Financial Instruments delivering ESI Funds, Bratislava, 2 October 2015

Bratislava was the stage for the first national fi-compass event, where participants from Slovakia and a few neighbouring countries explored the potential of using financial instruments to deliver 2014-2020 ESIF objectives in the local and regional context. Similar seminars will be held in most other Member States during the next five months. The seminar provided the participants with practical information, including case studies and regulatory clarifications, on how financial instruments can help in their efforts to deliver ESIF 2014-2020 objectives.

Ivan Lesay, the Slovak State Secretary from the Ministry of Finance welcomed the guests. Three case studies on financial instrument implementation from Slovakia and Poland were presented to provide practical insights for the use of financial instruments.

Martin Polónyi from the Slovak Ministry of Finance highlighted Slovakia’s commitment to using financial instruments in 2014-2020 and illustrated the steps towards the set-up of the funds of funds. Two other cases featured experiences from the 2007-2013 period and lessons learned.

Other examples showcased included the Slovakian State Housing Development Fund contributions to the improved insulation of residential buildings and a Polish financial instrument of particular relevance for ESF stakeholders supporting social enterprises.

These examples were complemented by a detailed presentation on the key novelties, implementation options and guidance provided by the European Commission. The European Investment Bank described what fi-compass can do to help Member States move forward with ESIF financial instruments.

Afternoon sessions featured two workshops on both general features of financial instruments as well as an in-depth analysis of their design. During several roundtable sessions, participants engaged in discussions and exercises with moderators and representatives from the European Commission and the European Investment Bank.

Participants had plenty of networking opportunities, where many discussions focused on the specificities of the Slovak context for implementing financial instruments. Please check our events page for the full calendar of fi-compass seminars.