{"id":21149,"date":"2023-04-04T13:54:02","date_gmt":"2023-04-04T12:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/2023\/04\/dotace-z-operacniho-programu-zivotni-prostredi-2021-2027\/"},"modified":"2024-08-19T17:50:28","modified_gmt":"2024-08-19T16:50:28","slug":"dotace-z-operacniho-programu-zivotni-prostredi-2021-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/2023\/04\/dotace-z-operacniho-programu-zivotni-prostredi-2021-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"Subsidies from the Operational Programme Environment 2021\u20132027"},"content":{"rendered":"

On\u00a015 December 2022, calls from the\u00a0Operational Programme Environment (OPE) 2021\u20132027 were finally launched for\u00a0projects in\u00a0the\u00a0field of\u00a0nature conservation\u00a0and landscape protection, which will be financed through the\u00a0so-called simplified reporting methods (hereinafter SRM). Simplifying the\u00a0administration\u00a0of\u00a0subsidies was\u00a0one of\u00a0the\u00a0main\u00a0requirements of\u00a0the\u00a0European Commission, which it set as\u00a0mandatory for\u00a0all projects with total expenditures of\u00a0up to\u00a0EUR 200,000. SRM are nothing new, but most operational programmes have not yet used this\u00a0method, or\u00a0only to\u00a0a\u00a0small extent in\u00a0the\u00a0form of\u00a0flat rates for\u00a0a\u00a0specific group of\u00a0expenses. The\u00a0aim is\u00a0to\u00a0reduce the\u00a0administrative burden on\u00a0applicants and beneficiaries for\u00a0smaller projects in\u00a0the\u00a0field of\u00a0nature and landscape, as\u00a0this\u00a0administrative burden which subsidies undoubtedly bring often discourages people to\u00a0use them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What exactly are SRM? It is\u00a0a\u00a0method that is\u00a0based on\u00a0a\u00a0predetermined amount or\u00a0percentage related to\u00a0certain\u00a0project expenses to\u00a0which the\u00a0beneficiary is\u00a0entitled, regardless of\u00a0how much the\u00a0project actually cost them. The\u00a0beneficiary does not submit any accounting documents to\u00a0the\u00a0subsidy provider to\u00a0verify the\u00a0funds spent. However, it may happen that the\u00a0predetermined amount will not be needed in\u00a0full for\u00a0the\u00a0implementation\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0project (e.g., due to\u00a0competition\u00a0for\u00a0a\u00a0lower price). In\u00a0such case, the\u00a0beneficiary does not have to\u00a0return the\u00a0remaining money to\u00a0the\u00a0subsidy provider and can use it to\u00a0finance other activities related to\u00a0the\u00a0implementation\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0approved project. Compared to\u00a0the\u00a0method of\u00a0actually reported expenses (proven on\u00a0the\u00a0basis\u00a0of\u00a0invoices and other accounting documents), dominating in\u00a0previous programme periods, SRM may seem revolutionary. In\u00a0the\u00a0field of\u00a0nature and landscape, the\u00a0basis\u00a0for\u00a0determining such a\u00a0\u201cpredefined\u201d amount will be the\u00a0so-called Costs of\u00a0usual measures of\u00a0the\u00a0Ministry of\u00a0the\u00a0Environment (CUM MoE), which have already been used for\u00a0the\u00a0second programme period to\u00a0evaluate the\u00a0cost-effectiveness of\u00a0OPE projects, and even longer for\u00a0national subsidies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It is\u00a0important to\u00a0emphasize that the\u00a0one-time amount according to\u00a0the\u00a0CUM MoE will be used only for\u00a0selected types of\u00a0projects in\u00a01.3 and 1.6 specific objectives and, at the\u00a0same time, for\u00a0projects with total expenses not exceeding EUR\u00a0200,000. Among the\u00a0types of\u00a0measures to\u00a0which SRM will be applied are: construction\u00a0and restoration\u00a0of\u00a0water elements (pools, wetlands, small water reservoirs) and vegetation\u00a0elements (planting and maintenance of\u00a0greenery inside and outside settlements); restoration\u00a0of\u00a0peatlands; restoration\u00a0of\u00a0waterways and river branches; removal or\u00a0elimination\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0negative functions of\u00a0drainage facilities; management of\u00a0grassland ecosystems (mowing, grazing, clearing self-seeding woody plants); preparation\u00a0of\u00a0plans for\u00a0Territorial System of\u00a0Ecological Stability (TSES) and regional studies (regional landscape study, study of\u00a0the\u00a0residential greenery system); support of\u00a0species and specific habitats; elimination\u00a0of\u00a0invasive plant and animal species; and, building and restoring visitor\u00a0infrastructure. As\u00a0part of\u00a0the\u00a0projects, a\u00a0one-time amount according to\u00a0the\u00a0CUM MoE will be determined for\u00a0direct implementation\u00a0expenses, i.e. the\u00a0costs of\u00a0implementing the\u00a0project. However, the\u00a0project budget may also include another group of\u00a0expenses, namely indirect expenses. These are costs associated with project preparation, supervision\u00a0(technical, copyright, biological), project coordination, mandatory publicity, etc., which will be reported simply in\u00a0the\u00a0form of\u00a0a\u00a0flat rate of\u00a07 % of\u00a0the\u00a0lump sum.