Document prepared by Portugal, with the involvement of partners, in line with the multi-level governance approach, setting out the strategy, priorities and modalities for using the five Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) effectively and efficiently to implement the European Union 2020 strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, approved by the Commission after evaluation and dialogue with the Member State concerned.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

advance payment of the support granted.

Source: Decree-Law No 159/2014 of 27 October 2014

temporary financial support granted to a beneficiary against reimbursement according to a pre-established schedule.

Source: Decree-Law No 159/2014 of 27 October 2014

Situations in which there is no infringement of provisions of Community law, such as:

• Administrative or technical errors concerning the eligibility of expenditure made by the MA or intermediate body;
• errors unintentionally made by beneficiaries and identified by the beneficiaries themselves with the MA/IB;
• Withdrawal of all or part of the implementation of the operations by the beneficiaries, including withdrawal of non-full implementation of the approved investments.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

National, regional or local public authority or body designated by the Member State to certify expenditure and payment applications before they are sent to the Commission. In the case of the ESF, the certifying authority is the Agency for Development and Cohesion, I.P.

Source: COMMON GLOSSARY OF ESIF – Portugal 2020

National public authority - OP Social inclusion and employment, designated by the Member State, responsible for the management and implementation of the programme in accordance with the principle of sound financial management and in accordance with national and Community rules.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Support granted by the State (or through State resources) to an undertaking, the value of which, by reason of its small amount and provided that it does not exceed the limits laid down for a period of three years (the year in which the support was granted and two previous years), in any form whatsoever or in the light of the objective pursued, is not considered incompatible with the common market and therefore does not need to be notified to the European Commission.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

A benefit granted by the State (or through State resources) involving the transfer of State resources or the reduction of costs, with a view to supporting certain undertakings or types of production, generating an economic advantage that an entity would not obtain under normal market conditions. They are selective and have an effect on competition and trade between the Member States of the European Union.

In the EU, aid granted selectively by Member States or through State resources and which is liable to affect trade between Member States and distort competition is prohibited (Article 107 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU)).

However, State aid may be authorised where it is justified by objectives of general interest: aid for the development of less-favoured areas, services of general economic interest, the promotion of small and medium-sized enterprises, research and development, environmental protection, training, employment and culture.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Publication and systematisation of the set of requirements that applications must verify, both at operation and beneficiary level, in order to access funding under an Operational Programme.

The notice shall set out, inter alia, the types of intervention, the deadlines for the submission of applications, the conditions for the admission and selection of applications, the financial allocation available for their funding in each Operational Programme, and, where applicable, the respective associated region.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

a public or private body responsible for initiating or initiating and implementing the operation. In the context of State aid schemes, the body receiving the aid.

In the context of financial instruments it is the body (e.g. financial institution) implementing the financial instrument or fund of funds. Within the framework of interventions supported by the ESF, the following entities may be beneficiaries: employers, training providers, other operators and natural persons.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020 and Decree-Law No 159/2014 of 27 October 2014

a natural or legal person receiving financial support from a financial instrument.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Formal request for public, national and/or European financial support submitted by the beneficiary to the managing authority of an operational programme (OP) to carry out eligible projects financed under that programme, formalised by completing and submitting a form describing, inter alia, the operation to be financed, its objectives, its sustainability, the timetable for implementation and the financial programming.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Process of formal validation and recognition of an individual's skills and other conditions required for the exercise of a profession or professional activity. These skills may have been acquired through successful attendance at a training course, professional experience or equivalence of qualifications.

A collegiate body which, in the context of an operational programme, is responsible, inter alia, for analysing and approving the criteria for selecting operations, analysing the results of the implementation of the programme, taking into account the conclusions and recommendations of the on-going evaluations, analysing and approving the programme implementation reports and any proposal to amend the content of the European Commission decision on the participation of the Structural and Investment Funds in the programme.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Share of eligible expenditure that is financed by Community funds.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

any public contribution to the financing of operations from the State budget, regional and local authorities and any similar expenditure.

Any contribution to the financing of operations financed from the budget of bodies governed by public law or associations of one or more local or regional authorities or public bodies shall be regarded as equivalent expenditure.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

The recognised ability to mobilise knowledge, skills and attitudes in work, professional development, education and personal development contexts.

Example of skills: school, academic, technical, social, relational, interpersonal.

