Collection of CAST Project Management FG IV questions (November 2019)

Budget

1. What is MFF?
Multiannual Financial Framework

2. How is the MFF decided?

Council, acting in accordance with a special legislative procedure, must unanimously adopt the MFF
Regulation after having obtained the consent of Parliament

3. What is MFF 2014-2020 allocated for?

1. Smart and inclusive growth (1a. Competitiveness for growth and jobs - 1b. Economic, social and
territorial cohesion).2. Sustainable growth: natural resources. 3. Security and citizenship.4. Global
Europe. 5. Administration. 6. Compensations
Special instruments: Emergency aid reserve / EU solidarity fund / Flexibility instrument / European
globalisation adjustment fund. Maybe two more (see question 5 below)
Contingency margin /Specific flexibility to tackle youth unemployment and strengthen research

4. What is the biggest part/heading of the EU budget?

Common Agricultural Policy

5. What are special instruments under MFF 2014-2020?

They are outside the MFF ceilings to improve flexibility in EU budgeting, such as the Flexibility
Instrument (EUR 1 billion per year), the Emergency Aid Reserve (EUR 600 million per year), the
European Union Solidarity Fund (EUR 600 million per year) and the European Globalisation
Adjustment Fund (EUR 200 million per year). Not sure about the European Peace Facility and the
European Investment Stabilisation Function (loans of up to EUR 30 billion over the MFF period).

6. What is the difference between a commitment and a payment?

Commitments are the legal obligations to spend money that are signed in a given financial year.
Payments cover expenditure due in the current year

7. What is the EU budget?

The EU has agreed on a budget of €165.8 billion for the year 2019, representing around 1% of the
EU-28's gross national income (GNI).

8. Who adopts the EU budget?

The budget is decided jointly by the Commission, the Council and Parliament.

9. How is the EU budget adopted?

The Commission submits a draft to the Council and Parliament for their consideration. They can
make changes; if they disagree, they have to work out a compromise.
 10. What are the sources of the EU budget?
GDP %, VAT and import duties

11. Which countries can apply for EU funding?

It depends on the programme, defined by the call for proposal.

12. What are the European structural and investment funds?

The European structural and investment funds are: European regional development fund, European
social fund, Cohesion fund, European agricultural fund for rural development, European maritime
and fisheries fund.

Horizon 2020
1. What is Horizon 2020?
The Horizon 2020 programme was established by the European Union (EU) as a collaborative
financial instrument that would help secure Europe’s global competitiveness in research and
innovation.

2. Which executive agencies manage Horizon 2020?

ERCEA, REA, INEA AND EASME

3. What are the aims and areas of Horizon 2020?

Horizon 2020 is helping to achieve this by coupling research to innovation and focusing on three key
areas: excellent science, industrial leadership and societal challenges. The goal is to ensure Europe
produces world-class science and technology that drives economic growth

4. How much is the Horizon 2020 budget?

80€billion

5. Can an international organisation apply for Horizon 2020?

6. What is the Innovation Union?

The Innovation Union, an action-packed initiative for an innovation-friendly Europe

Institutions

1. Where are EU institutions located?

2. What is EPSO, and what does it do?

The European Personnel Selection Office is responsible for selecting staff to work for the institutions
and agencies of the European Union including the European Parliament, the European Council, the
European Commission, the European Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors, the European External
Action Service, the Economic and Social Committee, the Committee of the Regions and the European
Ombudsman.
 3. What is OLAF and what does it do?
The European Anti-Fraud Office is a body mandated by the European Union with protecting the
Union's financial interests

4. What is an executive agency? What does an executive agency NOT do?

Executive agencies are created by European Commission for a fixed period.

5. Acronyms of executive agencies

Official name Abbreviation Location
Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises EASME Brussels
Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency EACEA Brussels
Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency Chafea Luxembourg City
Innovation and Networks Executive Agency INEA Brussels
Research Executive Agency REA Brussels
European Research Council Executive Agency ERC Brussels

6. What is the role of the Ombudsman?

Any EU citizen or entity may appeal the Ombudsman to investigate an EU institution on the grounds
of maladministration: administrative irregularities, unfairness, discrimination, abuse of power,
failure to reply, refusal of information or unnecessary delay.

