Questions and Answers

Answers to the most frequently asked questions and doubts about europlanning, organized by topic and easy reference, to delve clearly and directly into key aspects.

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Yes, the Europlanning Guide is a free platform: everyone can access it, retrieve materials, ask questions, participate in initiatives.

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To the extent possible, the Guide to Europlanning adopts simple and clear language that does not require any special basic skills.

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The Guide is open to all and always online.

We recommend browsing it online from this site: it is the most comprehensive reading experience that allows you to delve deeper into topics through internal and external links. The platform is designed for effective readability from any type of device.

The chapters in the Guide are designed to be easily printed, in hard copy or pdf form, if that makes it easier to read.

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Yes, under certain conditions.

The Guide materials may be used at will and shared freely in any medium or format, as long as the source is cited and they are not redistributed for commercial purposes or in modified forms.

The referenced license is Creative Commons 4.0 (Attribution – Noncommercial – No Derivative Works): https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

A special section of our Guide, Europlanning Stories, from the Guide’s partners and beyond, is dedicated to this topic.

In parallel with the Guide, and using the Guide as a working and awareness-raising tool, the partner Foundations are intervening in their respective target areas with a number of interesting initiatives. We reviewed them in a separate post.

European planning

“European design” or also “europlanning” is the set of activities directed toward theconception, drafting and submission of projects in response to a call for proposals issued under a European program.

Visit the What are European Projects chapter of this Guide to learn more.

Approaching European projects requires a “European vision,” good knowledge of the relevant field, ability to gather and organize information, propensity to create links and partnerships, rigor and innovativeness–and many other things.

Our Guide provides the basics, the tools to delve deeper and get started in the world of European projects.

To learn more, read the full article, find out if European calls are right for you, and check out the other points in these Q&As.

It is a priority issue for “insiders.” You need to keep an eye on the most interesting programs for your area of focus, use information from planning documents (e.g., annual or multi-year work programs), and use, if necessary, sites and platforms that collect information on published and expiring calls.

One of these is CSVnet’s InfoBandi service, also offered as part of our Guide.

Read more in the full article.

The answer to this question lies somewhere between two different approaches.

On the one hand, it is crucial to accurately analyze the criteria provided by a notice and its purpose. On the other hand, the project must be an expression of aheartfelt, well-structured, preciseactivity oriented to real needs.

Read more in the full article.

A first and simple answer is: virtually everywhere! Whatever your sector, keep in touch with the main networks, associations and organizations that are most active and representative in your field. Participation in a regional, national or (why not?) European network can open the way to a wealth of opportunities.

Read more in the full article.

By now, almost all direct-funded European projects are submitted electronically, through individual program web pages and the European Commission’s Funding and Tenders portal.

Read more in the full article.

A project that has a good chance of success is first and foremost a well-structured project that is fully consistent with the call for proposals.

Another aspect mentioned in the same section of the Guide covers the monitoring and evaluation criteria, which are internationally recognized standard dimensions of good project formulation: in addition to being covered extensively in the reference guide on Project Cycle Management and the Logical Framework, you can find further discussion of them here. These dimensions are certainly kept in mind by evaluators in any field.

Read more in the full article.

Our Guide devotes ample space to “how to think about” European projects and attempts to provide an answer to the many questions concerning the field of Europrojecting.

There are, however, “infrequent questions” that we often do not ask ourselves in dealing with European projects, but which can make all the difference.

Principles that become extremely concrete once they are dropped and visualized in the life of our projects.

What are they? Read more in the full article.

There are many ways to keep informed and up-to-date.

The first, obvious one is to follow our Guide, Newsletter, News, Guides and Stories on Europrojecting, our social channels(Facebook and LinkedIn), and our in-depth audio-video submissions.

We have also compiled our advice in a separate article, which takes up and elaborates on the articles we have published on this topic.

Read it here.

The tools offered by the Europlanning Guide, the European Commission, and national and regional authorities have evolved and make it easier and more straightforward to search for calls than was the case in the last programming period:

Let’s find out all the details in a dedicated article.

European projects are large “group works” that require continuous interaction between people, groups and organizations, both in conception and implementation. This interaction allows for broadening the scope and quality of interventions, learning from each other and innovation, but it also represents an element of additional complexity that can generate stress and grounds for potential conflict.

To make this interaction a success factor, various aspects and key issues need to be considered: to analyze and involve partners and other project-related actors in the right way, to understand their forms of interaction, and to associate roles and responsibilities with them.

Find out all about this in theappropriate section.

One of the main challenges in managing European projects is tracking their progress, use of resources, adherence to timelines, achievement of results and objectives, and-ultimately-achieving impact.

Achieving the goals set, within the timeframe given and with the resources available is at the heart of the link between the person submitting a European project and the managing authority funding it. A good approach to monitoring and evaluation activities, project rationale, project indicators, and ways to identify their impact can have considerable weight in the selection (and subsequent management) of European projects.

The monitoring and evaluation process starts with the definition of the project intervention logic and is defined within the Logical Framework and a dedicated Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, with indicators, funds, ways and means of verification, baselines and targets, timelines and responsibilities.

The activity continues in the project management phase through appropriate tools and methods of data analysis, collection and processing. It takes on a strategic and “final reckoning” value when it comes to defining and measuring the “impact” of the project, that is, its ability to produce a “trajectory change” in an existing trend or phenomenon, and ultimately, in the lives of people and communities.