Verification of compliance with the eligibility criteria covering all elements relating to beneficiaries and operations which it is appropriate to control by administrative means.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Those who possess the knowledge and technical experience necessary for the preparation and implementation of advisory interventions aimed at organizational development or societal changes, particularly in the field of action training, as well as those who intervene as providers of consultancy services for projects promoted by a beneficiary, regardless of their nature.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 60-A/2015 of 2 March 2015

Set of rules that support the assessment of an application. These criteria are essentially intended to ensure that there are common, objective and transparent analytical parameters to support the prioritisation and approval of applications submitted for funding under an Operational Programme.

Share of eligible cost approved in accordance with applicable national and Community legislation, before deduction of any revenue and private contribution.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 60-A/2015 of 2 March 2015.

Date of physical and/or financial completion of the operation, as a rule the date of the last invoice paid by the beneficiary. Please note that this date does not mark the end or closure of the operation, which presupposes the performance of a set of tasks either by the beneficiary (e.g. submission of the respective Final Report) or by the Managing Authority (such as the validation of the request for payment of the balance and the respective Final Report and the consequent payment of the final balance), unless otherwise specified.

Source: COMMON GLOSSARY OF ESIF – Portugal 2020

Date of the physical or financial start of the operation, whichever occurs first, or, if it is not possible to establish these dates, the date of the oldest invoice, unless otherwise specified.

Source: COMMON GLOSSARY OF ESIF – Portugal 2020

The act by which an application for support is accepted once it has been verified that the eligibility and selection criteria have been met, after which the beneficiary acquires the right to funding.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

The non-employed population as a whole is available for work and actively seeking work.

Unemployed worker, available for work and looking for a job for 12 months or more, counting this period from the date of registration in the employment centres.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

all public contributions to the financing of the operation from the budget of national, regional or local public authorities, from the Union budget related to the ESI Funds, from the budget of bodies governed by public law or from the budget of associations of public authorities or bodies governed by public law. For the purpose of determining the co-financing rate for ESF programmes or priorities, they may include financial resources set up with the collective contribution of employers and workers.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Financial amount of expenditure submitted by the beneficiary in the context of a payment application which, after its examination, was considered to comply with the conditions for approval of the application (strict eligibility), which ensures the veracity, regularity and legality of the expenditure (formal verification) as well as the applicable eligibility conditions (normative eligibility).

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

the financial amount to be recovered, by forfeiture of guarantees provided, by offsetting or by repayment, from the beneficiary of an operation as a result of a finding of non-compliance, irregularity or administrative error.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

The level of programming into which an operational programme is subdivided. Each priority axis shall relate to a Fund and a category of region, except for the Cohesion Fund, and shall correspond to a thematic objective, including one or more investment priorities of that thematic objective, in accordance with the Fund-specific rules.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013

Compliance with the regulatory framework of an intervention. It applies both to expenditure (conformity regarding its nature, amount or date of implementation) and to projects, beneficiaries or policy areas (geographical areas, sectors of activity).

The process of developing and implementing sustainable solutions to neglected societal problems.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

The body which will receive payments made by the Commission and which, under each Operational Programme, makes payments to beneficiaries, either in the exercise of its own powers or in the exercise of delegated powers.

Source: COMMON GLOSSARY OF ESIF – Portugal 2020

The Europe 2020 strategy is a ten-year plan of the European Union for growth. This strategy aims not only at exiting the crisis but also at revising our growth model and creating the conditions to achieve a different type of growth: smarter, more sustainable and more inclusive growth.

It will be delivered through 5 main objectives that the EU is expected to achieve by the end of this decade and which concern the following areas: employment, education, research and innovation, social inclusion and poverty reduction, and climate and energy.

The strategy also comprises seven ‘flagship initiatives’ which serve as a framework for joint activities by the EU and national authorities in the following areas: innovation, digital economy, employment, industrial policy, poverty and resource efficiency. (http://ec.europa.eu/europe2020/europe-2020-in-a-nutshell/index_en.htm)

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Sum of the contribution from the ESI Funds and the national public contribution calculated on the basis of the approved total eligible cost, less the amount of the private contribution defined in accordance with the specific regulations for operational programmes and the own revenues of projects, where they exist.

Source: Article 2 of Decree-Law No 137/2014 of 12 September 2014

Training developed by a training entity certified for this purpose or by an educational establishment recognised by the competent ministries.