7. What is the European Institute of Innovation and Technology?

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology is an independent EU Body created by the
European Union in 2008 to strengthen Europe's ability to innovate. The EIT is an integral part of
Horizon 2020, the EU's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation.

8. What is the role of the European Court of Auditors?

As the EU's independent external auditor, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) looks after the
interests of EU taxpayers in order to improve EU financial management.

9. What is the European Central Bank?

The European Central Bank (ECB) is the central bank of the 19 European Union countries which have
adopted the euro. Its main task is to maintain price stability in the euro area and so preserve the
purchasing power of the single currency.

10. Who are the EU’s leaders?

David Sassoli, President of the European Parliament (since 3 July 2019)
Charles Michel, President of the European Council (since 1 December 2019)
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (since 1 December 2019)

11. Acronyms of DGs


DG
Agriculture and Rural Development AGRI
Budget
Climate Action
Communication
Communications Networks, Content
and Technology
Competition
Economic and Financial Affairs
Education and Culture
Employment, Social Affairs and
Inclusion
Energy
Environment
European Civil Protection and
Humanitarian Aid Operations
Eurostat
Financial Stability, Financial Services
and Capital Markets Union
Health and Food Safety
Human Resources and Security
Informatics
Internal Market, Industry,
Entrepreneurship and SMEs
International Cooperation and
Development
Interpretation
Joint Research Centre
Justice and Consumers
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries
Migration and Home Affairs
Mobility and Transport
Neighbourhood and Enlargement
Negotiations
Departments (DGs)
Abbreviation Relevant Commissioner
European Commissioner for Agriculture and
Rural Development
European Commissioner for Financial
BUDG
Programming and the Budget
CLIMA European Commissioner for Climate Action
COMM European Commissioner for Communication
CNCT European Commissioner for Digital Agenda
COMP European Commissioner for Competition
European Commissioner for Economic and
ECFIN
Financial Affairs
European Commissioner for Education, Culture,
EAC
Multilingualism and Youth
European Commissioner for Employment, Social
EMPL
Affairs and Inclusion
ENER European Commissioner for Energy
ENV European Commissioner for the Environment
European Commissioner for International
ECHO Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis
Response
European Commissioner for Taxation and
ESTAT
Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud
European Commissioner for Financial Stability,
FISMA
Financial Services and Capital Markets Union
European Commissioner for Health and Food
SANTE
Safety
European Commissioner for Inter-Institutional
HR
Relations and Administration
DIGIT
European Commissioner for Industry and
GROW
Entrepreneurship
DEVCO European Commissioner for Development
SCIC
European Commissioner for Research,
JRC
Innovation and Science
European Commissioner for Justice,
JUST
Fundamental Rights and Citizenship
European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and
MARE
Fisheries
HOME European Commissioner for Home Affairs
MOVE European Commissioner for Transport
European Commissioner for Enlargement and
NEAR
European Neighbourhood Policy
 Departments (DGs)
DG Abbreviation Relevant Commissioner
Regional and Urban Policy REGIO European Commissioner for Regional Policy
European Commissioner for Research,
Research and Innovation RTD
Innovation and Science
European Commissioner for Taxation and
Taxation and Customs Union TAXUD
Customs Union, Audit and Anti-Fraud
Trade TRADE European Commissioner for Trade
Translation DGT

12. EU institutions
The European Parliament; the European Council; the Council of the European Union (simply called
‘the Council’); the European Commission; the Court of Justice of the European Union; the European
Central Bank and the Court of Auditors.

13. What are the EU’s interinstitutional bodies?

Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) / European School of Administration / European
Personnel Selection Office / Publications Office

14. Which are the three main EU institutions involved in decision-making?

The European Parliament, which represents the EU’s citizens and is directly elected by them;
The Council of the European Union, which represents the governments of the individual member
countries. The Presidency of the Council is shared by the member states on a rotating basis.
The European Commission, which represents the interests of the Union as a whole.

15. What is the European Court of Human Rights?

The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR; French: Cour européenne des droits de
l’homme) is a supranational or international court established by the European Convention on
Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a contracting state has breached one or
more of the human rights provisions concerning civil and political rights set out in the Convention
and its protocols.

