European Commission CFPs: Support Regional Thematic Networks of CSOs

Deadline: 24-May-22

The European Commission (EC) is calling for proposals to support Regional Thematic Networks of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).

Objectives

The global objective of this call for proposals is, in an overall vision of enhanced regional cooperation, good neighbourly relations and reconciliation, to strengthen participatory democracies and the EU approximation process in the Western Balkans and Turkey.
The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:
- Strengthened CSO capacities and engagement opportunities in policy- and decision making across various thematic areas, including those addressed by the EIP;
- Enhanced neighbourly relations between Serbia and Kosovo;
- Increased capacity of journalist professional organisations and networks; and
- Enhanced professional capacity of journalists, media outlets and media institutions to exercise the right to freedom of expression and access to information and to promote media pluralism.

Funding Information

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 18.000.000.
Any grant requested under this call for proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts, and represent an EU contribution falling between the following minimum and maximum percentages of the total eligible costs of the action:
- Lot 1 – Good Governance, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption
  - Minimum grant amount: EUR 700,000.00; Maximum amount: EUR 1,300,000.00.
  - Minimum EU contribution: 51 % of the total eligible costs of the action; Maximum EU contribution: 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
- Lot 2 – Human Rights, Anti-discrimination and Inter-Cultural Dialogue
  - Minimum grant amount: EUR 700,000.00; Maximum amount: EUR 1,300,000.00.
  - Minimum EU contribution: 51 % of the total eligible costs of the action; Maximum EU contribution: 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
- Lot 3 – Green and Digital Transition
  - Minimum grant amount: EUR 700,000.00; Maximum amount: EUR 1,300,000.00.
  - Minimum EU contribution: 51 % of the total eligible costs of the action; Maximum EU contribution: 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
- Lot 4 – Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression, including countering disinformation and misinformation
  - Minimum grant amount: EUR 700,000.00; Maximum amount: EUR 1,300,000.00.
  - Minimum EU contribution: 51 % of the total eligible costs of the action; Maximum EU contribution: 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
- Lot 5 – Small scale projects in support of good neighbourly relations between Serbia and Kosovo
  - Minimum grant amount: EUR 200,000.00; Maximum amount: EUR 400,000.00.
  - Minimum EU contribution: 51 % of the total eligible costs of the action; Maximum EU contribution: 95 % of the total eligible costs of the action.
- Lot 6 – Quality Journalism
  - Minimum grant amount: EUR 1,800,000.00; Maximum grant amount: EUR 2,000,000.00.
  - Minimum EU contribution: 51 % of the total eligible costs of the action; Maximum EU contribution: 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action.

Eligibility Criteria

Lead Applicant(s)
- In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
  - be a legal person
  - be non-profit-making
  - be a civil society organisation (CSO) or a representative network of CSOs working on one or more thematic areas of relevance to this Call for Proposals
  - for all Lots- except Lot 5: be established in an IPA III Beneficiary under the Instrument of Pre-accession Assistance (For Lot 5: be established either in Kosovo or Serbia)
  - be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action with their co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary
  - have as a minimum one year (i.e. 12 months) experience in the field of the lot under which the concept note/full application is submitted. In case the lead applicant is a network of CSOs, this applies also to its members
  - be registered since at least April 2020. In case the lead applicant is a network of CSOs, at least two members of the network must be registered since at least April 2020.
- Exceptions:
  - Lot 5: As an exception to the requirement that lead applicants should be a civil society organisation (CSO) or representative network of CSOs, local authorities from Kosovo and Serbia may act as lead 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. Lots 3 and 5 present exceptions, as specified below.
- As a further exception, for lots 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, actors established in an EU Member State can be involved as optional co-applicants, in addition to (and not in replacement of) the mandatory co-applicants.
- Co-applicants must sign the mandate.
- Mandatory co-applicants:
  - For the actions submitted under all the Lots except Lot 5: co-applicants must represent CSOs or CSOs networks from a minimum of four (4) different IPA III Beneficiaries, different from the IPA III Beneficiary where the Lead Applicant is located.
  - (This means that the proposed consortium (including both Lead Applicant and Co-applicants) must, as a minimum, represent CSOs or CSOs networks from at least five (5) different IPA III Beneficiaries in the Western Balkans and Turkey. Networks covering all IPA beneficiaries are encouraged).
  - For the proposals submitted under Lot 5: CSOs, CSOs Networks and local authorities from Serbia and Kosovo. The proposed consortium (including both Lead Applicant and Co-applicants) must thus represent CSOs, CSOs networks and local authorities from ONLY Serbia and Kosovo, and must represent both these IPA III beneficiaries (i.e. minimum one lead-applicant and one co-applicant). Additionally for Lot 5, for the action to be considered relevant under this Call, a particular attention must be devoted to creating a constructive inter-cultural and inter-ethnic partnership among applicants and mandatory co-applicants.
  - For the proposals submitted under Lot 3: As an exception to the requirement of being non-profit-making and exclusively for actions under Lot 3, social economic stakeholders, including social enterprises are eligible as co-applicants.
- Optional co-applicants:
  - The participation of CSOs or CSOs networks established in an EU Member State is encouraged as appropriate. Such optional co-applicants from EU Member States must satisfy the eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant himself, with the exception of being established in an IPA III Beneficiary under the Instrument of Pre-accession Assistance.
  - If awarded the grant contract, the co-applicant(s) (if any) will become beneficiary(ies) in the action (together with the coordinator).
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, 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.

For more information, visit https://bit.ly/3KxmaF1