Guidelines For Applicants - Final

Contracting authority: European Commission
EU Civil Society Facility and Media Programme in favour of the

Western Balkans and Turkey for 2021-2023 (IPA III)
Support to
- Regional thematic networks of Civil Society Organisations;
- Small scale projects in support of good neighbourly relations
between Serbia and Kosovo*;
- Regional CSOs networks promoting media freedom and freedom of
expression; and
- Quality Journalism initiative
Guidelines for grant applicants
Budget line(s): 15.020101.01

Reference: EuropeAid/174154/DH/ACT/Multi
Deadline for submission1 of concept notes:
24/05/2022 at 18.00 (Brussels date and time)
(in order to convert to local time click here2)
1
Online submission via PROSPECT is mandatory for this call for proposals (see Section 2.2.2). In PROSPECT all dates and
times are expressed in Brussels time. Applicants should note that the IT support is open Monday to Friday from 08:30 to 18:30
Brussels time (except during European Commission public holidays in Belgium as published in the Official Journal). Applicants
should take note of the weekly maintenance hours mentioned in the PROSPECT user manual.
2
An example of a time converter tool available online: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the
Kosovo declaration of independence.
2
EuropeAid/174154/DH/ACT/Multi
December 2021 Guidelines for grant applicant restricted
NOTICE
This is a restricted call for proposals. In the first instance, only concept notes (Annex A.1 – Grant
application form - Concept note) must be submitted for evaluation. Thereafter, lead applicants who have
been pre-selected will be invited to submit a full application (Annex A.2 – Grant application form – Full
application). After the evaluation of the full applications, an eligibility check will be performed for those
which have been provisionally selected. Eligibility will be checked on the basis of the supporting
documents requested by the contracting authority and the signed ‘declaration by the lead applicant’ sent
together with the full application.
To apply to this call for proposals organisations must register in PADOR and submit their
application in PROSPECT (see section 2.2.2 of the guidelines). The aim of PROSPECT is to ensure
efficiency of the management of the call for proposals and to offer a good service to civil society
organisations through functionalities such as the on-line submission and the possibility to follow up
online the status of their application.
Preparation: Online Information sessions on 27/04/2022 (please consult TACSO project website –
www.tacso.eu - for further information) and user manuals.
To help applicants familiarise themselves with the system before the online submission, online
information sessions will be organised on 27/04/2022. Should you be interested in these sessions, please
consult TACSO project website – www.tacso.eu - for further information on the registration modalities to
attend the information sessions. No costs incurred by the applicants for attending these information
sessions are reimbursable.
All organisations may find more information regarding PROSPECT in the users' manual
(https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/system/files/user-manual-applicant-prospect-
08082017_en.pdf) and in the e-learning videos e-Learning Videos - e-Calls PROPECT - EXACT
External Wiki - EN - EC Public Wiki (europa.eu). You may also contact our technical support team via
the online support form in PROSPECT3.
3
If PROSPECT is unavailable, the IT support can also be reached via email: INTPA-SUPPORT-SERVICES@ec.europa.eu
EuropeAid/174154/DH/ACT/Multi Page 2 of 41
Table of contents
1. SUPPORT TO REGIONAL THEMATIC NETWORKS OF CIVIL SOCIETY

ORGANISATIONS; SMALL SCALE PROJECTS IN SUPPORT OF GOOD NEIGHBOURLY
RELATIONS BETWEEN SERBIA AND KOSOVO; REGIONAL CSO NETWORKS
PROMOTING MEDIA FREEDOM AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION; AND QUALITY
JOURNALISM INITIATIVE 4
1.1. Background..........................................................................................................................................4
1.2. Objectives of the programme and priority issues.................................................................................6
1.3. Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority..................................................................6
2. RULES FOR THIS CALL FOR PROPOSALS 9
2.1. Eligibility criteria.................................................................................................................................9

2.1.1. Eligibility of applicants (i.e. lead applicant and co-applicant(s)) 9
2.1.2. Associates and contractors 13
2.1.3. Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made 14
2.1.4. Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included 21
2.1.5. Ethics clauses and Code of Conduct 24
2.2. How to apply and the procedures to follow........................................................................................25

2.2.1. Concept note content 26
2.2.2. Where and how to send concept notes 26
2.2.3. Deadline for submission of concept notes 27
2.2.4. Further information about concept notes 27
2.2.5. Full applications 27
2.2.6. Where and how to send full applications 30
2.2.7. Deadline for submission of full applications 30
2.2.8. Further information about full applications 30
2.3. Evaluation and selection of applications............................................................................................30

