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Information
measures relating to the common agricultural policy: FAQ
Frequently asked questions on the preparation of an application for a grant under Reg. 814/2000
- Who can apply for these specific information measures
for 2012?
Any organisation (profit making or not) legally constituted
for at least 2 years in an EU Member State can apply,
particularly:
- Farmers' or rural development organisations
- Consumers' associations
- Environmental protection associations
- Public authorities of the Member States
- Medias
- Universities
- Consultancy agencies
- Private companies
However, your attention is drawn to the fact that the budget for the information measure proposed shall be "no
profit" (expenditure = incomes).
- What does 'information measure' mean?
An information measure is a self-contained and coherent set of information activities organised on the basis of a single budget. A comprehensive information campaign uses media, messaging, and several types of information activities (such as conferences, audiovisual productions, workshops, etc) which are carried out at national or European level. The different activities foreseen shall be interconnected, clear in their conceptual approach and the results to be achieved. The work schedule shall be in line with the project goals and shall be realistic. Measures shall be carried out in EU-27 and respect the time limits explained in point 3 (Duration and budget).
- We want to organise two events on the same
subject in two different towns at different dates, Will we need to present two budgets?
An information measure can even include
events that take place in more than one EU Member State.
However, all activities have to be presented in a single
budget (a single budget contain one expenditure and
one income table in balance).
- Can we submit two different applications for two
separate information measures?
No, only one application may be received from any applicant
in one budget year.
- Do we have to cover all the priority subjects
mentioned in the call for proposals?
No, you can choose one or more that suit your identified
information needs.
- Do we have co-organisers and what is the ideal number
of co-organisers?
There is no obligation to involve co-organisers and
there is no ideal number.
- Is it possible for an organisation to act as a
co-organiser in one application and as an applicant in
another during the same year?
Yes, it is possible.
- Do we need to have co-organisers from a Member
State other than our own?
No, the trans-national or international character of
projects is not obligatory but it would be desirable.
- Does a co-organiser have to co-finance the action in
which they participate?
No, co-organisers may be providers of funds but this is not
obligatory. It is also absolutely normal to have other
providers of funds that are not co-organisers of the
measure.
- So, what is the difference between a ‘co-organiser’
and a ‘provider of funds’?
A co-organiser is an organisation that participates actively
in the preparation, implementation or/and follow-up of the
measure. A provider of funds is just a sponsor that
contributes financially to the measure.
- Can the Commission help us find co-organisers for our
project?
No, finding co-organisers and organising the division of
tasks related to a proposed action is the responsibility of
the applicants.
- Our organisation is not based in the EU. Can we
submit an application for a grant under Council Regulation
814/2000?
No, because applicants have to be established in a Member
State for at least 2 years. You can however participate as
co-organisers in a measure submitted by an applicant based
in the EU.
- Our organisation has been established for 1,5 years
in a Member State. Can we submit an application for a grant
under Council Regulation 814/2000?
No, applicants must have been established in a Member State
for at least 2 years.
- We will not be able to send all the documents before
the closing date; can we send some of them afterwards?
No, no documents will be accepted after the deadline and
incomplete applications will be considered non eligible.
- Will there be an extension of the deadline for
submitting applications?
No, the date mentioned in the call for proposals is final,
and no applications will be admissible if they are sent
after this deadline.
- Our organisation is not registered in a professional
register and we cannot provide an excerpt of inscription in
such a register. What do we do in this case?
You can include any other official document (Official
Journal, register of companies, decision of court etc) which
proves the establishment of the applicant and indicates the
date of establishment. Without such a document the
application will be rejected. You must also include a
document concerning your VAT situation.
- If our project is awarded a grant is there going to
be a pre-financing of the action costs by the Commission?
No, the grant is always paid after the end of the action and
on the basis of the evaluation of the final technical and
financial implementation reports presented by the
beneficiary.
However as from this year there is the possibility to obtain an interim payment of maximum 30 % of the maximum amount of the grant subject to the submission of an interim report (interim technical implementation report and financial statement)
- Can we provide the 50% of the costs in kind?
No, contributions in kind are not eligible.
- Do I have to write the application in the language of
my country?
You can write your application in any of the official
languages of the EU. However, if this language is other than
English or French, you are strongly encouraged to at least
include a description of the measure (Form 3) in English or
French.
- Do we have to translate the annexed documents (e.g.
balance sheets, articles of association etc.) in English or
French?
No, these documents can be presented in their original
language.
- What does point 2.2.1. of Form 1 of the application
“What are the member organisations of the applicant?" mean?
This point is relevant to multi-national organisations, or
other organisations grouping members from several countries
or several provinces of the same country.
- The chapters in the expenditure budget template are
not suitable for the kinds of costs I want to enter. Can I
change them?
Yes, with the condition that you do not change the excel
formulas used to calculate the totals.
- How many copies of my application must I send?
