CFAs: Supporting Consumer Education, Awareness Raising and Local Advice to Consumers

Deadline: 06-Jun-24

The European Commission (EC) is offering grants to protect, empower and assist consumers, in particular those who are the most vulnerable, by enhancing their skills, and knowledge, by providing local advice, by raising awareness of their rights, obligations, and choices in the market.

This is a call for proposals for EU action grants in the field of consumer protection under the Consumer Pillar of the Single Market Programme (SMP Consumers).

Under the key priority area ‘addressing specific needs of certain consumer groups’ of the Agenda, special attention is given to consumers that can be particularly vulnerable and need specific safeguards, for instance older people, children, people with low income, low educational level, people with disabilities, people with migration background or people living in remote areas. In that respect, the Commission has committed:

• to support the initiatives providing local advice to consumers, who for structural or personal reasons do not have access to support and information provided online or at central information offices, and
• to improve consumer awareness and education through a strategic approach that also address the needs of different groups.

This call for proposals is part of the Commission’s strategic approach aimed at improving consumer awareness, education, local advice, and supporting measures addressing the needs of vulnerable consumers.

Objectives

• Enhance consumers’ information and awareness of their rights, responsibilities, and choices in the marketplace.
• Strengthen consumers’ skills and knowledge when shopping in the store and online.
• Improve access to local advice services.
• Promote sustainable consumption as part of the circular economy.
• Improve digital literacy of consumers.
• Strengthen cooperation between practitioners in the field of consumer education and local advice to enhance their knowledge and capacity to design and implement effective educational initiatives and exchange of best practices.

Themes and Priorities

• The proposals under this call shall address one or more of the following objectives reflecting the key themes and priorities in providing consumer education, awareness and local advice:
  • Consumer rights and responsibilities: understanding rules and regulations with which both businesses and consumers must comply as actors; understanding consumer right to safety, choice, information, and redress.
  • Financial literacy: budgeting, managing personal finances effectively, understanding mortgage, credits terms, interest rates and financial products.
  • Digital literacy and online safety: safe online shopping, recognizing scams and phishing attempts, protecting personal data, developing critical thinking when consuming media content.
  • Environmental sustainability: reducing carbon footprint through environmentally responsible consumer choices, supporting eco-labels and sustainable practices.

Funding Information

• The estimated available call budget is EUR 1 200 000.
• This budget might be increased by maximum 20%.
• Project budgets (maximum grant amount) are expected to be around EUR 150 000 per project.
• The grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested.
• They reserve the right not to award all available funds or to redistribute them between the call priorities, depending on the proposals received and the results of the evaluation.
• Duration
  • The duration of the action is expected to be 18 months.

Eligible Activities

• A wide range of activities are eligible to be supported by action grants. Such activities may include for instance (non-exhaustive list):
  • Educational workshops, webinars, trainings, seminars, and community events.
  • Multimedia awareness raising campaigns.
  • Development and dissemination of educational materials, applications, websites, and online platforms.
  • Development and implementation of school-based programmes.
  • Providing local assistance and advice to vulnerable groups of consumers.
  • Sharing knowledge, facilitating cooperation and exchange of best practices, and learning on consumer education at national, regional, or EU-wide levels.
  • Activities strengthening the capacities of local organisations providing assistance and advice to consumers.
  • Promoting awareness of sustainable practices within the local community.

Eligibility Criteria

• In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must:
  • be legal entities (public or private bodies)
  • be non-profit-bodies
  • be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.
    • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
    • non-EU countries:
      • listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Single Market Programme

Ineligibility Criteria

• Applicants which are subject to an EU exclusion decision or in one of the following exclusion situations that bar them from receiving EU funding can NOT participate:
  • bankruptcy, winding up, affairs administered by the courts, arrangement with creditors, suspended business activities or other similar procedures (including procedures for persons with unlimited liability for the applicant’s debts)
  • in breach of social security or tax obligations (including if done by persons with unlimited liability for the applicant’s debts)
  • guilty of grave professional misconduct (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant)
  • committed fraud, corruption, links to a criminal organisation, money laundering, terrorism-related crimes (including terrorism financing), child labour or human trafficking (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant)
  • shown significant deficiencies in complying with main obligations under an EU procurement contract, grant agreement, prize, expert contract, or similar (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant)
  • created under a different jurisdiction with the intent to circumvent fiscal, social or other legal obligations in the country of origin or created another entity with this purpose (including if done by persons having powers of representation, decision-making or control, beneficial owners or persons who are essential for the award/implementation of the grant).

For more information, visit European Commission.