Laws

1. What is the ordinary legislative procedure?

Codecision officially became the 'Ordinary Legislative Procedure' and the general rule for passing
legislation at EU level, covering the vast majority of areas of Union action. The main characteristic of
the ordinary legislative procedure is the adoption of legislation jointly and on an equal footing by
Parliament and the Council. It starts with a legislative proposal from the Commission (normally for a
regulation, directive or decision) and consists of up to three readings, with the possibility for the co-
legislators to agree on a joint text - and thereby conclude the procedure - at any reading.

2. How is an EU directive adopted? How is a law passed?

A directive is a legal act of the European Union which requires member states to achieve a particular
result without dictating the means of achieving that result. It can be distinguished from regulations,
which are self-executing and do not require any implementing measures. Directives normally leave
member states with a certain amount of leeway as to the exact rules to be adopted. Directives can
be adopted by means of a variety of legislative procedures depending on their subject matter.
The text of a draft directive (if subject to the co-decision process, as contentious matters usually are)
is prepared by the Commission after consultation with its own and national experts. The draft is
presented to the Parliament and the Council—composed of relevant ministers of member
governments, initially for evaluation and comment then subsequently for approval or rejection.
Most EU laws are adopted using the ordinary legislative procedure, in which the European
Parliament (directly elected) and the Council of the EU (representatives of the 28 EU countries) have
equal say. The Commission submits a legislative proposal to the Parliament and Council, who must
agree on the text in order for it to become EU law. 

3. What is the difference between a Regulation, Directive and a Decision?

Regulations have binding legal force throughout every Member State and enter into force on a set
date in all the Member States.
Example: Food Information to Consumers Regulation 1169/2011
Directives lay down certain results that must be achieved but each Member State is free to decide
how to transpose directives into national laws.
Example: Directive 2002/46 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to food
supplements
Decisions are EU laws relating to specific cases and directed to individual or several Member States,
companies or private individuals.  They are binding upon those to whom they are directed.
Example: Commission Implementing Decision 2016/1189 authorizing UV-treated milk as a novel food
(see Article 3)

4. What major treaties define the EU’s institutional setup?

The two principal treaties on which the EU is based are the Treaty on European Union (TEU;
Maastricht Treaty, effective since 1993) and the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union
(TFEU; Treaty of Rome, effective since 1958).

5. What is the EU’s jurisprudence?

6. What are the basic acts?

Directives, regulations and decisions

7. What is a primary law?

The two main sources of EU law are: primary law and secondary law. Primary law is constituted by
treaties laying down the legal framework of the European Union. Secondary law is composed of legal
instruments based on these treaties, such as regulations, directives, decisions and agreements.

8. What is the EU fundamental rights charter?

The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union enshrines certain political, social, and
economic rights for European Union citizens and residents into EU law.
Policies

1. EU 2020 climate and energy package: targets?

The 2020 package is a set of binding legislation to ensure the EU meets its climate and energy
targets for the year 2020. The package sets three key targets: 20% cut in greenhouse gas emissions
(from 1990 levels) 20% of EU energy from renewables and 20% improvement in energy efficiency.

2. EU 2030 climate & energy framework: targets?

At least 40% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions (from 1990 levels) At least 32% share for renewable
energy. At least 32.5% improvement in energy efficiency.

3. What are the Millenium Development Goals?

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals for the year
2015 that had been established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000,
following the adoption of the United Nations Millennium Declaration. All 191 United Nations
member states at that time, and at least 22 international organizations, committed to help achieve
the following Millennium Development Goals by 2015:
1. To eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. To achieve universal primary education
3. To promote gender equality and empower women
4. To reduce child mortality
5. To improve maternal health
6. To combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases
7. To ensure environmental sustainability[1]
8. To develop a global partnership for development [2]

4. What is the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?

The Agenda is a commitment to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development by 2030
worldwide, ensuring that no one is left behind. The adoption of the 2030 Agenda was a landmark
achievement, providing for a shared global vision towards sustainable development for all.

5. What is the LIFE programme?

The LIFE programme is the EU's funding instrument for the environment and climate action created
in 1992.

