Call for Proposals: Cross-Border Program

Deadline: 14-Jul-21

The European Commission is calling for proposals for Cross-Border Program to supports 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 Albania, the responsible institution is:

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, in charge of the overall coordination of the programme, is the operating structure (OS) in this country;

In Kosovo, the responsible institution is:

The Ministry of Local Government Administration, responsible for the overall coordination of the programme, is the OS in this country.

Objectives

In line with the objectives specified in the programme document, the overall objective of this call for proposals is:
- to strengthen good neighbourly relations and foster environmentally friendly and socially inclusive economic development of the bordering regions, through the promotion of their touristic potential and respect of its common cultural and natural heritage.
Specific Objectives
- Environmental resources in the Programme area are further protected, preserved and valorised.
- Tourism, cultural and natural heritage is valorised as a way to promote the economic development of the area

Thematic Priorities

The following two (2) thematic priorities are covered with this Call:

Priority 1: Protecting the Environment, Promoting Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Risk Prevention and Management
Priority 2: Encouraging Tourism and Cultural and Natural Heritage

Funding Information

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 1,600,000.00.
Indicative EU-funded allocations by specific objective / lot:
- Lot 1: € 800,000
- Lot 2: € 800,000
Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- Lot 1
  - Minimum: EUR 350,000
  - Maximum: EUR 400,000
- Lot 2
  - Minimum: EUR 350,000
  - Maximum: EUR 400,000
All grants amounts requested under this call for proposals must be between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the action:
- Minimum percentage: 50% of the total eligible costs of the action.
- Maximum percentage 85 % of the total eligible costs of the action

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 Albania 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 a an institution or organisation such as:
  - Central, regional and local government units (ministries, municipalities, regional councils, prefectures, regional departments, agencies);
  - Tourism organisations;
  - Civil society organisations;
  - National Parks;
  - Agencies for Protected areas ;
  - Chambers of Commerce and Chambers of Crafts and Trades;
  - Professional associations, famers associations and associations of SMEs;
  - Formal and non-formal education and training institutions (e.g. primary schools, VET schools, Universities, etc.), including research, development and innovation centres;
  - Cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, orchestras, etc.;
  - Agencies for local or regional development;
  - Public utility companies controlled by government units as their major stakeholder;
  - National and regional centres for disaster management and monitoring;
  - Public enterprises as well as emergency services, such as fire/emergency services and organisations for nature protection;
  - Body governed by private law with a public service mission;

Co-applicant(s)

The lead applicant must act with at least one co-applicant as specified hereafter.
If the lead applicant is established in Albania, at least one co-applicant must be established in Kosovo, and vice versa.
The maximum number of co-applicants that could be involved in the action is four (4). However, CBC partners must carefully bear in mind the most appropriate conditions to ensure an intra-project efficient coordination when deciding on this. The number of partners and the composition of the partnership should be coherent with the envisaged objectives and activities of the action.
In genuine cross-border operations, the applicant and co-applicant(s) shall cooperate in the development and implementation of action. In addition, they shall cooperate in either the staffing or the financing of operation or both. The lead applicant and co-applicant(s) must represent different legal entities.
Co-applicants participate in designing and implementing the action, and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the lead applicant.
Co-applicant(s) must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself .
Co-applicant(s) 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.