Calls for
Proposals can by their very nature be a quite complex experience.
Ensuring equal access and fair treatment for all interested
parties across the European Union requires certain rules and
procedures. These inevitably lead to questions, and we hope
that the questions and answers listed below will help answer
some of yours!
If you cannot
find an answer to your question, please email your question
to this address: ENV-A03@ec.europa.eu
While the
Commission does its utmost to avoid any errors or omissions,
the answers given below are for general guidance, and are
not to be considered as legally binding. For this reason the
reader is encouraged to consult the source documents referred
to after most questions. Please read the general disclaimer
of the European Commission, as well as the copyright notice,
which tells you what use that can be made of this material.
Click on
any of the categories below to select a list of relevant questions.
Does operational
objective 4 (dissemination) also include completed European
civil protection training activities?
A
This depends on the type of training
activity. If the training activity was developed in and
related to the framework of the Community Mechanism for
Civil Protection then its dissemination is not eligible
for co-funding under objective 4 of this call for proposals.
Dissemination of training activities developed and relating
to actions in the field of civil protection not
relating to the Community Mechanism for Civil Protection
are eligible for co-funding under this call for proposals.
Q
How must I read operational
objective 1? Does it always require a combination of professional
and volunteer civil protection services or can it be just
focussing on one of these two target groups?
A
Operational objective 1 must be read
in a broad sense: as long as in a project either professional
or volunteer civil protection services are involved, it
is eligible for co-funding as long as the other requirements
are fulfilled (e.g. minimum number Member States, thematic
priority ect).
Q
What
is meant with "border" in the term cross
border cooperation? Does this concept only refer to
"land" borders or are "sea" borders
also included?
A
In this context, "border"
is being used in the broader sense of the word. It refers
to both land and l sea borders. The purpose of this call
is to develop civil protection interoperability between
different countries.
Q
Do borders
have to match the geographical borders set or can they
be simulated?
A
Borders may be simulated.
Q
Do
manmade disasters fall under the scope of this call for
proposals?
A
No, the scope of this call
is limited to natural disasters. However, project proposals
developing cross border cooperation in the fight against
natural disasters which in addition deal with possible
secondary effects caused by man (e.g. pollution) are eligible.
Q
What
do you mean with "not duplicating priorities of the
Civil Protection Action Programme"?
A
Contents and results must
be different from the ones expected from projects submitted
under the Civil Protection
Action Programme. The content of the pilot projects
is to enhance cross border interoperability and enable
Member States to develop and implement mutual sharing
of civil protection capabilities. The results need to
be operational in terms of teams, equipment, trainings,
exchange of experts and exercises. Unlike the Action Programme,
the content of the Civil Protection Action Programme is
defined by the thematic areas established each year and
the result is usually a final report with recommendations.
time
Q
What is the time
frame for actions to be developed under this Call?
A
Any combination of actions should be
developed and implemented within a maximum period of 36
months, starting from the date of signature of the grant
agreement. The grant agreement is expected to be signed
before end 2006.
participation
Q
Is support from a local
authority sufficient?
A
The call will ask for support by the respective
central civil protection authorities. Therefore the support
from local authorities is not considered as sufficient.
Q
Who can participate to
the call?
A
The call is open to any legal person (public
or private) established in the EU Member States, supported
by their respective central civil protection authority.
Q
May accession countries
participate?
A
Yes, but only as partners. They may not
be beneficiaries, i.e. they may not sign a grant agreement
with the Commission.
Q
May EEA countries
and third countries participate?
A
Yes, they may participate at their own
cost.
Q
What kind of support
from central authority is required? Administrative, financial
or both?
A
The basic support is administrative. Form
A11 needs to be duly filled in and signed.
Q
Is there a partner
search network that helps finding possible project partners?
A
There is no official network, but considering
the necessary support of the central civil protection
authority it is advisable to contact the
National Contact Points.
language
Q
Is the Call for Proposal available
in other languages than English?
A
Unfortunately not for the moment due to the workload
of the translation department…
further
information
Q
Where can I find more information on
how to draft my proposal?
