EU’s Call for Proposals to Mitigate Impact of COVID-19 in Trade Sector

Deadline: 30-Jun-21

The European Union (EU) is inviting proposals to support the economic recovery of the foreign trade sector, facilitating the integration of the most vulnerable people.

Objectives and Priority Areas

The overall objective of this call for proposals is: to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, supporting the socio-economic recovery of the foreign trade sector, in particular of MSMEs, producer associations and cooperatives, taking advantage of the opportunities offered by the trade agreement Ecuador-EU and facilitating the integration in the process of vulnerable groups such as women, youth, indigenous, LGBTIQ, disabled, including people in human mobility.

The specific objective of this call for proposals is: to promote innovation and green technology to increase the productivity and competitiveness of the commercial export sector.

The priorities of this call for proposals are:

Strengthen the export capacity of MSMEs, producer organizations and cooperatives in Ecuador that already export to the EU.
Support with a goner ° approach to MSMEs and cooperatives to adopt ecological and innovative technologies to increase the productivity and competitiveness of the commercial export sector according to practices of the circular economy, green economy and bio-economy.
Articulate the actions for the promotion of innovation and green technology of MSMEs and exporting cooperatives among the different parties involved: private sector organizations (chambers of commerce and industry), national and local authorities (GAD) and the academy for research and development.
Contribute to the post-pandemic productive reactivation and the creation of adequate jobs in Ecuador, in particular for people in human mobility, women and youth, and other vulnerable groups.

Funding Information

The total indicative amount allocated to this call for proposals is EUR 4,500,000. The Contracting Body reserves the right not to award all available funds.

Amount of subsidies

The grants requested within this call for proposals are comprised between the following minimum and maximum amounts:

Minimum amount: 4,400,000 EUR
Maximum amount: 4,500,000 EUR.

Eligibility Criteria

Lead applicant(s)

In order to be eligible for a grant, the main applicant must:

Be a legal person and
Not have a profit motive and
Settle in Ecuador or a Member State of the European Union or in the European Economic Area
Be directly responsible, with their co-applicants and other affiliated entities, for the preparation and management of the action and not simply limit themselves to acting as an intermediary.

Co-applicant(s)

The co-applicants will participate in the design and execution of the action, and the costs incurred will be eligible in the same way as those incurred by the main applicant.
Co-applicants must meet the eligibility criteria applicable to the main applicant.
Co-applicants must sign the mandate form.

Affiliated Entity(ies)

The lead applicant and his co-applicant (s) may act with affiliated entities.
Only the following entities may be considered entities affiliated with the main applicant or co-applicant (s):
- Only entities that have a structural link with the applicants (that is, the main applicant or a co-applicant), especially if the link is legal or capital.
- This structural link mainly encompasses two aspects:
  - Control, as defined in Directive 2013/34 / EU on annual financial statements, consolidated financial statements and other related infamies of certain types of companies:
    - Thus, the entities affiliated with an applicant can be:
      - Entities directly or indirectly controlled by the applicant (affiliates or first-level affiliates). They can also be entities controlled by an entity controlled in turn by the applicant (second-level subsidiaries), and the same applies to subsequent levels of control.
      - Entities that directly or indirectly control the applicants (parent companies). Likewise, they could be entities that control an entity that in turn controls the applicant.
      - Entities under the same direct or indirect control as the applicant (associated companies).
  - Adhesion, that is, the applicant is legally defined as, for example, network, federation or association in which the proposed affiliated entities also participate, or participates in the same entity (for example, network, federation or association. ..) than the proposed affiliated entities.