6. What are the principles of cohesion policy?

Concentration / Programming / Partnership / Additionality

Procurement
1. What is the definition of procurement?
Public procurement describes the process by which public bodies - such as local authorities,
universities and government departments - purchase work, goods and services from private
companies. The EU law on procurement requires public bodies to open up higher-value contract
opportunities to bids across European Union.

2. What does procurement lead to?

3. What are the stages of procurement?

The EU procurement procedures involve three main stages. These are:
 tender specification - where the purchasing body outlines its requirements and advertises
the contract, often through an Invitation to Tender
 tender selection - where the purchaser carries out a selection process to choose a winning
tender
 tender award - where the winning bidder(s) start work on the project

4. What are the principles of procurement?

Equal treatment, non-discrimination, proportionality and transparency

5. What are procurement rules for building/construction contracts?

6. What are the four steps of a tender procedure?

1) Preparation of Tender documents; 2) Publication of Call for Tender; 3) Evaluation; and 4) Award

Project management

1. Which is the correct sequence of phases to follow in managing a project?

Initiation, planning, execution, and closure

2. What is pre-financing?
Pre-financing is most commonly used to implement non-exchange transactions such as transfers
(e.g. subsidies, structural funds) and less so in the process of procurement of goods or services
(exchange transactions). It corresponds to the payment of cash advances, i.e. the payments are
made before the expenditure is declared eligible or before the delivery of goods or services. This
type of cash advance is a significant asset of the European Union and is included in the financial
statements under the heading "Pre-financing".

3. Who owns a pre-financing?

The Commission until the beneficiary demonstrates that the work was done.

4. What is fraud?
Fraud is a deliberate act of deception intended for personal gain or to cause a loss to another party.

5. With regard to grants and public procurement, are losses as a result of exchange-rate
fluctuations considered eligible expenses?
No
 6. For the same project the same beneficiary may receive one grant or multiple grants?

7. Ex post evaluation of a project is defined as?

Ex post evaluations are used throughout the European Commission to assess whether a specific
intervention was justified and whether it worked (or is working) as expected in achieving its
objectives and why.

8. You receive a letter from a grant beneficiary in your capacity as an EC project officer. What is
your reply deadline?
The EU institutions then have the obligation to answer within 15 working days. In exceptional cases,
for example when you ask for a large number documents, an extension of 15 further working days
can be applied to your request.

9. When managing a project, which of the following factors are the principal constraints that
should be taken into account during implementation?
The project is defined, planned and executed under certain external (or self-imposed) constraints of
time, cost, quality, as well as other constraints related to the project’s organisational environment,
capabilities, available capacity, etc.

10. What are the different management modes?

Direct, indirect, shared

11. What is direct management?

The Commission (i.e. its departments either in Headquarters or in EU delegations, or an EU executive
agency) selects the recipients (running the procurement and grant award procedures preceding the
conclusion of such contracts, including the award and rejection decisions), is the party to the
contracts with them and manages these contracts (making payments, accepting or rejecting
deliverables, enforcing the contract, carrying out checks and controls, recovering funds unduly paid).
Budget support is always implemented in direct management.

12. How does shared management work?

The Commission delegates the implementation of an action/programme to a Member State (acting
through its managing authority).

13. What financial instruments are used in shared management with Member States?
About 80% of the general budget of the EU is implemented in shared management, in particular in
the structural funds and the common agricultural policy. DG DEVCO does not apply shared
management.

14. What is the 4 eyes principle?

It means that a certain activity, i.e. a decision, transaction, etc., must be approved by at least two
people. This controlling mechanism is used to facilitate delegation of authority and increase
transparency
 15. What is a whistle blower?
Whistleblowers, i.e. persons who report (within the organisation concerned or to an outside
authority) or disclose (to the public) information on a wrongdoing obtained in a work-related
context, help preventing damage and detecting threat or harm to the public interest that may
otherwise remain hidden.

16. What is a contingency reserve?

The contingency reserve can only be used after PRIOR approval by the EU. The contingency reserve
is to be used during the course of the implementation of the project to meet unforeseen costs
required to deliver project results and meet stated objectives.