A person who, duly certified in accordance with the requirements of the applicable national legislation in this area, is involved in the implementation of a training action, carries out theoretical or practical interventions for groups of trainees, prepares, develops and evaluates training sessions, using teaching techniques and materials appropriate to the objectives of the action, using their pedagogical technical skills, and may be given other designations, such as teacher, monitor, animator or training tutor.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 60-A/2015 of 2 March 2015.

A person who, having no employment relationship with the beneficiary, carries out the trainer’s own activities.

Source: Article 2 of Ministerial Implementing Order No 60-A/2015 of 2 March 2015

Those who, having an employment relationship with a beneficiary entity or its training centres or structures, as well as those who exercise management, management or similar functions, or hold positions in its corporate bodies, perform the functions of trainer respectively as a main activity or on a secondary or occasional basis.

Source: Article 2 of Ministerial Implementing Order No 60-A/2015 of 2 March 2015

Youth Guarantee appears as a response to the high youth unemployment rate.

It is a commitment that gradually and within 4 months of the young person leaving education or the labour market, he/she will be offered a job, further education, vocational training or traineeship.

The Youth Guarantee is not a job guarantee. But it aims to give young people, as soon as possible, an opportunity to bet on their qualifications and to be in contact with the labour market, with a view to combating inactivity and youth unemployment.

In Portugal, the Youth Guarantee will support young people up to and including 29 years of age, who are neither working nor in the education and training system.

Promoting equality between women and men through appropriate gender mainstreaming in all social and political life, overcoming visible and invisible barriers that may arise in women’s and men’s equal access to economic, political and social participation. The principle of gender equality means accepting and valuing equally the differences between women and men and the different roles they play in society.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Equal opportunities is a general principle whose two main strands are the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of nationality and equality between men and women. It is a principle to be applied in all areas, including economic, social, cultural and family life.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Value created for society by a project or intervention, deducting opportunity costs from the resources used.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

An individual who, irrespective of his or her age, in a given reference period cannot be considered economically active, i.e. neither employed nor unemployed.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

Fund set up to provide support from one more programme to several financial instruments. Where financial instruments are implemented through a fund of funds, the body implementing the fund of funds shall be considered to be the sole beneficiary.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013

Established in 1957 by the Treaty of Rome, it is the oldest structural fund, contributing to the strengthening of the Union's economic and social policy by improving employment and employment opportunities. To this end, the ESF shall support actions by the Member States aimed at increasing the adaptability of workers and enterprises, improving access to employment, the vocational integration of the unemployed, strengthening the social integration of disadvantaged people, increasing and improving investment in human capital, strengthening institutional capacity and the effectiveness of public administrations and services.

Source: Decree-Law No 159/2014 of 27 October 2014

Separate solution to a societal problem with proven positive impact and superior to existing solutions, taking into account the opportunity cost of the resources used.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

The Social Support Index (IAS) defined by Law No 53-B/2006 of 29 December 2006 replaced the Guaranteed Minimum Monthly Remuneration (RMMG) as a decisive benchmark for the determination, calculation and updating of contributions, pensions and other benefits granted by the social security system.

The IAS has applied since January 2007. This index is also applied in the context of support to trainees co-financed through the ESF.

the parameters used to measure the direct effects generated by the operation in achieving its objectives.

Source: Decree-Law No 159/2014 of 27 October 2014

the means of facilitating access to capital of a repayable nature, which may take the form of equity, quasi-equity or other equity investments, including through loan lines, guarantees or other risk-sharing instruments.

Source: Decree-Law No 159/2014 of 27 October 2014

Infringement of EU law, or national law related to its application, resulting from an act or omission by an economic operator involved in the implementation of the ESI Funds, which has, or would have, the effect of prejudicing the EU budget by charging an unjustified item of expenditure to the EU budget.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013

It corresponds to an irregularity, with a high probability of occurrence in operations of a similar nature, resulting from a serious failure in the proper functioning of a management and control system, in particular a failure to establish appropriate procedures in accordance with this Regulation and the Fund-specific rules.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013

Young people aged between 15 and 29 who are not in employment, education or training.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

Enterprises employing fewer than 10 persons and whose annual turnover or annual balance sheet total does not exceed EUR 2 million, in accordance with Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

Those who, whether or not they have an employment relationship with the beneficiary, have the task, in particular, of defining and implementing monitoring mechanisms that help to identify at an early stage situations that may lead to failure and abandonment, of defining individualised action plans, and who, in the context of the Adult Education and Training courses, ensure the development of the module ‘Learning with Autonomy’ at the basic level, and of the area of the ‘Reflective Learning Portfolio’ at the secondary level, or of other specific interventions under the different training modalities.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

