tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277746591174465580.post2587939259942813844..comments2023-06-26T15:29:14.498+01:00Comments on Liberator’s blog: EU spending reform – a quick and simple place to start.Gareth Eppshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18198368251505541728noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277746591174465580.post-19692286414868982502014-04-21T21:15:49.771+01:002014-04-21T21:15:49.771+01:00Dear Suzanne, I know you've worked with enviro...Dear Suzanne, I know you've worked with environmental and social organisations across Europe so your insight of how things really work in that sector is appreciated. I have experience of EU direct paid or seconded staff in poor countries on very generous salaries, so thought these rates were evidence that private sector and charity consultants were getting the same treatment. I see it is more complex than that.Kiron Reidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00638942393034873428noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2277746591174465580.post-91801900194619378782014-04-15T08:02:33.540+01:002014-04-15T08:02:33.540+01:00I agree that the per diem rates are high and go be...I agree that the per diem rates are high and go beyond covering costs in many locations. However, I would like to make a few comments because I think it's not as simple as cutting the per diem rates to save money. <br />Firstly, I have worked in and with quite a few NGOs that have applied for this type of funding and none of them (none) have actually used the maximum per diem rates in any application. They all went for realistic amounts. One of the reasons being that whatever you budget for and spend on per diems cannot be spent on other items, usually more core to the project idea and with the usually quite low budget restrictions this item simply does not have priority, and another being that per diem rates and travel costs need to have some relation to what the applicant usually covers. <br />Secondly, I would like to add that if the EC would lower the maximum per diem rates, which would be fine by me and many others, the fair thing to do would be to at the same time increase the daily rates paid for work, which are exceedingly low and simply not feasible for many organisations. No, I am not speaking only about expensive consultants that want to make a profit or need to earn enough in a few days to last them a month. For many organisations the accepted daily fees do not even cover the pure costs of a day of work of their staff (salary + taxes). For many organisations and consultants the excess in per diems they sometimes do get is sort of compensation for the low reimbursement for work done. <br />So yes I agree the rates are high, but I do not believe lowering them will actually save much, as many applicants do not make use of the maximum rates published. And if the whole operation would be about fairness and reality, then I believe that the maximums for other budget items such as work should be increased. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16877452132372504904noreply@blogger.com