economic and social partners and nongovernmental organisations during the implementation of the programme. National Sub-Committee information on a country specific level can be found here.

Norwegian national funds are used to co-finance the project participation of organisations located in Norway. Such organisations follow the programme rules. Exceptions are specifically mentioned in the Operational Programme and the Programme Manual.

The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS) was developed by Eurostat in order to provide a uniform structure of territorial units for statistical purposes. The NUTS is a three-level hierarchical classification also used in the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 Application Form. The NUTS Regulation lays down the following minimum and maximum thresholds for the average size (number of inhabitants) of the NUTS regions:

The Operational Programme is the key document of the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013, which sets out the programme strategy to be carried out with the aid of the ERDF, Norway and ENPI. It was set up by the Member States of the programme and adopted by the European Commission on 21.12.2007. It includes:

• justification for the priorities in view of the strategic EU and national guidelines (e.g. Lisbon strategy, Gothenburg strategy);
• information on the priority areas and their specific objectives;
• a financing plan;
• the implementing provisions for the Baltic Sea Region Programme.

In the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 output indicators are defined as the number of outputs that a project plans to produce in different predefined output categories of the Programme. The Programme foresees that for each selected common and specific result main outputs must be specified and quantified. Main outputs are used as a means to achieve the expected results, and the range goes from guidelines, feasibility studies, business plans, ICT based supporting tools, transnational action plans, branding strategies, educational products to investments. See the chapter on main outputs in Programme Manual for more details.

In the Baltic Sea Region there is a long tradition of transnational co-operation between governmental organisations, representatives of regional development organisations, the civil society (NGOs) etc. Many of these networks are organised in umbrella organisations on a pan-Baltic level. For some examples, please click here.

The partner declaration is used to ensure that the respective partner is capable of participating in the project from a legal and financial point of view. This document has to be signed by each project partner and be submitted together with the project application. A standard form of the partner declaration is available here. It must be used without being amended.

In order to receive ERDF, Norwegian or ENPI co-financing project partners have to contribute to the project partner budget with their own financial resources, either in cash or as unpaid voluntary work. More information here.

The partnership agreement is a mutual agreement among project partners, specifying responsibilities and rights of each partner. The agreement is to be concluded and signed by all partners before the submission of the first project progress report. A model partnership agreement can be downloaded here.

This term stems from the cost sharing concept.
Paying partners are all partners participating in the cost sharing agreement. They pay their cost shares to the implementing partner, who generates the costs to be shared.

Per diem rates are relevant for ENPI-funded projects. They are defined as fixed daily rates for meals, accommodation, local travel within the place of mission and sundry expenses.
First of all, ENPI partners should apply their national and organisation internal rules for calculation of actual travel and accommodation costs and daily/subsistence allowances. The per diem rates of the European Commission only work as an upper limit: the daily total of the actual accommodation costs and subsistence allowances should not exceed these rates. See also: subsistence allowance.

Project partners eligible for ERDF or Norwegian co-financing in the framework of the Baltic Sea Region Programme can apply for reimbursement of costs for the preparation of the project. Such costs must be directly linked to the development of the project and preparation of the application material in the framework of the call for project proposals within the Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007 - 2013. Only projects approved by the Monitoring Committee can report preparation costs. Preparation activities have to be described and the related costs have to be estimated in the application form.

The progress report (PR) comprises the project activity report and the financial report, both to be submitted in one single Excel file. The PR has to be submitted by the Lead partner to the Joint Technical Secretariat on a six-monthly basis within a set deadline. The deadline for submission of the progress report is three months after the end of each reporting period.

Person appointed by the Lead Partner of a project and responsible for establishing and maintaining the project implementation system. In smaller projects with limited resources a project coordinator can also carry out the task of information manager. The duties assigned to a project coordinator can also be outsourced.

The quality assessment is the second step of the standardised evaluation procedure of project applications.
The purpose of quality assessment is to provide the Monitoring Committee members with sufficient information on the quality of each proposal to facilitate the decision making process.
Quality assessment is carried out by the Joint Technical Secretariat according to the "quality assessment criteria", which are applicable to all project proposals.
In addition a number of desirable but not obligatory "quality features" may be considered by the Monitoring Committee in cases when there are several proposals demonstrating the same value according to the quality assessment criteria but not all of them can be selected for funding.
See also: admissibility check.