Those who, whether or not they have an employment relationship with the beneficiary, have the function, in particular, of intervening in actions aimed at promoting the integration of immigrants and ethnic minorities, with a view to strengthening intercultural dialogue and social cohesion, as well as others that intervene in the areas of equality and gender-based violence.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

Territorial unit designating the European classification set up by the Statistical Office of the European Commission, EUROSTAT, with a view to establishing a coherent and structured division of the Community economic territory by creating a common territorial basis for statistical data analysis.

This classification is hierarchical, subdividing each Member State into territorial units at NUTS I level, each of which is subdivided into territorial units at NUTS II level, which in turn are subdivided into territorial units at NUTS III level.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

the result to be achieved with an investment priority through the implementation of the actions or measures set out therein and defined in a specific national or regional context.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

In order to contribute to the Union 2020 strategy for sustainable and inclusive growth, 11 thematic objectives have been defined, as provided for in Article 9 of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of 17 December 2013.

It is up to each MS to select which thematic objectives they intend to pursue through the Operational Programmes and they are subject to negotiation with the EC.

The thematic objectives are delivered through investment priorities also defined in the EU Council Regulations for each of the Funds.

In the case of OP ISE there are two thematic objectives: 08 - Promote sustainability and quality of employment and support labour mobility and 09 - Promote social inclusion and combat poverty and any kind of discrimination.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

A project or group of projects selected by or under the responsibility of the managing authorities of the programmes contributing to the objectives of a priority or priorities, where, in the context of financial instruments, an operation consists of financial contributions from a programme to financial instruments and subsequent financial support provided by those instruments.

Source: Decree-Law No 137/2014 of 12 October 2014

a body governed by public law within the meaning of point (9) of Article 1 of Directive 2004/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council or a European grouping of territorial cooperation (EGTC) established under Regulation (EC) No 1082/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, irrespective of whether the EGTC qualifies as a body governed by public law or as a body governed by private law under the relevant national implementing provisions.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013

A public or private body acting under the responsibility of one or more managing authorities or exercising powers on behalf of those authorities, in particular in relation to applicants and beneficiaries implementing operations.

Source: Decree-Law No 159/2014 of 27 October 2014

Partial or full payment of Community and in some cases national funding to the beneficiary. Payment may take the form, inter alia, of an advance or reimbursement of expenditure actually paid.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

The period of time during which expenditure actually paid by a beneficiary under an operation is eligible for co-financing from the Funds.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Enterprises employing fewer than 50 persons and whose annual turnover or annual balance sheet total does not exceed EUR 10 million, in accordance with Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

A detailed description of the management and control system, in which the procedures and controls put in place to take decisions on expenditure and applications, for payments and for accounting for the funds are presented. The trail should also make it possible to trace transactions through the systems in order to identify all the steps through which revenue and payments have passed.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

According to Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC, a micro, small or medium-sized enterprise is defined on the basis of the following criteria:

• Medium-sized enterprise – employs between 51 and 250 people; the annual turnover does not exceed EUR 50 million or the annual balance sheet total does not exceed EUR 43 million;
• Small enterprise - employs between 11 and 50 people and the annual turnover or annual balance sheet total does not exceed 10 million euros.
• Microenterprise - employs fewer than 10 people and the annual turnover or annual balance sheet total does not exceed 2 million euros.

Source: Recommendation 2003/361/EC

It is one of the structural policies pursued by the European Union with a view to sustainably reducing economic disparities between regions and enhancing productive potential in the most disadvantaged regions. It is financed by four financial instruments: two Structural Funds (European Regional Development Fund/ERDF and European Social Fund/ESF), the Cohesion Fund and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Its mission is to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the regions and countries of the European Union, thus making a positive contribution to the European economy.