17. Which costs can be considered in a 10% contingency?

18. What are eligible costs?

■actual and incurred by the beneficiary during the project
■contributing to the objectives of the project in an economic, efficient and effective manner
■determined according to the usual accounting principles of the beneficiary
■indicated in Annex I of the Grant Agreement

19. What is conflict of interest?

A conflict of interest generally refers to a situation where the impartiality and objectivity of a
decision, opinion or recommendation might be perceived as being compromised by a personal
interest held or entrusted to a given individual.

20. What is conflict of interest in Call for Proposals?

21. When can an audit be performed in a grant?

22. In an ongoing grant if you notice an irregularity in the implementation of activities, what do
you do?

23. In an ongoing project, if you notice that an important part of the activities was not
implemented, what do you do?

24. What is the last step of the grant cycle?

The final payment

25. After the evaluation of a grant, what do you do next?

26. What is PM2? What is correct order of the four project phases is PM2?
PM² is a Project Management Methodology developed by the European Commission. Its purpose is
to enable Project Managers (PMs) to deliver solutions and benefits to their organisations by
effectively managing project work. PM² has been created considering the environment and needs of
EU Institutions and projects, in order to facilitate the management of projects’ complete lifecycle.
Initiating, planning, executing, closing

27. What is the MEAT principle applied during evaluations of projects?

Most economically advantageous tender

28. In what currency is the grant given out?

29. What are the principles of budget management?

•Unity and budget accuracy. All revenue and expenditure should be incorporated in a single budget
document. ...
•Annuality. ...
•Equilibrium. ...
•Unit of account. ...
•Universality. ...
•Specification. ...
•Sound financial management. ...
•The principle of transparency.

30. What is the principle of sound financial management?

The principle of sound financial management stipulates that the budget appropriations must be used
according to the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

31. Who is the product/property/goods owner in grants?

European Commission

32. What to do if a purchase in a grant has no link with the project? What to do if the
beneficiary claims expenses for which he/she has not delivered?

33. What to do if an external consultant who evaluate call of proposal has a conflict of interest?

34. When can money for grants could be suspended?

35. What is the expenditure lifecycle?

36. What are the principles of grant management?

•Transparency (ex ante and ex post)
•Equal treatment
•Non-profit
•Non-cumulative award
•Non retroactivity
•Co-financing

37. What is the next step after the signature of the grant?

38. What is the Critical Path Method?

The critical path method (CPM) is a step-by-step project management technique for process
planning that defines critical and non-critical tasks with the goal of preventing time-frame problems
and process bottlenecks

39. How does the dependency of activities work in Critical Path Method?
It is important to identify the sequences to give a clear idea of the links between activities and helps
establish dependencies because some actions will depend on the completion of others.

40. Are financial instalments based on reports?

41. What are the principles of Call for Proposals?

 equal treatment of all applicants or beneficiaries
 non-cumulative: each beneficiary may not get more than one grant per action or per
financial year
 non-retroactive: actions already completed are excluded from EU funding
 co-financing: the Commission and the beneficiary will share the costs
 non-profit: grant beneficiaries may not generate profit with the EU grant they receive.

42. What are Gantt charts?

A Gantt chart is a type of bar chart that illustrates a project schedule, named after its inventor,
Henry Gantt (1861–1919), who designed such a chart around the years 1910–1915. Modern Gantt
charts also show the dependency relationships between activities and current schedule status.

43. What to do as an adviser if the grant receiver does things that go beyond the objective of
the project, or if they haven’t delivered in a part of the project?

44. What are the criteria used by the evaluators during the selection procedures of a grant?
Excellence, impact, and quality and efficiency of implementation

45. What is risk? (Not PM2 definition)

46. What are the principles of risk management?

The five basic risk management principles of risk identification, risk analysis, risk control, risk
financing and claims management can be applied to most any situation or problem.