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Let us see how the\u00a0flat rate works on\u00a0a\u00a0specific project: the\u00a0project includes planting trees with a\u00a0cost of\u00a0CZK 1 million, which represents direct eligible implementation\u00a0costs. The\u00a0amount for\u00a0indirect expenses that the\u00a0beneficiary can use is\u00a0therefore CZK 70,000 (7 % of\u00a0CZK 1 million). The\u00a0total project budget is\u00a0the\u00a0sum of\u00a0both amounts, i.e. CZK 1,070,000.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0applicant submits the\u00a0application\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0electronic interface called \u201cJednotn\u00fd dota\u010dn\u00ed port\u00e1l\u201d (Unified subsidy portal, JDP), where they fill in\u00a0all the\u00a0necessary data and attach the\u00a0mandatory appendices. The\u00a0applicant generates their application\u00a0from the\u00a0JDP and sends it electronically or\u00a0in\u00a0print, or\u00a0brings it in\u00a0person\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0regional office of\u00a0the\u00a0Nature Conservation\u00a0Agency of\u00a0the\u00a0Czech Republic (NCA CR). The\u00a0submitted application\u00a0will be checked for\u00a0formal requirements (filling in\u00a0all data, documenting mandatory appendices, etc.) and acceptability (meeting the\u00a0basic conditions from the\u00a0point of\u00a0view of\u00a0nature conservation\u00a0and landscape protection). If the\u00a0application\u00a0is\u00a0in\u00a0order, it proceeds to\u00a0the\u00a0next stage of\u00a0checking before a\u00a0decision\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0provision\u00a0of\u00a0a\u00a0subsidy (Decision) is\u00a0issued, which consists of\u00a0an assessment of\u00a0public support, verification\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0material proposal and economic parameters (evaluation\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0criteria of\u00a0a\u00a0company in\u00a0difficulty). If the\u00a0application\u00a0is\u00a0in\u00a0accordance with all the\u00a0conditions, a\u00a0Decision\u00a0will be issued specifying the\u00a0obligations for\u00a0the\u00a0beneficiary, in\u00a0particular what the\u00a0project output should look like, both quantitatively and qualitatively. The\u00a0Decision\u00a0is\u00a0usually issued four months after the\u00a0submission\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0subsidy application. Reimbursement of\u00a0funds will depend on\u00a0the\u00a0fulfilment of\u00a0the\u00a0project output, which will be checked in\u00a0100\u00a0% of\u00a0cases. After completion\u00a0of\u00a0a\u00a0project (or\u00a0a\u00a0project stage), the\u00a0beneficiary submits a\u00a0request for\u00a0payment, which also includes a\u00a0report describing the\u00a0progress of\u00a0project implementation, including mandatory appendices. The\u00a0beneficiary does not submit any invoices, other accounting documents, or\u00a0documents such as\u00a0contracts with suppliers or\u00a0tender documents. Based on\u00a0the\u00a0submitted request for\u00a0payment, an NCA CR employee will verify the\u00a0project output at the\u00a0place of\u00a0implementation\u00a0(for\u00a0studies, the\u00a0study document itself is\u00a0checked). If the\u00a0project is\u00a0carried out with quality and in\u00a0accordance with the\u00a0terms of\u00a0the\u00a0Decision, funds will be released to\u00a0the\u00a0beneficiary\u2019s account. As\u00a0a\u00a0rule, funds will be disbursed two months after the\u00a0request for\u00a0payment is\u00a0submitted.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Detailed rules for\u00a0projects financed in\u00a0the\u00a0form of\u00a0SRM in\u00a0the\u00a0field of\u00a0nature and landscape are listed in\u00a0the\u00a0NCA CR Handbook, which is\u00a0published together with other appendices and samples on\u00a0https:\/\/nature.cz\/web\/dotace\/opzp-v-prs-aopk-cr. You can discuss the\u00a0project preparation\u00a0with the\u00a0relevant regional offices of\u00a0NCA CR, or\u00a0ask questions using the\u00a0following email: AOPK-Dotazy-OPZP21@nature.cz.