Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Montenegro – Albania 2014-2020

Deadline: 15-Jun-23

The European Commission (EC) is now accepting proposals to promote/strengthen good neighbourly relations and socioeconomic development of the border regions, through valorising its touristic potentials, an environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive economic development, with respect for its common cultural and natural heritage.

Objectives of the Programme and Priority Issues

• The three thematic priorities of the programme document:
  • Priority 1: Encouraging tourism, culture and natural heritage
  • Priority 2: Protecting the environment, promoting climate change adaptation and mitigation, risk prevention and management
  • Priority 3: Promoting employment, labour mobility and social and cultural inclusion across the border
• Specific Objectives
  • The competitiveness of the tourism sector is enhanced by the economic valorisation of the cultural and natural heritage
    • The quality of tourism services and products is upgraded
    • Cooperation in the field of cultural and natural heritage preservation is increased (e.g. around the Shkodra/Skadar Lake area)
  • Promoting employment, labour mobility and social and cultural inclusion across the border
    • Access to the labour market improved, especially for vulnerable groups

Cross-Cutting Issues

• Gender equality and promotion of equal opportunities.
  • Equality between sexes must 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 2,809,690.24.
• Indicative EU-funded allocations by specific objective:
  • The competitiveness of the tourism sector is enhanced by the economic valorisation of the cultural and natural heritage: EUR 1.902.777,01
  • Promoting employment, labour mobility and social and cultural inclusion across the border: EUR 906.913,23
• Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
  • Thematic priority/specific objective: The competitiveness of the tourism sector is enhanced by the economic valorisation of the cultural and natural heritage
    • Minimum amount of EU-funded grant: EUR 300,000.00
    • Maximum amount of EU-funded grant: EUR 900,000.00
  • Thematic priority/specific objective: Employability and social inclusion is fostered
    • Minimum amount of EU-funded grant: EUR 300,000.00
    • Maximum amount of EU-funded grant: EUR 450,000.00

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant(s)
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person, and
    • be non-profit-making, and
    • be effectively established in either Montenegro or Albania, and
    • 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, and
    • be one of the following institutions or organisations:
      • Central, regional and local government units (ministries, municipalities, agencies, departments, etc)
      • Tourism and cultural organisations,
      • Associations of municipalities,
      • Development agencies,
      • Local business support organisations,
      • NGOs,
      • Public and private bodies supporting the workforce,
      • Vocational and technical training institutions,
      • Bodies and organisation for nature protection,
      • Schools, colleges, universities and research centres 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 Albania, and vice versa.
  • Co-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
  • Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.
• Affiliated Entities
  • The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entity(ies).
  • Only the following entities may be considered as affiliated entities to the lead applicant and/or to co-applicant(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 on the annual financial statements, 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.

For more information, visit European Commission (EC).