47. What is internal risk?

Internal risks are from within the organization and arise during normal operation. Internal risks are
often forecastable, and therefore can be avoided or mitigated. Internal risks are typically generated
by one (or some combination) of human, technical or physical factors

48. How does expert selection work?

The European Union Institutions publish regularly calls for expression of interest (see list below)
detailing the selection criteria, the required expertise, the description of the tasks, their duration
and the conditions of remuneration.
 49. What are the principles of evaluation?
Efficiency, Effectiveness, Relevance + impact and sustainability

50. What is PERT?

The program evaluation and review technique is a statistical tool used in project management, which
was designed to analyze and represent the tasks involved in completing a given project

51. What are actually incurred costs?

An incurred cost in accrual accounting is the moment in time when a resource or asset is consumed
and an expense is recorded. That means that costs have to be related to services, works and
purchase of goods for activities performed during the implementation period.

52. What are ethical concerns in grant management?

53. Can the Court of Auditors audit a grant?

54. When is the final payment given in a grant?

55. Which of the following are not part of the Simplified Cost Options?
a. Flat rates
b. Unit costs
c. Real costs
d. Lump sums

56. What is the definition of a project?

A project is a series of activities aimed at bringing about clearly specified objectives within a defined
time period and with a defined budget which is specific to the project
A project should have:
 Clearly identified stakeholders, including the primary target group and the final
beneficiaries.
 Clearly defined coordination, management and financing arrangements.
 A monitoring system to oversee and follow implementation and to support project
management.
CAST Project Management FG IV (exam taken in November 2019)

1. What is pre-financing?
Correct answer: an advance payment.

2. What is the LIFE Programme?

The LIFE programme is the EU's funding instrument for the environment and climate action created
in 1992

3. Which one is NOT an EU programme?

a. Copernicus
b. Horizon 2020
c. Youth Employment Initiative
d. World Food Programme

4. What is Horizon 2020?

Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU Research and Innovation programme ever with nearly €80 billion of
funding available over 7 years (2014 to 2020) – in addition to the private investment that this money
will attract. It promises more breakthroughs, discoveries and world-firsts by taking great ideas from
the lab to the market. 

5. Which countries are eligible for EU funding?

Correct answer: depends on the programme.

6. Which statement is NOT true about the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union?
a. It has six titles on substantive rights under the headings: dignity, freedoms, equality, solidarity,
citizens' rights and justice.
b. It entered into force with the Treaty of Lisbon in 2009.
c. The Charter applies to the Institutions of the European Union and its member states when
implementing European Union law.
d. It is overseen by the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights.

7. On what basis can you exclude an evaluator?

a. Conflict of interest
b. Gender
c. Non-EU citizenship
d. None of the above

8. Which one is NOT a basic act?

a. directives
b. regulations
c. decisions
d. recommendations
9. What happens if during the evaluation of a grant it turns out that the evaluator has a conflict of
interest?
a. you go to OLAF
b. evaluator must stop work immediately
c. evaluator must stop work immediately, but the work already accomplished can be taken into
account
d. if evaluator admits to conflict of interest in the process, he can continue work

10. Which executive agencies manage Horizon 2020?

ERCEA, INEA, REA, EASME are the correct answer. The answers all have at least two of these listed,
plus: European Research Council, European Science Foundation, Joint Technology Initiatives thrown
in to confuse you.

11. What does EASME stand for?

Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises

12. What are the priorities of Horizon 2020?

Correct answer: excellent science, industrial leadership, societal challenges. At least one of these
appears in every answer, often two. In addition: support to SMEs, support to joint technology
initiatives. The point is – they all sound plausible.

13. What does an executive agency do?

a. make policy
b. manage programmes
c. make policy and manage programmes
d. none of the above
 
14. When is pre-financing given?
a. after the grant is awarded, so the implementing partner has security
b. after the contract is signed so that activities can start

15. What type of payments do EU grants have?

a. direct debit
b. direct debit and interim payments
c. pre-financing, interim payments and final payment

16. Which one is NOT relevant to operational expenditure?

The answer options are all legal/Commission document types.

17. When is the final payment given in a grant?

a. upon receipt of final report
b. after review and approval of final report and financial statement
c. automatically on the last day of the project
18. What do you consider when you apply the critical path method?
a. No point in planning, the future is unpredictable.
b. Based on your experience and predictable events
c. Based on your experience, predictable and unforeseeable events

19. In an ongoing grant if you notice an irregularity in the implementation of activities, what do you
do?
a. you officially notify the beneficiary, ask them to rectify the irregularity and re-launch the project
b. you report the case to OLAF
c. you stop the payments
(d. something plausible)

20. What does the principle of co-financing mean in EU programmes?

The term 'co-financing rate' refers to the contribution EU funding makes to a programme. It is
expressed as a percentage of the total programme cost. Co-financing is usually subject to a
maximum threshold, which is defined as a percentage of the total value of the programme, or part
thereof.