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Due to\u00a0its freshness, we do not yet have practical experience with drawing subsidies through the\u00a0SRM method. However, we can look at the\u00a0projects that were submitted in\u00a0the\u00a0two previous OPE periods. In\u00a0the\u00a0first OPE period (2007\u20132013), a\u00a0considerable part of\u00a0the\u00a0projects was\u00a0administered directly by\u00a0the\u00a0beneficiaries. In\u00a0the\u00a0second OPE period (2014\u20132020), the\u00a0structure of\u00a0subsidy administrators changed significantly. Beneficiaries usually no longer applied for\u00a0it\u00a0themselves, but through various entities. Here, logically, part of\u00a0the\u00a0information\u00a0was\u00a0lost during communication, and the\u00a0whole process was\u00a0prolonged and undoubtedly more expensive. A\u00a0classic example was\u00a0when the\u00a0project evaluator\u00a0from NCA CR called on\u00a0the\u00a0administrator\u00a0to\u00a0supplement the\u00a0opinion, and this\u00a0request for\u00a0supplementation\u00a0was\u00a0forwarded to\u00a0the\u00a0applicant with a\u00a0delay. There was\u00a0thus less time left for\u00a0the\u00a0preparation\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0opinion\u00a0than if the\u00a0beneficiaries had administered the\u00a0project themselves. In\u00a0the\u00a0current period, the\u00a0SRM method offers some hope that some applicants will once again\u00a0administer their applications themselves. This\u00a0could speed up the\u00a0whole process again\u00a0and, as\u00a0a\u00a0result, make the\u00a0subsidy application\u00a0cheaper.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Another advantage of\u00a0applicants who apply without an intermediary is\u00a0that they are logically more interested in\u00a0their project and know exactly what they want to\u00a0achieve and what the\u00a0possibilities are for\u00a0obtaining a\u00a0subsidy.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/span><\/span>Returning water to the peatland as part of the \u201eEnsuring care for EVL Jizersk\u00e9 spruce\u201c<\/span> project implemented in 2019\u20132020.
\nThe total eligible expenses of the project were 2,322,789 CZK, while the EU subsidy amounted 1,947,371 CZK (Photo: \u0160. Maz\u00e1nkov\u00e1, AOPK CR)<\/h6>\n

More\u00a0than once a\u00a0potential applicant was\u00a0approached by\u00a0a\u00a0design and administration\u00a0company with the\u00a0vision\u00a0of\u00a0creating a\u00a0project to\u00a0improve the\u00a0environment in\u00a0settlements and arrange a\u00a0subsidy for\u00a0this\u00a0project. As\u00a0a\u00a0result, it showed that the\u00a0project is\u00a0of\u00a0a\u00a0very general nature and cannot be targeted at a\u00a0specific grant title. The\u00a0funds spent were thus logically not returned to\u00a0the\u00a0applicant. On\u00a0the\u00a0one hand, OPE subsidy titles are relatively wide-open to\u00a0various measures, whether for\u00a0adaptation\u00a0to\u00a0climate change or\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0protection\u00a0of\u00a0biodiversity; however, it is\u00a0not possible to\u00a0apply for\u00a0a\u00a0subsidy for\u00a0any project that aims at an increase in\u00a0biodiversity, but actually relates to\u00a0a\u00a0completely different activity. It happened repeatedly that a\u00a0flood protection\u00a0project was\u00a0submitted to\u00a0the\u00a0grant title for\u00a0the\u00a0restoration\u00a0of\u00a0small water reservoirs etc. Such poorly specified projects are subsequently difficult to\u00a0support with subsidies.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It also showed that consulted projects have a\u00a0demonstrably significantly higher chance of\u00a0receiving a\u00a0subsidy than projects submitted without consultation. In\u00a0the\u00a0ideal case, the\u00a0applicant addresses their intention\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0relevant NCA CR office, where they discuss their plan. In\u00a0more complicated cases, a\u00a0local investigation\u00a0will also be performed in\u00a0order to\u00a0optimize the\u00a0project in\u00a0such a\u00a0way that it suits both biodiversity and the\u00a0applicant as\u00a0much as\u00a0possible, and it\u00a0is\u00a0possible to\u00a0support it from OPE. Subsequently, the\u00a0detailed project documentation\u00a0is\u00a0processed. If, even at the\u00a0time of\u00a0processing the\u00a0project documentation, a\u00a0consultation\u00a0is\u00a0needed, NCA CR staff are also willing to\u00a0help. Projects prepared in\u00a0this\u00a0way are in\u00a0the\u00a0vast majority suitable for\u00a0submitting a\u00a0subsidy application, and the\u00a0applicant knows directly how much subsidy support they can expect.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

