What is the principle of additionality?
In order to achieve a genuine economic impact, the appropriations of the funds may not replace public or other equivalent structural expenditure by the Member State (art. 11, council regulation (EC) 1260/99). This principle states that assistance from the ERDF is only an additional resource to the resources of national governments for the financing of a given project. The presence of ERDF must guarantee additional activities (and not merely substitute national funds) therefore lead to an added value that otherwise without the ERDF would not have been achieved. This means in general that the project must meet one of these criteria: the project would not proceed without support from ERDF, or the project will be allowed to proceed with a shorter timescale, or the project will proceed at a higher level of quality. The applicants must prove evidence that one of these criteria is met. From the assurance of a higher degree of quality comes also another principle, regarding the value for money