2.4. Submission of supporting documents................................................................................................38
2.5. Notification of the Contracting Authority’s decision.........................................................................38
2.5.1. Content of the decision 38
2.5.2. Indicative timetable 39
2.6. Conditions for implementation after the contracting authority’s decision to award a grant...............39
3. LIST OF ANNEXES 41
EuropeAid/174154/DH/ACT/Multi Page of
1. SUPPORT TO REGIONAL THEMATIC NETWORKS OF CIVIL SOCIETY
ORGANISATIONS; SMALL SCALE PROJECTS IN SUPPORT OF GOOD NEIGHBOURLY
RELATIONS BETWEEN SERBIA AND KOSOVO; REGIONAL CSO NETWORKS
PROMOTING MEDIA FREEDOM AND FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION; AND QUALITY
JOURNALISM INITIATIVE
1.1. BACKGROUND
An active civil society is a critical component of democratic systems and an important player in reform
processes taking place in the Western Balkans and Turkey. An empowered and active civil society is an
essential component of any democracy. Civil society organisations (CSOs)4 can contribute to addressing
many societal challenges, by engaging in the policy debates, putting forward innovative, sustainable and
inclusive solutions and monitoring the results of reform processes at beneficiary, regional and local level.
CSOs in the Western Balkans and Turkey need to engage in a range of challenges faced by their societies,
including in fields such as rule of law, corruption, organized crime, economy, social cohesion and
environmental protection.
A free and pluralistic media serves to reveal the multifaceted nature of society and promotes dialogue and
tolerance. Critical scrutiny by independent media of the political processes guarantees their transparency and
ensures that governments adhere to predictable policies – free from the interests of narrow pressure groups.
Furthermore, both civil society and media have important roles to play in promoting confidence building and
good neighbourly relations throughout the region, including normalisation of relations between Serbia and
Kosovo. In addition, CSOs - particularly women’s organisations - and media have a key role in identifying
and addressing various gender imbalances and gaps.
EU support to CSOs aims at building stronger democracies, improving accountability systems and ultimately
achieving better, more inclusive, and sustainable economic and social development. It seeks to empower
civil society to play the following key roles:
 Helping to reinforce wide and inclusive citizens’ engagement and participation in public policy
processes, and encouraging civic activism across all areas;
 Being professional and reliable partners in the policy-making and reform process through evidence-
based advocacy across all sectors and close monitoring of reforms;
 Contributing to enhancing responsible and inclusive leadership in the political, economic and social
spheres by calling leaders and institutions to account and providing early warning in case of societal
change;
 Assisting in societal innovation, by helping to develop, test and promote innovative perspectives and
solutions to sustainable development challenges across all thematic areas;
 Promoting freedom of expression, media freedom and pluralism.
This Call for Proposals is launched in the framework of the EU Civil Society Facility and Media Programme
in favour of the Western Balkans and Turkey for 2021-2023 (CSF). In an overall vision of enhanced regional
cooperation, good neighbourly relations and reconciliation, the overall objective of the CSF is to strengthen
4
Civil society is highly heterogeneous and encompasses a wide range of actors and aims. The EU considers civil society
organisations to embrace a wide range of actors with multiple roles and mandates which includes all non-State, not-for-profit,
independent and non-violent structures, through which people organise to pursue shared objectives and ideals, whether political,
cultural, religious, environmental, social or economic or related to health […]" They include, but are not limited to:
Nongovernmental organisations, organisations representing indigenous peoples, women's and youth organisations, diaspora
organisations, migrants' organisations, local traders' associations and citizens' groups, cooperatives, employers' associations and
trade unions (social partners), organisations representing economic and social interests, organisations fighting corruption and fraud
and promoting good governance, civil rights organisations and organisations combating discrimination, local organisations (including
networks) involved in decentralised regional cooperation and integration, consumer organisations, environmental, teaching, cultural,
research and scientific organisations, universities, churches and religious associations and communities, philosophical and non-
confessional organisations, the not-for-profit media and any non-governmental associations and independent foundations, including
independent political foundations.
This definition is established in the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) Thematic
Programme for Civil Society Organisations - Multi Annual Indicative Programme 2021-2027. It should be noted that more specific
eligibility criteria apply for this call, as outlined in section 2.1.
EuropeAid/174154/DH/ACT/Multi Page of
participatory democracies and the EU integration and approximation process in the Western Balkans and
Turkey, through a strengthened contribution by civil society and media.
Under this Call for Proposals, a number of long-term grants will be awarded to create and/or support regional
thematic networks of CSOs in a range of thematic priorities. The networks financed will help improve
coalition- and capacity building for an increased impact of CSOs on relevant sector reforms. Financial
support to third parties (“sub-granting”) will enable participation of grassroots organisations across the
region in the networks. Areas covered include:
Good Governance, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption

Human Rights, Anti-discrimination and Inter-Cultural
Dialogue
Green and Digital Transition
Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression, including
countering disinformation and misinformation
Small scale projects in support of good neighbourly
relations between Serbia and Kosovo
Quality Journalism
The priorities of the call are aligned with those identified in the 2020 Communication from the Commission
to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee
of the Regions on "An Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans"5 (hereafter the EIP). This
Plan aims to spur the recovery of the region - backed by a green and digital transition - supporting
socioeconomic development and leading to sustained growth, implementation of reforms required to move
forward on the EU path, and bringing the Western Balkans closer to the EU Single Market. It provides the
region with assistance through investments and policy initiatives in the fields of transport, energy, digital
transition, green agenda, support to the private sector, economic integration, innovation and support to
human capital development. Moreover, it recognises the key role of rule of law as a cornerstone of
sustainable development and underlines that, along with structural economic reforms, progress in the area of
the fundamentals should continue.
The Call for Proposals is aligned with the Guidelines for EU support to CSOs in the enlargement region 6
(hereinafter referred to as EU Guidelines). The EU Guidelines offer a concrete results' framework for support
to Civil Society, containing outcomes to be achieved as well as indicators to monitor progress.
In line with the EU Gender Action Plan, throughout the thematic areas of the call, strategic attention to
gender equality issues is encouraged.
The call envisages partnerships primarily between different CSOs, but also in some limited instances
between CSOs and profit-making/revenue-generating organisations and between CSOs and local authorities,
depending on the lots and actions. The specific eligibility criteria of lead applicants and co-applicants are set
out in Section 2.1 of the Guidelines.
Based on the provisions of the Regulation (EU) 2021/1529 of the European Parliament and of the Council of
15 September 2021 establishing the Instrument for Pre-Accession assistance (IPA III), the IPA III
beneficiaries taken into consideration for the present call for proposals are: the Republic of Albania, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia, the Republic of Serbia (hereafter
‘Western Balkans’), and the Republic of Turkey.
1.2. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME AND PRIORITY ISSUES

5
COM(2020) 641 final. Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and
Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions: An Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans.
6
Guidelines for EU support to Civil Society and Media in the enlargement region were in place for the period 2014-2020, and are
currently being updated for the period 2021-2027.
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:
1. Strengthened CSO capacities and engagement opportunities in policy- and decision making across
various thematic areas, including those addressed by the EIP;
2. Enhanced neighbourly relations between Serbia and Kosovo;
3. Increased capacity of journalist professional organisations and networks; and
4. 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.
All applicants are encouraged to pay due attention to gender issues, by ensuring that proposals explicitly
integrate results of gender analysis through foreseen activities and specific indicators as relevant. Links to
the EU Gender Action Plan (GAP) III for the period 2021-2025 and its specific thematic priorities, objectives
and indicators are strongly encouraged7. The way that gender equality issues are addressed will be
considered and taken into account during the evaluation process. A collection of gender analysis that
applicants may want to consult is available on the TACSO website (www.tacso.eu). Applicants will also find
there relevant so called ‘Country Level Implementation Plans (CLIPs), which explain the strategic
engagement of the EU for Gender Equality in each IPA beneficiary.
1.3. FINANCIAL ALLOCATION PROVIDED BY THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 18.000.000. The
contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.
Indicative allocation of funds by lot:
No. Lots Budget in M€

1 Good Governance, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption 3.4
2 Human Rights, Anti-discrimination and Inter-Cultural 3.3
Dialogue
3 Green and Digital Transition 3.3
4 Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression, including 4
countering disinformation and misinformation
5 Small scale projects in support of good neighbourly 2
relations between Serbia and Kosovo
6 Quality Journalism 2
Total 18
If the allocations indicated for Lots 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 cannot be used due to insufficient quality or number of
proposals received, the contracting authority reserves the right to reallocate the remaining funds to (an)other
of these lots. Any remaining resources for Lot 6 will not be reallocated.
Size of grants
7
JOIN(2020) 17 final. Gender Action Plan III: An ambitious agenda for gender equality and women’s empowerment in EU external
action and SWD(2020) 284 final. Objectives and Indicators to frame the implementation of the Gender Action Plan III (2021-25),
available at: https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/system/files/swd-2020-284-objectives-indicators-gap-iii_en.pdf
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