All these aspects are explained and explored in depth in a separate section.

europrojector profession

A Europrojector is distinguished from other professionals by his or her knowledge of the funding sources and project management procedures specific to the European Union and its related institutions.If you are familiar with most of the topics touched upon in our Guide, you are probably a Europrojector!

Read more in the full article.

The support of a specialist in the field, i.e., a “Europrojector,” can be an advantage in the preparation of a project, but to answer this question accurately, many factors must be taken into account, including the type of project, the type of organization and how the organization approaches the development of the project proposal.

Read more in the full article.

We prefer not to recommend specific europlanning courses, knowing that there is a very wide and differentiated supply of them in terms of thematic and sectoral coverage.

We can recommend some important criteria: the “curriculum” of the organization, the statedthematic scope, the presence of moments of practical application, the operational skills of the teachers, and the level of depth.

Read more in the full article.

Also read theinterview with Prof. Javier Schunk, director of the Master’s Program in International Cooperation at ISPI Milan.

There is no one way to find yourself working in euro projecting nor is there only one way to be a europrojector. There are as many possible backgrounds and experiences as there are people who call themselves “Europrojectors.”

Read the full article with our suggestions.

In some cases it may be useful or necessary to be able to contact community officials who follow the execution of European programs and projects. There are specific and very effective tools for this, but attention must be paid to the who, when and why.

Read more in the full article.

We have provided an initial answer to this question through “first-hand” testimony from those who have dealt with this in Brussels. It is a much “nobler” and richer concept than one might think: indeed, it is a necessity of the EU institutions, which welcome and listen with interest to civil society’s contributions to European policies-which are reflected in the programming of EU projects. It is also a much less “complicated” concept than one might think because there are so many representative organizations of civil society to refer to.

Read more in the full article.

Each sector has its own events and most intense moments dedicated to exchange and interaction.In addition to nurturing relationships and networks with related organizations, you can get information about events in Europe through the organizations-umbrella organizations in your field.

Here is our post dedicated to the topic, with a calendar of major events and research platforms.

europlanning and eu policies

This is a complex question, which we answer by selecting some more specific questions, in succession and at increasing levels of depth: read the full article.

At the beginning of each program period, the old programs are exhausted, while new ones are gradually started.

Programs from the “old” period remain topical for some time.

On Structural Funds, therefore, the so-called “n+3” rule applies: activities on projects can be financed until the third year following the end of the programming period.

Read more in the full article.

A frequent question and not so simple. The answer depends on several factors, parameters, and estimates that can be considered in the count.

Let’s find out together which ones and a possible estimate, in a dedicated article.

The answer is not easy, because the situation is constantly evolving and changing from day to day, depending on sectors and types of projects.

Restrictive measures taken in all European countries have led program management authorities (at all levels, European, national and regional) to move forward the deadlines of many calls for proposals and the timeframes for many projects.

The response of the European Union has also been seen through the provision of new funding lines and calls specifically for the time of emergency.

Read more in the full article.

NGEU, Next Generation EU, the Instrument (or Program) for Recovery and Resilience or (as it is more often abbreviated) the Recovery Fund is a topic that increasingly occupies the pages of national and international newspapers and our Guide. Even in the continuous flow of news, some aspects may still be unclear.

Read the full article for a roundup of questions and answers.

TheESM (European Stability Mechanism) is a parallel instrument to the EU legal framework.

Despite the differences, it can rightly be considered a financial “cousin” of the Recovery Facility (so-called Recovery Fund): its purpose, financing arrangements and operation do indeed have commonalities with the Recovery Fund.

Read more in the full article.

UK organizations will be able to continue to participate normally in projects in the 2014-2020 programming period, while they will have the status of “third country organizations” for projects in the next programming period (2021-2027).

Read more in the full article.

Fund-absorbing capacity indicates the ability to “make good use of funds” in a very specific sense: measuring how much of the funds initially planned is 1) programmed for specific use, 2) allocated to beneficiaries for project implementation, and finally, 3) actually spent on activities carried out.

Read more in the full article.

The Sustainable Development Goals (or SDGs, in Italian Goals for Sustainable Development) are common goals that the international community (all 193 member countries of the UN) has set for itself to further the sustainable development of the planet. They are used both internationally and domestically.

Read more in the full article.

Perhaps not everyone knows that. we can “have our say” at the European Commission through a special portal (called precisely, “Say your“) in which, day after day, topics of debate are proposed on which citizens and organizations from all countries of Europe can express their opinions and suggestions.

Read more in the full article.

The main strategic aspects of the current programming period (2021-2027) were defined by the European Commission under the chairmanship of Ursula von der Leyen (2019-2024).

Six priorities have been identified. Some are specifically associated with particular community programs, but all are relevant in some way, across the board, to all European programs and projects.

The European “Green Deal”A Europe ready for the digital ageAn economy that serves peopleA stronger Europe in the worldPromotion of the European “way of life”New momentum for European democracy

To these are added (without deviating too much) specific priorities related to Regional Policy and Structural Funds:

  • A more competitive and “smarter” Europe.
  • A “greener” and low-carbon Europe.
  • A more connected Europe
  • A more “social” and inclusive Europe.
  • A Europe closer to the people
  • Better governance of cooperation
  • A Safer Europe

Read the full post here