European Union’s Local Authorities: Partnerships for Sustainable Cities 2021

Deadline: 23-Apr-21

The European Union (EU) has announced the Local Authorities: Partnerships for Sustainable Cities 2021 programme with an aim to strengthen local authorities by promoting decentralised cooperation involving European and partner countries local authorities.

• Strengthen urban governance by supporting the capacity of the local authorities as autonomous policy maker, better access to services by the citizens (including e-governance) and promoting a "territorial approach" to local development. 
• Ensure social inclusiveness of cities: by preventing both the causes and effects of inequality, marginalisation and segregation, including tackling the needs of women, children, youth, and marginalised and vulnerable groups such as disabled people, migrants and displaced people.
• Improve resilience and greening of cities by increasing the quality of life, fostering urban green growth and making cities more resource-efficient through sustainable modes of production and consumption; 
• Improve prosperity and innovation in cities by fostering sustainable local economies including circular economy, promoting digital transition and creating employment.

• Lot 1: Partnerships for sustainable cities in Sub-Saharan Africa: Total available: EUR 15 849 442
• Lot 2: Partnerships for sustainable cities in Asia and the Pacific: Total available: EUR 12 000 000
• Lot 3: Partnerships for sustainable cities in Latin America and the Caribbean: Total available: EUR 12 000 000 

• be a legal person and 
• be a specific type of organisation such as:
  • Local Authorities (LA); or
  • Association of Local Authorities (ALA), including city networks constituted in accordance with the legislation in force in the country; and
• be established in one of the eligible countries or territories; 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. 

• To be eligible, the partnership must include at least one applicant (either as lead applicant or co-applicant) established in a Member State and at least one applicant (either as lead applicant or co-applicant) established in the beneficiary country where the action will take place.
• 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 sign the mandate form.

• The lead applicant and its co-applicant(s) may act with affiliated entit (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 fast-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://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?ADSSChck=1615203035552&do=publi.detPUB&searchtype=QS&orderby=upd&orderbyad=Desc&nbPubliList=15&page=1&aoref=171273