Call for Proposals: Supporting the Cooperation Between National Component of the EBCG

Deadline: 16-Mar-23
The European Commission is seeking applications for its Supporting the cooperation between national component of the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG) Program.

The call is launched in accordance with the Work Programme for 2021 and 20222 and will be managed by the European Commission, Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME). The call covers the following topics:

BMVI-2022-TF1-AG-EBCG-1 – Supporting the cooperation between national components of the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG).
BMVI-2022-TF1-AG-EBCG-2 – Implementation of the EBCG Fundamental Rights Strategy.

Objectives

Topic: BMVI-2022-TF1-AG-EBCG-1 – Supporting cooperation between national components of the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG).
- The first topic of this call will fund projects proposed jointly by two or more Member States in order to foster bilateral, regional or multilateral synergies in the field of external border management. The types of proposed joint activities have to take into account the broader objective of this call, namely to support the alignment of Member States’ capabilities under EIBM. The proposed cooperation activities have to fall within the framework of Article 7(5) of the EBCG Regulation and therefore be compatible with the tasks of the Agency and be reported to the Agency accordingly.
Topic: BMVI-2022-TF1-AG-EBCG-2 – Implementation of the EBCG fundamental rights strategy.
- The second topic of this call will fund joint projects proposed by international organisations and/or non-governmental organisations with expertise in fundamental rights related to border management. These entities are encouraged to submit proposals in cooperation with the competent national authorities of the Member States. This may help ensure that projects are applied to, and mindful of, operational procedures or constraints, as well as tailored to the context of the actual situations at the borders. Given the collaborative and multilateral nature of EIBM, joint projects submitted by entities providing expertise in different relevant fundamental rights and/or established or active in more than the minimum of two Member States, will be considered favourably.

Funding Information

The available call budget is EUR 5,000,000.

Scope- Activities and Outcomes

The applicants are encouraged to consider the areas of cooperation outlined below when proposing joint projects under this Union Action call.

Topic BMVI-2022-TF1-AG-EBCG-1 – Supporting cooperation between national components of the European Border and Coast Guard (EBCG).
- This topic of the Union Action call is addressed to Member States and in particular to national authorities from two or more Member States in the field of border management. The applicants are invited to identify projects for joint activities in the areas of cooperation listed below:
  - Joint testing of innovative technology or innovative approaches to the use of existing technology at the EU external borders (e.g. drones);
  - Joint trainings for the development of common curricula for EU Member States border guards’ development, learning and training (to the extent they are complementary to the Agency’s activities) with the objective of aligning training practices with EIBM standards;
  - Joint exercises in data collection and use of shared databases (also in the framework of the development of EUROSUR);
  - Joint development and sharing of best practices in terms of screening, processing and debriefing of migrants;
  - Exploration of potential synergies in the management of external borders. This might include joint activities at external borders, sharing of best practices, innovative solutions, including border surveillance tools.
Topic BMVI-2022-TF1-AG-EBCG-2 – Implementation of the EBCG fundamental rights strategy.
- This topic of the Union Action call targets joint projects by at least two or more applicants from two or more Member States. Applicant consortiums must include at least one international organisation or non-governmental organisation with expertise in the field of fundamental rights related to border management and can also include competent national authorities of Member States.
- The targeted applicants are invited to identify projects for activities in the areas of cooperation listed below:
  - Joint training in the practical implementation of fundamental rights obligations in border management operations (for example fundamental rights compliant application of new and existing technology, gender mainstreaming, adequate presence of interpreters and cultural mediators);
  - Joint development and sharing of best practices in the identification of, and provision of support to, vulnerable person and groups, including unaccompanied minors, and/or efforts to standardise referral procedures for the different vulnerable groups in main first entry EU Member States;
  - Joint development of best practices concerning the communication of available international protections, as well as redress and complaint mechanisms at reception facilities and during the reception process, in particular for vulnerable persons and persons with disabilities, particularly involving interpreters, cultural mediators;
  - Projects on the establishment or further development of monitoring frameworks on the implementations of the Fundamental Rights Strategy and Action Plan at national level, with the exception of projects related to monitoring mechanisms that are funded under other BMVI calls;
  - Workshops on connecting fundamental rights training with SOPs and with incentives to act accordingly – aligning trainings with procedures, operational incentives, circulars.

Components

Project proposals under both topics should include the following components:

A tailored communication strategy defining:
- The target audience and its segmentation (gender, age, education, profession, etc.);
- The geographical scope (which country/region and which part of that country in particular);
- The key messages to be used throughout the period of implementation of the activities and the key visual elements; – the communication channels to be used depending on the target audience, ensuring a mix of traditional and social media.
Monitoring and evaluation:
- Providing key performance indicators (KPIs), both qualitative and quantitative, with baseline and targets to be used to monitor the implementation and to assess the result of the project, as well as measure the outputs and results of the project against programme performance indicators included in Annex VIII, Regulation (EU) 2021/1149, in particular as regards the Specific Objectives in Article 3(2)(c);
Providing for adjustments of the activities if necessary;
- Allowing for lessons learnt and good practices for future actions.
A strategy for the sustainability of the activities, in particular by engaging with state and non-state actors, throughout the action, with a view to sharing know-how and best practices, raising awareness and building ownership.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:

Be legal entities (public bodies);
Be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs)), excluding Ireland.
Non-EU countries:
Countries associated to the BMVI (associated countries) provided the arrangements foreseen by the BMVI regulation17 enter into force before grant signature.
Countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement, where the agreement enters into force before grant signature. Beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register before submitting the proposal and will have to be validated by the Central Validation Service (REA Validation). For the validation, they will be requested to upload documents showing legal status and origin.

For more information, visit European Commission.