Lot 3 - Green and Digital Transition

Lot 4 - Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression, including countering disinformation and
misinformation
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.
Lot 6 - Quality Journalism

 Minimum grant amount: EUR 1,800,000.00; Maximum grant amount: EUR 2,000,000.00.
The balance (i.e. the difference between the total cost of the action and the amount requested from the
contracting authority) must be financed from sources other than the general budget of the Union or the
European Development Fund8.
For all lots – except for Lot 5 – it is compulsory to allocate between 15 and 30% of the action’s total
eligible costs to financial support to third parties, with the purpose of reaching, and building capacities
of, such organisations active at local level and enabling them to participate in the regional networks.
The size of the financial support should be adapted to the level of capacities of beneficiaries and to the
type of activities to be supported.
When defining the financial support to third parties, applicants are encouraged to familiarise themselves with
the recent guide “Enhanced Outreach to Civil Society Organisations: a Collection of Good Practices of
8
Where a grant is financed by the European Development Fund, any mention of European Union financing must be understood as
referring to European Development Fund financing.
Financial Support to Third Parties in the Neighbourhood and Enlargement Countries” (available at
https://www.tacso.eu/enhanced-outreach-to-civil-society-organizations/).
2. RULES FOR THIS CALL FOR PROPOSALS
These guidelines set out the rules for the submission, selection and implementation of the actions financed
under this call, in conformity with the practical guide, which is applicable to the present call (available on the
internet at this address http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prag/document.do?locale=en).9
2.1. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:
(1) the actors (2.1.1.):
 the ‘lead applicant’, i.e. the entity submitting the application form;
 if any, its co-applicant(s) (where it is not specified otherwise the lead applicant and its co-
applicant(s) are hereinafter jointly referred as ‘applicant(s)’);
 and, if any, affiliated entity(ies) to the lead applicant and/or to a co-applicant(s);
(2) the actions (2.1.3.):
• actions for which a grant may be awarded;
(3) the costs (2.1.4.):
 types of cost that may be taken into account in setting the amount of the grant.
2.1.1. Eligibility of applicants (i.e. lead applicant and co-applicant(s))
Lead applicant
(1) In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:
 be a legal person and
 be non-profit-making and
 be a civil society organisation10 (CSO) or a representative network of CSOs 11 working on one