Source: European Union portal

The process of organisation, decision-making and financing, carried out in several stages and designed to implement, on a multiannual basis, joint action by the Community and the Member States to achieve the priority objectives set for the Structural and Cohesion Funds.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013

"Programme", "operational programme" or "rural development programme" is a document submitted by a Member State and approved by the European Commission, which sets out a development strategy with a coherent set of priorities to be implemented with the support of the Funds.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013

an operation comprising an investment in infrastructure the use of which involves fees payable directly by users, or any operation involving the sale or rental of land or buildings, or any other supply of services for consideration.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Formal outcome of an assessment and validation process, obtained when a competent body decides that a person has achieved learning outcomes according to certain requirements.

resources generated in the course of a co-financed operation, which shall be deducted in full or in proportion to the total eligible cost of the operation, depending on whether the operation is co-financed in full or in part, respectively, and which occur during the period of eligibility of expenditure, namely proceeds from sales, services rendered, rentals, registrations, fees and registrations, interest receivable, or other equivalent income.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 60-A/2015 of 2 March 2015.

Percentage that public funding (Community fund and in some cases national public contribution) represents in the total eligible cost of an operation.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Percentage that Community funding represents in the total eligible cost of an operation.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Relationship between expenditure actually incurred and expenditure approved in an operation.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Percentage applied to an expenditure reflecting the share of its contribution to the realisation of the operation.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Verification by the managing authority of a programme, which has approved the operation, or another competent body, carried out at the place where the operation takes place and whose purpose is to confirm that it has actually been carried out, both physically and in terms of documents and accounts. For this purpose, each year operations shall be selected on the basis of a representative sample.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Portal that gathers information on all projects financed on national territory, under the management of national authorities or under the management of the European Union, in order to strengthen the link between the different sources of European funding, and that also serves as a gateway to all interested parties and provides information, through the specific information system (SI PT2020), between cohesion funds and the EAFRD and EMFF, allowing to ensure the overview of all the ESI Funds and the exercise of governance in the Portugal 2020 plan, as well as access to information existing in the Public Administration.

Source: Decree-Law No 137/2014 of 12 October 2014

A conflict of interest exists where the impartial and objective exercise of the functions of a financial actor or other person is compromised for reasons involving family, emotional life, political or national affinity, economic interest or any other shared interest with the recipient.

The concept of conflict of interest shall at least cover any situation where staff members of the contracting authority or of a service provider acting on behalf of the contracting authority, who are involved in the conduct of the procurement procedure or who may influence the outcome of the procurement procedure, have, directly or indirectly, a financial, economic or other personal interest which may compromise their impartiality and independence in the context of the procurement procedure.

a contract for pecuniary interest concluded in writing between one or more economic operators and one or more contracting authorities with a view to obtaining, against payment of a price paid in whole or in part from the budget, the supply of movable or immovable property, the execution of works or the provision of services.

Public procurement includes: (i) building contracts, (ii) supply contracts, (iii) works contracts, (iv) service contracts.

Source: Regulation (EU, EURATOM) 2015/1929 of 28 October 2015

abuse of power for personal gain.

There are 2 types of corruption:

• passive corruption means the deliberate action of an official, directly or through an intermediary, to request or receive advantages of any kind whatsoever, for himself or for a third party, or to accept a promise of such advantages, in order to act or refrain from acting in accordance with his duty or in the exercise of his functions in breach of his official duties in a way which damages or is likely to damage the European Communities' financial interests;
• Active corruption is the deliberate act of promising or giving, directly or through an intermediary, an advantage of any kind whatsoever to an official for himself or for a third party for him to act or refrain from acting in accordance with his duty or in the exercise of his functions in breach of his official duties in a way which damages or is likely to damage the European Communities' financial interests.

Public policy framework legislation applicable to each of the actions financed under the types of operations, available on the Portugal 2020 portal.

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

Creation of new organisations by individuals or teams, with the main aim of generating their own employment, and policies to create their own employment may have a focus on target audiences at risk of exclusion (inclusive entrepreneurship), or a focus on priority segments of public policy (young entrepreneurship or female entrepreneurship), or bet on specific legal models (cooperative entrepreneurship).

Source: Ministerial Implementing Order No 97-A/2015 of 30 March 2015

An undertaking is any entity which, regardless of its legal form, carries out an economic activity. In particular, entities engaged in craft or other activities on an individual or family basis, partnerships or associations regularly engaged in an economic activity shall be regarded as such entities.

Source: Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC of 6 May 2003

Agreement whereby the lender undertakes to make available to the borrower an agreed amount of money for an agreed period of time and under which the borrower undertakes to repay the borrowed amount within the agreed period of time.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012

It promotes the implementation of training actions for workers at its service or who integrate unemployed people in the actions carried out by it, namely under recruitment procedures, and may, for this purpose, have its own certified structure or use the certified training entity.

