United Kingdom

The Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU confirms that 2014-20 ETC programmes will be able to continue with UK project partners, and UK project partners can continue delivering their projects in line with existing programme rules and timescales.

Yes. The Withdrawal Agreement between the EU means that UK organisations can still apply for funding and can deliver projects until project closure. UK organisations can and should continue to secure funding and deliver successful projects for the current programming period.

The Withdrawal Agreement means that your project can continue as planned, including under the existing terms of your contract. You are still subject to the same eligibility rules as set out in your contract, you still have to follow all audit and first level control requirements, and you will remain liable for any irregular expenditure that you claim.

The Withdrawal Agreement means that your project is still able to continue, and please be reassured that the programme wants to support you to deliver successfully. If you are concerned that you may no longer be able to undertake some activities in full, you should discuss this with your JS contact.

Your project can continue as planned under the existing terms of your contract, and all expenditure remains eligible providing it is delivered in line with the EU and programme eligibility rules as set out in your contract. You will still have to follow all audit and first level control requirements, and you will remain liable for any irregular expenditure that you claim.

Office and administrative expenditure, which includes bank charges for administering an account, is covered by your existing overheads budget line, i.e. a flat rate of 15% of each partner's staff costs.

If there are any such additional costs, these would be eligible for your project provided they are in line with programme rules and the terms of your contract. You may want to speak with your JS officer to clarify any specifics relating to your project.

Please be aware that the expectation is that you manage this within the existing project budget and the limits of the budget flexibility rules.

Guidance on this is contained at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-domain-names-what-you-need-to-do-before-the-end-of-the-transition-period, and this will apply to all UK organisations. You should follow the advice here, including to contact your domain registrar to understand what this means for you. You should also contact your lead partner or joint secretariat contact to seek their advice.

A number of UK-based ETC project partners have already transferred domain registrations to one of their EU project partners, and this may be something that you wish you explore within your project.
Additional guidance for the Interreg Europe programme: as the Interreg Europe programme is hosting all project websites on the programme website, the programme does not expect this to be an issue for most Interreg Europe project partners.

If the UK and the EU reach a data sharing agreement to enable the free flow of data, you can continue sharing data within your project. However, if no agreement is reached, you may be unable to do so in the same way you do now. The UK national contact points and the programme will ensure you are kept up-to-date on this, and will provide any further guidance as necessary. More information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/using-personal-data-in-your-business-or-other-organisation-after-the-transition-period

Yes, you will still be able to access the programme IT systems you need to be able to manage your project and receive payment.

The Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU means that the UK will continue to participate in current programmes until they end. UK organisations currently acting as lead partners in projects should therefore continue to undertake all functions and responsibilities as at present.

For the 2021-27 funding period, the UK will not participate in Interreg programmes. This means that the UK partners are considered as partners from countries outside the programme area.

They may participate in an Interreg Europe project if their participation contributes to its delivery. However, these partners must provide their own funding since they are ineligible to receive funding from the ERDF under the 2021-2027 period.

Further information can be found in the programme manual Section 3.4.1.3 Funding for partners from outside the programme area.