or more thematic areas of relevance to this Call for Proposals (see Section 2.1.3 of these
Guidelines) and
9
Note that a lead applicant (i.e. a coordinator) whose pillars have been positively assessed by the European Commission and who is
awarded a grant will not sign the standard grant contract published with these guidelines but a contribution agreement based on the
contribution agreement template. All references in these guidelines and other documents related to this call to the standard grant
contract shall in this case be understood as referring to the relevant provisions of the contribution agreement template.
10
As defined in the NDICI Thematic Programme for Civil Society Organisations - Multi Annual Indicative Programme 2021-2027
“Civil society is highly heterogeneous and encompasses a wide range of actors and aims. The EU considers civil society
organisations to embrace a wide range of actors with multiple roles and mandates which includes all non-State, not-for-profit,
independent and non-violent structures, through which people organise to pursue shared objectives and ideals, whether political,
cultural, religious, environmental, social or economic or related to health […]" They include, but are not limited to:
Nongovernmental organisations, organisations representing indigenous peoples, women's and youth organisations, diaspora
organisations, migrants' organisations, local traders' associations and citizens' groups, cooperatives, employers' associations and trade
unions (social partners), organisations representing economic and social interests, organisations fighting corruption and fraud and
promoting good governance, civil rights organisations and organisations combating discrimination, local organisations (including
networks) involved in decentralised regional cooperation and integration, consumer organisations, environmental, teaching, cultural,
research and scientific organisations, universities, churches and religious associations and communities, philosophical and non-
confessional organisations, the not-for-profit media and any non-governmental associations and independent foundations, including
independent political foundations.
11
A network with legal personality must submit an application under the name of the network.
 for all Lots- except Lot 5: be established12 in an IPA III Beneficiary under the Instrument of
Pre-accession Assistance13 (For Lot 5: be established either in Kosovo or Serbia) and
 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 and
 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 and
 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 authorities14 from Kosovo and Serbia may act as lead
applicants.
(2) Potential applicants may not participate in calls for proposals or be awarded grants if they are in any of
the situations listed in Section 2.6.10.1 of the practical guide;
Lead applicants, co-applicants, affiliated entities and, in case of legal entities, persons who have powers of
representation, decision-making or control over the lead applicant, the co-applicants and the affiliated entities
are informed that, should they be in one of the situations of early detection or exclusion according to Section
2.6.10.1 of the practical guide, personal details (name, given name if natural person, address, legal form and
name and given name of the persons with powers of representation, decision-making or control, if legal
person) may be registered in the early detection and exclusion system, and communicated to the persons and
entities concerned in relation to the award or the execution of a grant contract. In this respect, provisionally
selected lead applicants, co-applicants and affiliated entities or those placed in the reserve list are obliged to
declare that they are not in one of the exclusion situations through a signed declaration on honour (PRAG
Annex A14). For grants of EUR 15 000 or less, no declaration on honour is required. See Section 2.4.
In Annex A.1 Section 2 and Annex A.2 Section 5 (‘declaration(s) by the lead applicant’), the lead applicant
must declare that the lead applicant himself, the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies) are not in any of
these situations.
The lead applicant must act with co-applicant(s) as specified hereafter.
If awarded the grant contract, the lead applicant will become the beneficiary identified as the coordinator in
Annex G (special conditions). The coordinator is the sole interlocutor of the contracting authority. It
12
To be determined on the basis of the organisation’s statutes, which should demonstrate that it has been established by an
instrument governed by the national law of the country concerned and that its head office is located in an eligible country. In this
respect, any legal entity whose statutes have been established in another country cannot be considered an eligible local organisation,
even if the statutes are registered locally or a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ has been concluded.
13
Based on the provisions of the Regulation (EU) 2021/1529 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 September 2021
establishing the Instrument for Pre-Accession assistance (IPA III) – the IPA III beneficiaries taken into consideration for the present
call for proposals are: The Republic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, The Republic of North Macedonia,
The Republic of Serbia, The Republic of Turkey.
14
According to the definition included in the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the
European Economic and Social Committee and The Committee Of The Regions “Empowering Local Authorities in partner countries
for enhanced governance and more effective development outcomes” (COM(2013) 280 final), Local Authorities are public
institutions with legal personality, component of the State structure, below the level of central government and accountable to
citizens. Local Authorities are usually composed of a deliberative or policy-making body (council or assembly) and an executive
body (the Mayor or other executive officer), directly or indirectly elected or selected at local level. The term encompasses different
tiers of government, e.g. villages, municipalities, districts, counties, provinces, regions, etc. Within this wide context, the focus of
this Communication is however put on the municipal level, which is generally the lowest government tier of the public institutional
system and the closest to citizens.
represents and acts on behalf of any other co-beneficiary (if any) and coordinate the design and
implementation of the action.
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, as specified below.
Co-applicants must sign the mandate in A.2 Section 5.
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
enterprises15 are eligible as co-applicants.
15
The Commission uses the term 'social enterprise' to cover any undertaking, regardless of its legal form, including social economy
enterprises, or a natural person which:
(a) in accordance with its articles of association, statutes or with any other legal document that may result in liability under
the rules of the Member State where a social enterprise is located, has the achievement of measurable, positive social
impacts, which may include environmental impacts, as its primary social objective rather than the generation of profit for
other purposes, and which provides services or goods that generate a social return or employs methods of production of
goods or services that embody social objectives;
(b) uses its profits first and foremost to achieve its primary social objective, and has predefined procedures and rules that
ensure that the distribution of profits does not undermine the primary social objective;
(c) is managed in an entrepreneurial, participatory, accountable and transparent manner, in particular by involving workers,
customers and stakeholders on whom its business activities have an impact;
This definition of “social enterprises” is laid down in Article 2 of the REGULATION (EU) No 2021/1057 of the European
Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 establishing the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) and repealing Regulation (EU)
No 1296/2013.
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).
(3) In addition, please note that contracts cannot be awarded to or signed with applicants included in the
lists of EU restrictive measures (see Section 2.4. of the PRAG).
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:
(i) 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).
(ii) 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.
The structural link shall as a general rule be neither limited to the action nor established for the sole purpose
of its implementation. This means that the link would exist independently of the award of the grant; it should
exist before the call for proposals and remain valid after the end of the action.
By way of exception, an entity may be considered as affiliated to an applicant even if it has a structural link
specifically established for the sole purpose of the implementation of the action in the case of so-called ‘sole
applicants’ or ‘sole beneficiaries’. A sole applicant or a sole beneficiary is a legal entity formed by several
entities (a group of entities) which together comply with the criteria for being awarded the grant. For
example, an association is formed by its members.
What is not an affiliated entity?
The following are not considered entities affiliated to an applicant:
- Entities that have entered into a (procurement) contract or subcontract with an applicant, act as
concessionaires or delegatees for public services for an applicant,
- Entities that receive financial support from the applicant,
- Entities that cooperate on a regular basis with an applicant on the basis of a memorandum of
understanding or share some assets,
- Entities that have signed a consortium agreement under the grant contract (unless this consortium
agreement leads to the creation of a ‘sole applicant’ as described above).
How to verify the existence of the required link with an applicant?
The affiliation resulting from control may in particular be proved on the basis of the consolidated accounts of
the group of entities the applicant and its proposed affiliates belong to.
The affiliation resulting from membership may in particular be proved on the basis of the statutes or
equivalent act establishing the entity (network, federation, association) which the applicant constitutes or in
which the applicant participates.
If the applicants are awarded a grant contract, their affiliated entity(ies) will not become beneficiary(ies) of
the action and signatory(ies) of the grant contract. However, they will participate in the design and in the
implementation of the action and the costs they incur (including those incurred for implementation contracts
and financial support to third parties and subcontractors) may be accepted as eligible costs, provided they
comply with all the relevant rules already applicable to the beneficiary(ies) under the grant contract.
Affiliated entity(ies) must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as the lead applicant and the co-applicant(s).
They must sign the affiliated entity(ies) statement in Annex A.2 Section 5.
2.1.2. Associates and contractors
The following entities are not applicants nor affiliated entities and do not have to sign the ‘mandate for co-
applicant(s)’ or ‘affiliated entities' statement:
 Associates
Other organisations or individuals may be involved in the action. Such associates play a real role in the
action but may not receive funding from the grant, with the exception of per diem or travel costs. Associates
do not have to meet the eligibility criteria referred to in Section 2.1.1. Associates must be mentioned in Part
Annex A.2 Section 4 — ‘Associates participating in the action’.
CSOs/CSOs Networks from countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Instrument Policy can
be associates in the proposed actions.
Moreover, the participation of central and local public authorities and bodies as associates is
welcomed across the Call, when this can reinforce the impact of the action.
 Contractors
The beneficiaries and their affiliated entities are permitted to award contracts. Associates or affiliated
entity(ies) cannot be also contractors in the project. Contractors are subject to the procurement rules set out
in Annex IV to the standard grant contract.
2.1.3. Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made
Definition:
An action is composed of a set of activities.
Duration
Lot 1 - Good Governance, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption

The initial planned duration of an action may not be lower than 36 months nor exceed 48 months.
Lot 2 - Human Rights, Anti-discrimination and Inter-Cultural Dialogue
Lot 3 - Green and Digital Transition
Lot 4 - Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression, including countering disinformation and
misinformation
Lot 5 - Small scale projects in support of good neighbourly relations between Serbia and Kosovo
Lot 6 - Quality Journalism
Sectors or themes
Applications relating to the sectors and themes outlined below are welcome.
Lot 1. Good Governance and Rule of Law, and Anti-Corruption, including but not limited to:
- Public Administration Reform and support to economic governance and business environment,
including at the local level;
- Prevention and fighting of corruption including political and/or judicial corruption at all levels;
- Government and business transparency, integrity, and accountability.
Indicative allocated amount: EUR 3.4 Million
Lot 2. Human Rights, Anti-discrimination and Inter-Cultural Dialogue, including but not limited to:
- Empowerment/inclusion of marginalised groups, including Roma, other minorities,

migrants/refugees, LGBTIQ persons and persons with disabilities;
- Gender equality, including women’s participation in the labour market; addressing intersecting
inequality challenges; and specific activities engaging men and boys;
- Rights of victims of crime, including victims of trafficking;
- Inter-cultural and/or inter-religious literacy, understanding and tolerance, democratic values,

