EU Call for Proposals: Strengthening Policy Dialogue in Reform Processes and EU Integration in Albania

Deadline: 2 April 2019

The European Union (EU) is currently accepting proposals from eligible organizations for its program entitled “Strengthening Policy dialogue in reform processes and EU Integration in Albania”.

The global objective is: To contribute to strengthening policy dialogue in reform processes, facilitate engagement and dialogue between central and local state institutions and non-state actors towards improved public policy dialogue.

The specific objective(s) of this call for proposals are:

• To facilitate interaction and collaboration between state actors and non-state actors (civil society, think tanks, social partners, media, researchers etc) and support structured and evidence based policy dialogue in reform processes.
• To establish a capacity development platform to support non state actors in areas related to public policy formulation, policy budgeting, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
• To establish a communication and learning platform on policy dialogue, as a tool to drive policy – making efforts, promote results, good practices, lesson learnt and continuous improvements.

The applicant is expected to ensure that all three specific objectives are addressed through the proposal.

Funding Information

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 1,000,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.

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 an EU Member State body or International Organisation ( inter-governmental) as defined by Article 43 of the rules of application of the EU Financial Regulation, think tank types of civil society organisations established in Albanian or in a Member State of the European Union, in a candidate country as recognised by the European Union or in Member State of the European Economic Area.
    • 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 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.
      • For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. Unless sector-specific eligibility rules provide otherwise, if the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, applicants will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible to participate) or will be required to leave the project on the basis of Article 12.2 – Termination of the contract – in the General Conditions of the grant agreement’.
    • This obligation does not apply to international organisations.
    • 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.
  • The lead applicant must act together with at least 1 (one) co-applicant and not more than 2 (two) co-applicants.
• 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.
  • Note: If the lead applicant is not legally established in Albania, the co-applicant must be legally established in Albania.
• 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/2BHTR5h and download the guidelines.