Corona: Postponing or cancelling activities
The Corona virus is affecting all of us at the moment and this has led to numerous cancellations of events and meetings all over Europe.
This, in turn, has led to a number of questions from project people across the North Sea Region. Some of the most common questions are when events should be cancelled and whether the costs associated with the cancellation are eligible?
Each of the national authorities in the seven countries participating in the North Sea Region Programme monitors the situation carefully and provides advice to the citizens on how to handle the Corona situation. This advice should be taken very seriously. If the authorities advise against travelling in certain areas or holding events, it is of paramount important that this advice is followed by all.
Principle of the strictest rules
As North Sea Region projects concern participants in all seven countries, it is our advice that the principle of the strictest rules applies: If activities such as travel or events are restricted in one country, the potential costs of cancellation - e.g. plane tickets, hotels, rent of venue - will be regarded as eligible costs in all seven countries.
If cancellation costs are incurred, it is important to document the reasons for cancellation, i.e. advice from the authorities. This should be done e.g. by printing the warning notes or screen dumps of the relevant announcements and keeping this information as part of the audit trail.
Please do not hesitate to contact your Project Advisor in the Secretariat if you have any questions about this.
Written by Head of Secretariat Christian Byrith