countering hate speech, social and political polarisation;
Lot 3: Green and Digital Transition, including but not limited to promotion of:
- Decarbonisation; clean and sustainable energy; climate actions (in particular engagement in the
development and implementation of long-term Climate Strategies and National Energy and Climate
Plans aimed at complying with EU acquis requirements);
- Depollution of air, water and soil;
- Green and Circular economy, waste management and disposal;
- Sustainable farming and food production;
- Protection of biodiversity;
- Green, smart and affordable mobility;
- Activities supporting the realisation of the Action Plan on the implementation of the Sofia
Declaration on the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans 2021-2030, including at local level
- Quality and use of Environmental Impact Assessments for infrastructure projects in the region;
- E-government and digitalization, including at local level;
- Digital skills development, including among marginalised groups;
Lot 4. Media Freedom and Freedom of Expression, including countering disinformation and
misinformation, including but not limited to:
- Promoting journalists’ safety and fighting violence against journalists, in particular women;
- Detecting, exposing and acting against dis- and misinformation in media - development of
methodologies; awareness raising; capacity building - including collaboration and exchanges
between media professionals, social media platforms, fact-checkers and researchers;
- Supporting media literacy;
- Building capacities and advancing regional cooperation of journalists’ associations, trade unions,
etc. in fields such as promoting journalist rights, professional ethics and self-regulation, etc.;
- Promoting regional cooperation in advancing innovative tools for journalism, ensuring sustainability
of independent media and engaging audiences; and
- Promoting cooperation between CSOs and media outlets, including in rural/remote areas;
Indicative allocated amount: EUR 4 Million
Lot 5. Small scale projects in support of good neighbourly relations between Serbia and Kosovo.
Financed actions will support CSOs and local authorities in Serbia and Kosovo in tackling common cross-
border challenges. Actions should focus on enhanced collaboration aiming at improving quality of life of
citizens in Serbia and Kosovo through socio-economic activities and cultural initiatives promoting
intercultural dialogue and stronger cooperation between local communities. Financed projects may
target:
- Cooperation between local professional groups to stimulate initiatives of common socio-economic

