Unit Costs Regulation

The unit-cost regulation implemented by the European Commission is considered (by the EC) a significant step towards promoting transparency and accountability in public expenditure. By establishing a standardized methodology for determining UNIT COSTS in the implementation of European Union (EU) funds, this regulation aims to ensure efficient use of resources and fair distribution of funds among member states. One of the key benefits of this regulation is the simplification of administrative procedures. Instead of requiring detailed documentation for individual reimbursement for every expense, unit-cost regulation allows for the use of predetermined average costs for certain activities or services. This approach reduces bureaucratic hurdles. However, it would be essential to ensure that the predetermined UNIT COSTS accurately reflect the actual expenses incurred by the beneficiaries.

Regular monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment of these unit costs would be crucial to maintain their relevance and effectiveness. For the time being the UNIT COSTS seem not to be sufficiently up to date. In our experience, the unit-cost regulation of the European Commission does not fit for most of our members because we had hardly any one travelling reimbursement claim that we could completely cover from our EU grant money, although the money is there. Sorry for being so long in explaining this but it is necessary you know why we cannot reimburse like we used to. We – i.e. all Coordinators of all ERNs – have discussed and will continue to discuss with the European Commission to adapt the UNIT COSTS to real life and hope the reimbursement price tags will change. Until then we will foresee blended meetings, to make sure no one member misses a meeting for lack of funds for travelling.