EU-Albania seeking Proposals for European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) Program

Deadline: 17 May 2019

The European Union (EU) is currently accepting proposals from eligible organizations for a program entitled “European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR)” to promote the respect for human rights in Albania and to strengthen the role of civil society organisations in the consolidation of democracy and rule of law.

The specific objective of this call for proposal is to support organizations active in the field of human rights, targeting principally, but not exclusively, actions under the following thematic priorities:

• Lot 1 – Promoting of LGBT rights in the Albanian society, including fighting hate speech in media and discrimination in the workplace, promoting inclusive access to rights and services, increasing public awareness etc;
• Lot 2 – Strengthening civil society capacity to promote, advocate and support democratic processes, integrity of elections and political transparency. Enhance citizen’s participation and practices for civic observation of electoral processes through innovative methods, including but not limited to: political programs, candidates, party finance, and state resources (procurement, public administration etc).
• Lot 3 – Dealing with the Communist past in Albania, including working with former political prisoners and victims, their families, relatives of missing persons and civic education for raising public awareness on transitional and reconciliatory justice as well as supporting commemorative events and memorials in former communist labour camps.
• Lot 4 – Providing vocational rehabilitation, education, legal/psychologic counselling and cultural/artistic activities to prison inmates as well as promoting prevention and probation services.

Size of Grants

Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

• Lot 1 –
  • Minimum amount: EUR 150.000
  • Maximum amount: EUR 300.000
• Lot 2 –
  • Minimum amount: EUR 150.000
  • Maximum amount: EUR 300.000
• Lot 3 –
  • Minimum amount: EUR 150.000
  • Maximum amount: EUR 300.000
• Lot 4 –
  • Minimum amount: EUR 150.000
  • Maximum amount: EUR 300.000

Eligibility Criteria

• Lead applicant
  • In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
    • be a legal person and
    • be non-profit-making and
    • be a specific type of organisation such as: civil society organizations, public-sector non-profit agencies, institutions and organisations (including in particular National Human Rights Institutions), international (inter-governmental) organisation as defined the Rules of application of the EU Financial Regulation 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.
    • be established in Albania, in a Member State of the European Union, in IPA country as recognised by the European Union or in a Member State of the European Economic Area.
  • This obligation does not apply to international organisations.
  • Potential applicants may not participate in calls for proposals or be awarded grants if they are in any of the situations
• Co-applicant(s)
  • 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-applicants must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself.
• Affiliated entity(ies)
  • 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, as defined in Directive 2013/34/EU 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.

How to Apply

• The application procedure consists of two phases:
  • Concept notes
  • Full applications
• The concept note together with the declaration by the lead applicant must be submitted at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit https://bit.ly/2HWYsVO  and download the guidelines.