You must send one paper copy to:
European Commission
Unit AGRI. K.1
Call for proposals 2011/C 212/11
For attention Mrs A. Filote
L130 4/148A
B-1049 Brussels
and one electronic copy (see next question) to:
AGRI-GRANTS-APPLICATIONS-ONLY@ec.europa.eu
Important: The electronic application must be sent once
to this address only and not to other addresses.
- What should the electronic version of the application
include?
The electronic version of the application must include the
application letter, the forms 1-3, and the budget tables.
These documents must be filled in but not scanned. Please do
not send any scanned documents or PDF documents.
- Is there a geographical weighing for the selection of
proposals?
No, proposals are selected only on the basis of their
quality and cost-efficiency and not on the basis of where
the applicant comes from.
- Does the eligibility criterion apply to all
co-organisers or to the applicant alone?
There are 2 types of eligibility criteria: (see annex II of
the Call for proposals)
(a) Eligibility criteria concerning the applicant (The applicant shall be a legal person legally constituted
in a Member State for at least two years).
(b) Eligibility criteria concerning the application (see
list in annex II point b of the call for proposals).
- According to this call for proposals, is a CHAMBER OF
COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY considered as eligible?
Yes.
- Is the cost of applicant and co-organiser internal
staff assigned to the action considered as eligible
expenditure and thus does it enter the project account and can it be
co-financed?
The maximum eligible for staff costs (including ALL the costs related to staff cost) is
- 10.000 EUR for measures whose total eligible costs (exclusive of the lump sum for staff costs) are less than EUR 400 000
-25.000 EUR for measures whose eligible costs (exclusive of the lump sum for staff costs) are included between EUR 400 000 and EUR 950 000
However, if the final costs deemed eligible (excluding the lump sum for staff costs) are below € 25 000, the lump sum paid to cover those staff costs shall not exceed € 5 000.
- Referring to the issue “Eligible criteria for the
applicants”:
As specified in Article 4(2) of Regulation (EC). No
2208/2002, applicants for this call for proposals shall be
legal persons legally constituted in a Member State for at
least two years, in particular:
a) farmers' or rural development organisations,
b) consumers' associations,
c) environmental protection associations,
d) public authorities of the Member States,
e) medias,
f) universities
- Do "medias" include both private and public bodies?
Yes.
- We are planning to submit a project with other
co-organisers in 3 Member States. Can the co-organisers take
in charge some expenses concerning the activities in their
countries directly?
Co-organisers may want to take certain costs directly in
charge. In that case, invoices relating to these costs
should be addressed directly to them and paid by them.
These costs should not be declared in the expenditure
and income tables of the budget and will not be
co-financed by the European Commission.
- How do I fill in the personnel costs?
The personnel costs are paid in the form of a lump sum.
Commission will not ask for justifying documents to pay this
lump sum (but for analysis purposes, the beneficiaries of a
grant will be requested to provide a document indicating the
actual/effective staff costs incurred in relation to the
information measure). This lump sum concerns only the
personnel costs of the applicant and the co-organisers
(one lump sum for all of them). Personnel costs of
external staff and subcontractors will be reimbursed on the
basis of invoices presented.
The applicant has to enter in the expenditure table in the
box "lump sum for staff costs" the fixed amount requested
from the Commission. That lump sum shall not exceed EUR 10 000 for measures whose total eligible costs (exclusive of the lump sum for staff costs) are less than EUR 400 000 and 25.000 EUR for measures whose eligible costs (exclusive of the lump sum for staff costs) are included between EUR 400 000 and EUR 950 000.
In the income table, the applicant has to enter in the box
"lump sum requested from DG Agriculture to cover the staff
costs" the same fixed amount that has been entered in the
"lump sum" box of the expenditure table (i.e a maximum of 10
000 EUR/25.000 EUR). No other amount must be entered in the income
table.
- Which are the most common errors made in filling in
the budget (income and expenditure tables) that lead to
rejection of the application?
- Income and expenditure tables not signed or not dated
- Income and expenditure tables not signed by the legally
authorised representative of the applicant
- Missing income or expenditure table
- Income and expenditure not in "balance" (not showing the
same total)
- Income and expenditure tables not presented in the
original format to be found at the web page
- Expenditure tables not respecting the maximum accepted
amounts by the Commission for certain categories of costs
- Income or expenditure tables not filled in
- Presentation of more than one income table and one
expenditure table
- Which are the most common errors made in the
non-budgetary part that lead to rejection of the
application?
- Electronic version of the application is missing or
transmitted later than the deadline.
- Incoherence between the letter requesting the grant and the income table
- Document B (Financial Identification sheet) is incomplete:
neither bank stamp, nor bank statement attached
- Document E (VAT): Certificate (external one or
self-certificate) of not recovering the VAT is missing
- Document F (Balance sheets, profit and loss accounts):
Missing, too old, summarized version
- Document H (Funds providers certificates): Missing or
incomplete (no amount) or only for some funds providers (!!
needed for points C and D of the
Income table !!)
- Is the document E needed for public bodies?
- VAT paid by public bodies is not eligible anymore. Therefore document E is not required for bodies governed by public law.
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