A
All relevant information for drafting a proposal is
found in the grant guide of the Call for Proposals. Please
read this guide carefully. The grant guide will be published
at same date of publication of Call on the website of
the Civil Protection Unit.
Budget, costs and funding
Q
What type of activities can be co-financed?
A
Pilot projects that can be co-financed
must qualify as a combination of exercises, workshops,
training courses and exchange of experts. A pilot project
envisaging only a single action, such as a workshop is
not eligible for co-financing. Every pilot project should
at least include one exercise and one training course.
Exchange of experts and workshops are optional. Furthermore,
note that costs for the overall management of projects
(e.g. financial and administrative management, monitoring,
dissemination) are eligible for co-financing.
Q
What is the Community
financial contribution for exercises?
A
The co-financing rate of the Community
for exercises is 80% for the costs of the participants,
preparing the exercise (equipment, transport, fuel, etc)
workshops and the final report, with an absolute ceiling
of €450,000 per exercise. If a pilot project foresees
several exercises, each one of these is eligible for co-financing
up to 80% and maximum of €450,000 per exercise.
Q
Do the offers have to
include VAT?
A
Only when the beneficiary or the partners
are not in a position to recover the VAT paid, this amount
shall be considered eligible.
Q
Does each
partner of a project have to submit a separate budget?
A
Each project has one single budget, submitted
by the beneficiary, in which is made clear which costs
the beneficiary and other participant(s) bear. It is very
important to specify the cost clearly, as only budgeted
costs are eligible for co-financing by the Community.
Costs that are not budgeted in the submitted proposal
cannot be considered eligible a posteriori.
Q
Will all proposals conforming
to the award criteria be co-financed?
A
No. Proposals conforming to the exclusion,
selection and award criteria may not be financed in the
case the budgetary appropriations would not be sufficient.
How to fill in the forms
Q
Does the applicant have to submit
a file in English?
A
There is no obligation to submit a file in English.
However, applicants are encouraged to submit proposals
in English. Any translation process that could be avoided
would help the Commission to stick to the set timetable
and have the agreements signed according to the indicative
timetable.
Q
What should be indicated in the partner
commitment form A8?
A
In form A8, you have to indicate the cost of the actions
in which the partner is involved. You also have to state
the partner’s own financial contribution. Partners are
not obliged to give a financial contribution
to the project, however partners can contribute in non-financial
ways to a project. Partners who complete and sign form
A8 are considered as partners and as such shall benefit
from the financial contribution of the Commission. The
way according to which the financial contribution of the
Commission is distributed between the beneficiary and
partner(s) is determined by an agreement between the beneficiary
and the partner. The Commission does not interfere in
these matters.
Q
Being a public organisation, is it
still necessary to provide a legal entity form in the
application?
A
The legal entity form (FEL) is an obligatory annex
to the application, unless the applicant is already
registered with a FEL in the Commission accounting system.
If the applicant has received other direct Community
funding (not via Member States such as Structural Funds)
in recent years, it is most likely that they have already
submitted this form.
Selection procedure
Q
Do the applicants receive feedback
during the selection procedure on their proposal?
A
In order to ensure fair treatment of the applicants,
the Commission will not respond to any request for information
regarding the eligibility or quality of proposals during
the selection procedure.
Q
Do applicants receive feedback after
the selection procedure on their proposal?
A
Yes, both successful and unsuccessful applicants
will be informed in due time on the outcome of the selection
procedure.
Q
Will questions asked by potential
applicants on the scope of the Call, understanding of
the grant guide and forms be published on this website?
A
Yes, in order to allow for fair competition, questions
from applicants as well as the respective answers will
be published on this website.
Q
Concerning the selection schedule,
when will the projects be selected and when will the
co-funding be authorised?
A
Successful candidates will be notified by the end
of December at the latest, in order to sign the grant
agreement before the end of the year/at the beginning
of next year. After the signature of the agreement,
the initial pre-financing payment can be made.
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