The Baltic Sea Region Programme 2007-2013 foresees result indicators at two levels - programme and project level. At programme level result indicators are numbers of projects contributing to priority specific results predefined by the Programme. Result indicators at project level are quantitative or qualitative indicators that enable the project to measure whether it is achieving the planned results, i. e. the kind of changes that it is striving for. The projects are asked to define these result indicators only after the approval for funding. For more details see the chapters on specific results and defining indicators in the Programme Manual. In addition some examples of indicators at project level are given in Annex 2 to Programme Manual.

See: audit.

Small and medium-sized enterprises or SMEs constitute 99 % of all companies in the EU. In 2005 SMEs were defined by the EU as follows:
"The category of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is made up of enterprises which employ fewer than 250 persons and which have an annual turnover not exceeding 50 million euro, and/or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding 43 million euro."

For further information click here.

Environmental assessment is a procedure that ensures that the environmental implications of decisions are taken into account before the decisions on projects, plans, programmes or policies are made. This involves an analysis of the likely effects on the environment, recording those effects in a report, undertaking a public consultation exercise on the report, taking into account the comments and the report when making the final decision and informing the public about that decision afterwards. For further information click here. 

The regional policy of EU is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Cohesion Fund. ERDF and ESF are traditionally referred to as Structural funds as these funds are used to provide assistance to regions with a need to resolve economic and social issues of a structural character.

The ERDF focuses on promoting public and private investments helping to reduce regional disparities across the Union. The ERDF supports programmes addressing regional development, economic change, enhanced competitiveness and territorial cooperation. Funding priorities include research, innovation, environmental protection and risk prevention. Infrastructure investments have an important role, especially in the least developed regions.

The ESF focuses on four key areas: increasing adaptability of workers and enterprises, enhancing access to employment and participation in the labour market, reinforcing social inclusion by combating discrimination and facilitating access to the labour market for disadvantaged people, and strengthening human capital by reforming education systems and setting up the networks.

Rules on management of the cohesion policy financial instruments are laid down in the European Commission implementing regulation for the Structural and Cohesion Funds 2007-2013.

The Baltic Sea Region Programme defines subsistence allowances as fixed daily rates for meals and sundry expenses. The subsistence allowances must not exceed the usual subsistence allowances of the public authorities of the project partner country and must comply with the rules applicable in that country. Despite the project partner's legal status the subsistence allowance rates of public authorities have to be followed. See also: per diem rates.

The EU White Paper "European Transport Policy for 2010: Time to Decide" (2001) defines the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The construction of the Trans-European Transport Network is seen as a major element in economic competitiveness and a balanced and sustainable development of the European Union. This development requires the interconnection and interoperability of national networks as well as access to them. The Community has established guidelines covering the objectives, priorities and the definition of projects of common interest. For further information click here.

Based on the European Spatial Development perspective (ESDP) the Territorial Agenda of the EU was adopted at the informal ministerial meeting on urban development and territorial cohesion in May 2007 in Leipzig. The agenda is an action-oriented application of the Lisbon and Gothenburg strategies and contains new territorial development priorities for Europe.

A timesheet is a document that indicates the hours an employee has worked for the project. It forms the basis for project personnel costs, which are checked by the first level controller.

As a minimum the timesheet must:

• be filled in separately for each employee and worker involved in the project;
• contain information on a monthly basis about the hours worked for the project;
• briefly state the activities performed within the project;
• be signed by the employee and his/her supervisor.

In the case of part-time employment for the project:

• also indicate activities performed outside the project (e.g. "work for another EU financed project", "statutory tasks" etc.);
• information about the total hours worked per month for the project and at large.

Transnational or strategic development zones are areas with growth potential located adjacent to a transport corridor running across the territory of at least three countries. The sustainable growth of such an area is regarded important for the socio-economic development of the whole Baltic Sea Region.

A work package is a group of activities focused on delivering specific outcomes. The first three work packages are pre-defined by the programme, up to five work packages can be defined by the project.