Paris Absorption 2026 Seminar

The Absorption Seminar

How to accelerate and simplify European Fund payments for 2021-2027, safely.

2.5 days of hands-on workshop for Managing Authorities, Intermediate Bodies and programme and project managers. From programming to closure, an equipped method to lift the blockages in absorption. Absorption does not fail in one place, it is all interconnected — 3 days to consolidate.

Paris · 7 – 9 October 2026 (morning of the 9th)

Practical information

DatesWednesday 7 and Thursday 8 October 2026 (full days), Friday 9 October 2026 (morning)
VenueCentral Paris — venue and partner hotel shared with registered participants
Format2.5-day hands-on workshop, max. 25 participants
LanguageEnglish, with possible exchanges in French
Standard fee€1,288 net amount per participant
Early bird€1,218 before 9 August
Group (2+ people)€1,290 per participant
IncludedMaterials, workshops, coffee breaks and lunches on the first two days
Contactcontact@etcp.fr · +33 (0)6 71 62 40 25 · etcp.fr/register/

Who it is for

  • Managing Authorities (ERDF, ESF+, Cohesion Fund, Interreg)
  • Intermediate Bodies and delegated bodies
  • Multi-fund programme coordinators
  • National plans, RRF managers
  • Programme and project managers
  • Verification, certification and closure teams

Detailed programme — 2.5 days, 10 sessions, 3 workshops

Day 1 — Upstream phases: Programming → Calls → Selection → Contracting

  • 08:30 – 09:00Welcome and coffee
  • 09:00 – 09:30Opening: the absorption chainFraming the absorption challenge for 2021-2027 • Introduction to the leakage-point framework, the red thread across the three days.
  • 09:30 – 11:00Session 1 — Programming phaseWhere absorption drops off: indicators too rigid, unrealistic N+2/N+3 forecasts, beneficiary absorption capacity poorly assessed. Levers: rolling quarterly financial forecast, early identification of large projects, programme amendments as a planned tool.
  • 11:00 – 11:15Coffee break
  • 11:15 – 12:45Session 2 — Calls for proposalsCalls too broad or too narrow, weak applicant pipeline, duplication or lack of synergies with RFF and Horizon. Levers: clearer targets and synergies, continuous calls vs. single-round, pre-call technical assistance, standardised templates aligned with future verification needs.
  • 12:45 – 13:45Lunch
  • 13:45 – 15:00Session 3 — Selection phaseCommittee backlogs, appeals blocking contracting. Levers: continuous committees, weighted scoring grids favouring implementation capacity, parallel due diligence, notification SLA in days.
  • 15:00 – 15:15Coffee break
  • 15:15 – 16:30Session 4 — Contracting phaseClauses negotiated case by case, State aid and public procurement checks delayed. Levers: pre-validated contract templates, accelerated State aid and public procurement checks, automatic triggering of the first advance on signature.
  • 16:30 – 17:00Workshop A — Map your own pipelineParticipants place their Programming → Contracting pipeline on the leakage-point framework and identify three delays to work on in Day 2.

Day 2 — Implementation, alert & support architecture, payment speed

  • 09:00 – 09:15Day 1 recapReview of leakage points identified in Workshop A.
  • 09:15 – 10:45Session 5 — Implementation failures: adapting contracts, supporting beneficiariesContracts without built-in flexibility, problems spotted too late, binary posture that discourages self-declaration. Levers: two-tier amendment procedure, written tolerance thresholds in the contract, graduated response scale from support plan to termination.
  • 10:45 – 11:00Coffee break
  • 11:00 – 12:30Session 6 — The alert & support architecture (deep-dive)① Indicator-driven alert system with traffic-light dashboard. ② Shared expert pool, pre-briefed, self-routing. ③ Fast-track with published deadline (e.g. 10 working days). ④ Individualised support: risk/capacity segmentation, dedicated case manager, coaching and buddying.
  • 12:30 – 13:30Lunch
  • 13:30 – 14:15Workshop B — Your own alert and fast-track criteriaDrafting trigger thresholds and fast-track eligibility rules with a published processing deadline for your programme.
  • 14:15 – 14:30Coffee break
  • 14:30 – 15:45Session 7 — Management verifications100 % ex-ante checks, duplicate administrative/on-the-spot checks without risk differentiation. Levers: risk-based sampling, calendars synchronised with declaration cycles, delegation to Intermediate Bodies with quality sampling.
  • 15:45 – 16:00Coffee break
  • 16:00 – 17:00Session 8 — Processing and payment speedMonthly payment runs, sequential signatures, no risk triage. Levers: continuous runs, tiered authorisation, e-Cohesion automation, fixed short cycle (e.g. 10 working days) for SCOs.
  • 19:00Optional networking dinner
  • 20:00Optional surprise tour with locals

Day 3 (half-day) — Closure and follow-up

  • 09:00 – 09:15Day 2 recap
  • 09:15 – 10:45Session 9 — Closure phase (dedicated)Backlog of final verifications, unresolved irregularities, vague document retention. Levers: closure-readiness reviews from mid-programme, early resolution of financial corrections, standardised final file validated in advance.
  • 10:45 – 11:00Coffee break
  • 11:00 – 12:15Session 10 — Cross-cutting follow-up (Monitoring)Integrated financial + physical dashboards, alert thresholds triggering corrective dialogue, real-time data-entry discipline, feedback loop between alerts (Session 6) and closure preparation (Session 9).
  • 12:15 – 12:45Workshop C — Self-assessment closure-readinessParticipants score their programme against a closure-preparation checklist and identify what needs fixing now rather than at closure.
Registration open now