Call for Proposals: Cross-Border Cooperation Programme

Deadline: 25-Jun-21

The European Commission is calling for proposals for Cross-Border Cooperation Programme to support cross-border cooperation with a view to promoting good neighborly relations, fostering European Union integration, and promoting socio-economic development.

The programme is implemented jointly by both countries. In Montenegro, the responsible institutions are:

• Government of Montenegro, European Integration Office, in charge of the overall coordination of the programme, is part of the operating structure (OS) in this country;
• Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare, Directorate for the Finance and Contracting of the EU Assistance Funds, as part of the OS responsible for all contract and payment issues, is the contracting authority (CA).

In Kosovo, the responsible institutions are:

• Ministry of Local Government (MLG) of the Republic of Kosovo, as part of the OS in this country and
• Kosovo Control Body (CB), discharged by the Ministry of Local Government – as the other part of OS responsible for control expenditures incurred by beneficiaries registered in Kosovo and issue confirmation to the Contracting Authority on the eligibility of expenditures.

Objectives

• In line with the objectives specified in the programme document, the overall objective of this call for proposals is: “To improve the standard and quality of living of the people in the programme area through the environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economic development of the region, with respect for its common cultural and natural heritage”.
• Specific Objectives:
  • Improve the access to the labour market
  • The social inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups has been furthered
  • Improve the volume, quality and visibility of tourism related to valorisation of cultural and natural heritage and values
  • Improve the wastewater and solid waste management and sustainable use of resources

Thematic Areas

As a result of a decision made by the JMC of the programme on 4 December 2020, out of the three thematic priorities of the programme document:

• Thematic priority 1: Promoting employment, labour mobility and social and cultural inclusion across the border
• Thematic priority 2: Protecting the environment, promoting climate change adaptation and mitigation, risk prevention and management
• Thematic priority 3: Encouraging tourism and cultural and natural heritage

Mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues

This call for proposals will take into account the mainstreaming of cross-cutting issues at project level. When developing a project to address any of the specific objectives of the call, cross-cutting issues need to be mainstreamed in the following manner:

• Gender equality and promotion of equal opportunities: Equality between sexes has to be taken into consideration when setting the project objectives, defining activities (e.g. participation in capacity building activities) and expected results. Equal opportunity prevails when women and men have the same rights, obligations and opportunities.
• Protection and promotion of ethnic minority rights, including their participation in decision making processes:  Enforcement of equal opportunities has to be secured in the project design in order to promote the integration of ethnic minorities and ensure their participation in decision-making processes in line with project activities and expected results.
• Integration of persons with physical and mental disabilities: Enforcement of equal opportunities has to be secured in the project in order to promote integration of persons affected by disabilities and in securing their participation in project activities (e.g. accessibility to buildings and project sites) and in decision-making processes in line with project activities and expected results.
• Safeguard and promotion of children’s rights and promotion of children’s participation in decision-making processes: The project should involve children as relevant stakeholders where and if appropriate (e.g. in case the specific project objective is in a sector mainly relating to children’s needs, such as education, health, sports and culture, but also in sectors in which the project can indirectly influence their lives).
• Democratic standards, anti-discriminatory practices and good governance: Activities and operations cannot set up barriers in relation to religion or belief, age, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, racial or ethnic origin particularly regarding employment and HR policy pursued towards persons who will be employed within the projects implemented under this grant scheme. Actions must secure a wide public participation and consultation, where appropriate, throughout project activities. This may include setting up consultative processes in developing strategies/policies; executing infrastructural works; ensuring inclusion of target groups and a wide range of different stakeholders.
• Protection of environment and preservation of natural resources and biodiversity: The project needs to describe how it will contribute to a better environment or otherwise have a neutral impact on the environment. The concept of environment involves not only issues of pollution, but issues sustainable development (e.g. waste supply chain management and recycling), nature protection and biodiversity, renewable energy, etc.

Funding Information

• The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 3,480,000.
• Indicative EU-funded allocations by specific objective:
  • Improve the access to the labour market: EUR 490,000.00
  • The social inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups has been furthered: EUR 490,000.00
  • Improve the volume, quality and visibility of tourism related to valorisation of cultural and natural heritage and values: EUR 1,945,000.00
  • Improve the wastewater and solid waste management and sustainable use of resources: EUR 1,045,000.00
• Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
  • Improve the access to the labour market:
    • Minimum Amount: EUR 150.000,00
    • Maximum Amount: EUR 245.000,00
  • The social inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups has been furthered:
    • Minimum Amount: EUR 150.000,00
    • Maximum Amount: EUR 245.000,00
  • Improve the wastewater and solid waste management and sustainable use of resources:
    • Minimum Amount: EUR 200.000,00
    • Maximum Amount: EUR 400.000,00
  • Improve the volume, quality and visibility of tourism related to valorisation of cultural and natural heritage and values:
    • Minimum Amount: EUR 200.000,00
    • Maximum Amount: EUR 400.000,00

Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicant

• In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  • be a legal person,
  • be non-profit-making,
  • be effectively established in either Montenegro or Kosovo,
  • be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary,
  • be one of the following institutions or organisations:
    • Local governments and their institutions;
    • Associations of municipalities,
    • Development agencies,
    • Local business support organizations,
    • Tourism and cultural organizations
    • NGOs,
    • Public and private bodies supporting the workforce,
    • Vocational and technical training institutions,
    • Bodies and organization for nature protection,
    • Public bodies responsible for water management,
    • Fire/emergency services,
    • Schools, colleges, universities and research centers including vocations and technical training institutions.

Co-applicant(s)

• The applicant must act with at least one co-applicant as specified hereafter.
• If the applicant is established in Montenegro, at least one co-applicant must be established in Kosovo, and vice versa.
• Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
• Co-applicants must sign the mandate.

Affiliated Entities

• The lead applicant and its co-applicants may act with affiliated entity(ies).
• Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to coapplicant(s)
• Only entities having a structural link with the applicants (i.e. the lead applicant or a co-applicant), in particular a legal or capital link.
• This structural link encompasses mainly two notions:
  • Control, consolidated financial statements and related reports of certain types of undertakings:
    • Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:
      • Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (daughter companies or first-tier subsidiaries). They may also be entities controlled by an entity controlled by the applicant (granddaughter companies or second-tier subsidiaries) and the same applies to further tiers of control;
      • Entities directly or indirectly controlling the applicant (parent companies). Likewise, they may be entities controlling an entity controlling the applicant
      • Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (sister companies).
  • Membership, i.e. the applicant is legally defined as a e.g. network, federation, association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate or the applicant participates in the same entity (e.g. network, federation, association) as the proposed affiliated entities.

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