21. What is direct management?

a. HR method
b. One of the ways the European Commission manages its budget

22. What is the EU’s 2030 target on greenhouse gas emissions?

a. 10%
b. 40%
c. 80%
d. something with nitrogen

23. What is EPSO?

Correct answer: My favourite ever EU interinstitutional body set out to torture me.

24. How is an EU grant awarded?

a. call for proposals
b. call for tenders

25. What is the current period of EU MFF?

Correct answer: 2014-2020. All others sound plausible, too.

Project management FG IV CAST:

1. The 2014-2020 European programme for research and innovation is? Answers: a. Horizon 2020; b.
Innovation Union; c. Europe 2020; d. …
2. Who owns a pre-financing? Answers: a. the Commission until the beneficiary demonstrates that
the work was done; b. the Coordinator until it further disburses it to the other beneficiaries; c. …; d.

3. When can an Audit be performed in a grant? Answers: a. at any time; b. before the
implementations starts; c. after the implementation finishes; d. …

4. What are the criteria used by the evaluators during the selection procedures of a grant? Answers:
a. Efficiency, Effectiveness, Relevance + impact and sustainability; b. E, E, R + environment; c. E,E,R

5. Who adopts the EU budget? Answers: a. Commission, EU Parl, EU Council; b. EU Parl and EU
Council but Council is more important; c. EU parl and EU Council but Parl is more important; d. EU
Parl and EU Council, equally important.

6. The European Institute for Innovation and Technology is: Answers: a. A private body whose aim is
to foster research and innovation; b. An independent EU body that promotes research and
entrepreneurship; c. an institute based in Germany; d. …

7. In an ongoing grant if you notice an irregularity in the implementation of activities, what do you
do? Answers: a. you officially notify the beneficiary, ask them to rectify the irregularity and re-
launch the project; b. you report the case to OLAF; c. you stop the payments; d. …

8. In an ongoing project, if you notice that an important part of the activities was not implemented,
what do you do? Answers: a. if the beneficiary submitted a request for payment, you block the
payment; b. …

9. What is NOT a source of the EU budget? Answers: a. VAT from Member States; b. Road fees; c. A
percentage of the Member States’ GDP: d. …

10. What is the last step of the grant cycle? Answers: a. the signature of the contract; b. the final
payment; c. …

11. After the evaluation of a grant, what do you do next? Answers: a. you inform all applicants; b.
you inform the awarded applicants first, so that they prepare the grants agreement; c. you inform
the non-awarded applicants; d.

12. What is correct order of the four project phases is PM2? The answer is initial-planning-
execution-closure

13. What financial instruments are used in shared management (with Member States)? Answers: a.
the structural and investment funds; b. ….

14. What is the MEAT principle applied during evaluations of projects? Answers: a. most
economically advantageous tender; b. most ecologically advantageous tender; c. …
15. What is NOT a milestone in a project? Answers: a. an output…; b. a moment where the
beneficiary has to make a decision; c. an important moment that should be used to improve the
future phases of the project;

//
Use the EU website, and the following documents:
How the European Union works
https://europa.rs/images/publikacije/HTEUW_How_the_EU_Works.pdf

PRAG 2 Manual – especially grants

https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/funding/about-funding-and-procedures/procedures-and-practical-
guide-prag_en

EU Financial Guidelines
https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/work/procedures/financial-management-toolkit_en.htm_en

Aid Delivery Methods: Project Cycle Management Guidelines

https://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sites/devco/files/methodology-aid-delivery-methods-project-cycle-
management-200403_en_2.pdf

PM2 - open project management methodology

https://ec.europa.eu/isa2/solutions/open-pm2_en

Budget factsheet and budget adoption procedure

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/factsheets/en/sheet/10/the-budgetary-procedure

Horizon 2020 presentation

https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/horizon2020/en/background-material

Public procurement
https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/public-procurement_en