Maximum amount payable as a lump sum from EU Home Affairs Funds rises

The maximum amount for support granted as lump sums for projects financed from the EU Home Affairs Funds rises from EUR 10,000 to 100,000. The Government adopted the decree on the matter on 28 December.

Based on feedback from beneficiaries, EUR 10,000 was considered as too low to enable the practical implementation of projects, which is why a decision was made to raise it. According to the amendment to the Act Home Affairs Funds, other public funding and returns of the project are also taken into account when establishing the amount of lump sums, which means that all types of revenue must be declared in the payment application.

In future the wages of a part-time employee payable for the time of sickness absence are an eligible cost. Wages payable for the time of sick of absence are allocated to a project relative to the employee’s working hours. Wages payable for the time of sickness absence are eligible only to the extent that there are no benefits from Kela (the Finnish Social Insurance Institution) involved.

The amendments enable the use of standard scales unit costs for granting support concerning the subsidy and reimbursement referred to in the Act on the Reception of Persons Applying for International Protection and on Identifying and Assisting Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings. The standard scales unit cost model is one of the simplified cost models where the key idea is that compensation for the costs is paid on the basis of a predetermined unit cost.

In addition, certain technical details of the decree were amended.

The aim is to reduce unnecessary administrative burden, update the decree as necessary and, through this, enable the efficient utilisation of the Home Affairs Funds. The amendments respond to the needs for changes that came out in the mid-term evaluation of the Funds. The amended decree enters into force in the beginning of 2018.

Inquiries:

Pauliina Eskola, Ministerial Adviser, tel. +358 295 488 263, [email protected]

Heidi Sulander, Senior Specialist, tel. 0295 488 329, [email protected]