Source: Decree-Law No 159/2014 of 27 October 2014

Any intentional act or omission relating to:

• the use or presentation of false, incorrect or incomplete statements or documents, which has as its effect the misappropriation or wrongful retention of funds from the general budget of the European Communities or budgets managed by, or on behalf of, the European Communities;
• non-disclosure of information in breach of a specific obligation having the same effect.
• the misappropriation of such funds for purposes other than those for which they were originally granted.

There are 3 types of fraud identified by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACEF):

• Corruption
• Misappropriation of tangible or intangible assets
• Intentional manipulation of financial statements

Source: Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union

The European Social Fund (ESF), the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the Cohesion Fund (CF).

Source: Decree-Law No 137/2014 of 12 September 2014

a written commitment to assume responsibility for all or part of the debt or obligation of a third party or for the proper performance of its obligations by that third party in the event of a triggering event, such as the non-payment of a loan.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012

The YEI was conceived as a financial resource providing dedicated support to young people in the regions of Europe that have been most affected by youth unemployment, namely young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs).

In particular, the YEI will support the implementation of the Council Recommendation on the Youth Guarantee.

Financial instrument that allows the sharing of a certain risk between two or more entities, possibly against the payment of an agreed remuneration.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012

the provision of equity capital to an undertaking, invested directly or indirectly in return for full or partial ownership of that undertaking, where the investor may also assume some control of the management of the undertaking and participate in the profits of the undertaking.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012

Type of financing classified between equity and debt, with a higher risk than senior debt and a lower risk than common equity. Quasi-equity investments can be structured as debts, usually unsecured and subordinated and in some cases convertible into equity, or as preference shares.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012

a natural or legal person, or any other entity, involved in the implementation of the ESI Funds, with the exception of Member States exercising their prerogatives as a public authority.

Source: Decree-Law No 137/2014 of 12 October 2014

Public entities, business, professional and trade union associations, non-profit entities and other civil society organisations in the context of development and the social economy, for actions of an educational, training or other nature and whose intervention is provided for in specific regulations.

Source: Decree-Law No 159/2014 of 27 October 2014

An integral part of the decision approving an operational programme, detailing, for each priority axis or priority, on an annual basis, the amount of the financial envelope foreseen for the participation of each Fund and the corresponding national funding sources (public and private) associated with it.

The financing plan shall indicate separately, as part of the annual contribution from the Structural Funds, the appropriations allocated to the regions receiving transitional support.

Source: ESIF Common Glossary - Portugal 2020

Set of policies, development strategies, policy areas, thematic objectives and investment priorities reflected in the Partnership Agreement, OPs and rural development, as well as in the legal framework governing the implementation of the ESI Funds, on the continent and in the autonomous regions, between 2014 and 2020.

Source: Decree-Law No 137/2014 of 12 October 2014

a document, or set of documents, drawn up at national or regional level, which sets out a limited number of coherent evidence-based priorities and a timetable for the implementation of those priorities, and which may include a monitoring mechanism.

Source: Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013

The RVCC, in the System of Recognition, Validation and Certification of Skills, recognizes and validates knowledge and skills acquired throughout life, giving the adult a certification of basic or secondary level.

It is aimed at adults who have not completed compulsory schooling, allowing them to validate and certify their professional and other school knowledge, which they have acquired throughout their lives and in different contexts (personal, social and professional).

An amount of 6 % of the resources allocated to the ERDF, the ESF and the CF under the Investment for growth and jobs goal, as well as to the EAFRD and measures financed under shared management of the EMFF, to be reallocated in accordance with the assessment of the performance of the different OPs to be carried out in 2019.

Source: Decree-Law No 137/2014 of 12 October 2014

Provisions contained in or established on the basis of the general regulations of the ESI Funds governing the various ESI Funds.

Source: Decree-Law No 137/2014 of 12 October 2014

They form part of the MAs’ internal control system and are standard day-to-day controls aimed at ensuring that the processes for which the MAs are responsible are properly implemented, comply with the principle of sound financial management, in accordance with the relevant rules and regulations.

When properly implemented, they contribute to the prevention and detection of irregularities and fraud. Includes Administrative Checks (VA) and On-the-spot Checks (OTS)

A participant is a person who participates in an operation supported by the ESF, benefits directly from the financial support and can be identified and questioned about the individual information needed to support the quantitative data under the Community common indicators.

Source: Regulation (EU) No1304/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013.