As\u00a0part of\u00a0the\u00a0administration\u00a0of\u00a0received applications for\u00a0OPE support, non-consulted projects focused on\u00a0the\u00a0reconstruction\u00a0of\u00a0small water reservoirs were often excluded. The\u00a0planners, who had no idea that the\u00a0plan would be submitted to\u00a0OPE, could not take into\u00a0account some of\u00a0the\u00a0specifics of\u00a0this\u00a0subsidy title. Very often, suitable bank slopes were not designed, the\u00a0littoral zone was\u00a0not taken into\u00a0account (shallow water to\u00a0a\u00a0depth of\u00a0about 0.5 m), technical objects were often significantly oversized, and all banks were often paved with stones, even in\u00a0places where such a\u00a0measure was\u00a0absolutely pointless. As\u00a0a\u00a0result, the\u00a0small water reservoir itself looked more like a\u00a0paved \u201cwashtub\u201d than a\u00a0natural-looking pond. In\u00a0addition, paving and redundant technical objects also disproportionately increase the\u00a0costs of\u00a0such a\u00a0project, and when comparing the\u00a0project with the\u00a0CUM MoE, it became clear that the\u00a0given type of\u00a0measure is\u00a0disproportionately expensive.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Similar problems also occurred with terrestrial projects. This\u00a0mainly concerned landscaping in\u00a0municipalities, mostly parks. Many projects related to\u00a0park improvements are based more on\u00a0cutting down trees and adding furniture and playground features. OPE takes a\u00a0very critical view of\u00a0the\u00a0felling of\u00a0existing trees. If there is\u00a0no serious reason\u00a0for\u00a0it, which is\u00a0thoroughly justified, felling is\u00a0not possible. Projects based primarily on\u00a0cutting down existing greenery and establishing a\u00a0completely new park did not meet the\u00a0project acceptability criteria and were excluded from the\u00a0evaluation\u00a0process. Another frequent shortcoming was\u00a0the\u00a0lack of\u00a0opinions necessary for\u00a0implementation\u00a0from various authorities. As\u00a0part of\u00a0the\u00a0greenery restoration, there was\u00a0often a\u00a0lack of\u00a0a\u00a0decision\u00a0and permit for\u00a0felling with the\u00a0acquisition\u00a0of\u00a0legal force. Therefore, if the\u00a0applicant did not forget to\u00a0attach the\u00a0decision\u00a0authorizing felling to\u00a0the\u00a0application, there is\u00a0no realistic possibility of\u00a0obtaining this\u00a0decision\u00a0with the\u00a0current deadline of\u00a0five days for\u00a0supplementing the\u00a0application\u00a0from the\u00a0call by\u00a0the\u00a0evaluator.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

In\u00a0conclusion, we can say that the\u00a0consulted projects, which are prepared specifically for\u00a0the\u00a0OPE subsidy title, are much more successful in\u00a0obtaining subsidies than projects that were created without specific targeting on\u00a0the\u00a0subsidy source. There is\u00a0a\u00a0certain\u00a0assumption\u00a0that, as\u00a0a\u00a0result of\u00a0the\u00a0simplification\u00a0of\u00a0subsidy application\u00a0submission, the\u00a0subsidy title of\u00a0OPE (especially within\u00a0the\u00a0SRM) could again\u00a0attract smaller applicants.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

This informative article has not been peer-reviewed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On 15 December 2022, calls from the Operational Programme Environment (OPE) 2021\u20132027 were finally launched for projects in the field of nature conservation and landscape protection, which will be financed through the so-called simplified reporting methods (hereinafter SRM). Simplifying the administration of subsidies was one of the main requirements of the European Commission, which it set as mandatory for all projects with total expenditures of up to EUR 200,000. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":18643,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3127,1243],"coauthors":[3106,3107,3108],"class_list":["post-21149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-from-the-world-of-water-management","tag-european-subsidies","tag-operational-programme-environment"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21149"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32064,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21149\/revisions\/32064"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21149"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vtei.cz\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=21149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}