interests;
- Joint cultural activities that promote intercultural dialogue among different ethnic and religious
communities;
- Cooperation and exchange in the area of media literacy, pluralism and professional journalism;
- Joint initiatives that promote contacts, communication, cooperation and exchange between local
communities, particularly in support of youth empowerment, education and culture, local democracy
and development of civil society.
In order for the action to be considered relevant, particular attention must be devoted to developing a
constructive inter-cultural and inter-ethnic partnership among applicants and mandatory co-
applicants.
Lot 6. Quality Journalism
Actions proposed under this lot should provide support to media integrity and upholding journalism quality
standards in the Western Balkans and Turkey. It will aim to enhance media trust among citizens and enable
journalists to produce independent news content through trainings, mentoring, technical and financial
support, publishing and recognizing best examples of high quality journalism. The successful applicant
should enable a regional network to support the development of quality journalism by involving media, EU
and Western Balkans training providers as well as, to the extent possible, academic institutions. The
activities should take into account results of previous EU and other donor-funded projects in this field (ex:
https://euwbmedia.com/about/) and should continue the implementation of the existing EU Award for
Investigative Journalism scheme (see: https://euwbmedia.com/eu-awards/).
The applicants are requested to propose activities focused on the following priorities and expected results:
Result 1: New generations of young and mid-career journalists trained in quality news and investigative
journalism
The selected applicant is expect to implement a training programme for quality journalism, in each of the six
Western Balkan IPA beneficiaries and at regional level.
The applicant would ideally rely on a partnership between local providers of professional training for
journalists (e.g. journalism schools, universities, media institutes, etc.) and other key stakeholders (media
outlets, media CSOs, journalist professional associations, etc.). The applicant will be responsible for all the
organisational, logistical and administrative requirements to establish and implement:
1) Specific training schemes in each Western Balkans IPA beneficiary in basic and advanced skills for
quality news and investigative reporting. Training(s) should be organised in the local language and
involve experienced trainers preferably from the region. It should be designed to bring the
participants to an agreed entry level for the regional trainings. It should include topics related to
modern tools in news production, use of social media, story-telling, ethics, audience engagement,
etc.
2) A regional training scheme should complement the specific IPA beneficiary level training schemes,
and promote advanced and specialised skills as well as networking and co-production possibilities.
The proposal should pay specific attention to describing the proposed expertise foreseen to carry out the
respective training scheme.
Result 2: Enhanced production and publishing of quality news and investigative stories in mainstream and
public service media
Activities should support training of beneficiaries in researching and producing quality news and
investigative stories. The selected proposal should include a clear plan for provision of financial support to
cover the expenses for researching and producing these stories and for remuneration of coaches / mentors for
the trainees.
The selected applicant shall put in place mechanisms to ensure the timely publishing of quality news and
stories produced in the framework of the training schemes. Stories should be published, where possible, in
local languages in order to improve their dissemination and accessibility for the general public. The
programme should foresee financial support enabling existing and new platforms/outlets to apply for grants
for production of quality news and investigative stories combined with training and coaching activities for
involved journalists.
Result 3: Enhanced educational capacities in quality news and investigative journalism in the region
Applicants should propose activities supporting the development of a sustainable offer of professional
training for journalists at regional and WB IPA beneficiary level. Proposals should include a clear plan to
improve the services delivered either by traditional education institutions (universities/journalism schools) or
professional associations/organisations carrying out trainings. They should pay specific attention to ensuring
the sustainability of these capacities and educational offerings.
Result 4: Standards of quality journalism promoted through the continuation of the regional EU award
scheme for quality news and investigative journalism
The applicant should propose a feasible and effective arrangement to continue the successful regional
scheme EU Investigative Journalism Award in the Western Balkans and Turkey. The award scheme aims at
celebrating and promoting outstanding achievements of journalists as well as improving the visibility of
quality journalism in the Western Balkans and Turkey.
The selected applicant will be the regional facilitator/administrator of the award scheme over the whole
project implementation period. The selected applicant will organise in each of the Western Balkans IPA
Beneficiaries and in Turkey (i.e. seven contests per year):
 Appointment and facilitation of the work of an award jury. The applicant will propose the criteria for the
selection and composition of the juries. The jury should incorporate local and external members and the
procedures shall ensure trustworthiness, independency and local ownership
 Delivery of the yearly prizes to 1-3 journalists per IPA beneficiary, and, if possible, a regional prize. The
value for individual prizes to be awarded will be proposed by the applicant. The minimum total
allocation for prizes is EUR 240.000 (i.e. at least EUR 10.000 per IPA beneficiary per year + 10,000
for regional prizes)
 An annual award ceremony to be prepared in liaison with the local EU Delegation
 Promotion and awareness raising campaigns to inform the media and general public about the award,
ceremonies and awarded journalists
N.B: The Award Scheme is the only component under this lot for which Turkey is eligible.
***
Location
For lots 1, 2, 3 and 4, actions can take place in the Western Balkans and Turkey, and must cover
minimum 5 of these IPA beneficiaries.
For lot 5, actions must take place in both Kosovo and Serbia.
For lot 6, actions must take place in the six Western Balkans IPA Beneficiaries, except for the Award
Scheme which should cover both Western Balkans and Turkey.
A limited number of activities – strictly related to dissemination, promotion and exchange purposes (such as
conferences, seminars, study visits) - could take place in EU Member States.
Types of action
More information on the actions to be financed under this call are described in the previous paragraph
“Sectors or themes”.
The following types of action are ineligible:
 actions concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops,
seminars, conferences and congresses;
 actions concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses;
 actions concerned only or mainly with “one-off” conferences, and similar events;
 actions concerned only or mainly with academic research and/or feasibility studies;
 actions concerned only or mainly with infrastructure investments and/or the procurement of
equipment;
 actions linked to political parties or of political/partisan or religious nature;
 actions that fall within the general activities of competent state institutions or state administration
services, including local government;
 actions in relation to: the tobacco industry (CAEN code 16), production of alcoholic distilled
beverages (CAEN code 1591), arms and munitions (CAEN code 296);
 Capital investments.
Types of activity
Types of activities that may be financed under this call include (the list is not exhaustive):
 Education, public awareness and communication campaigns
 Desk research (but research cannot be the main purpose of the action), baseline studies
 Activities aimed at ensuring outreach towards grassroots and other types of local non-governmental
organisations, citizens and volunteers
 Monitoring and watchdog actions of CSOs relating to the implementation of public policies and
reforms, including in the context of the EU integration process.
 Monitoring of international commitments, publication of monitoring and shadow reports
 Enabling CSOs’ participation in the reform and policy making process
 Advocacy for the revision of existing legislation and adoption of new legislation in accordance with
EU standards and requirements
 Promotion of the implementation of adopted laws and regulations
 Facilitation of contacts, consultations and discussions between different stakeholders
 Networking and coalition building, and experience/knowledge sharing activities
 Organisation of conferences, roundtables, workshops and seminars (a limited and well justified
number of days and events per proposed action)
 Cooperation with public bodies of relevance for the thematic areas in focus (e.g. Ombudsman,
Equality Bodies, etc).
 Youth exchange programs or other non-formal education activities promoting cultural diversity,
reconciliation, gender equality;
 Training and capacity development actions, study visits, field trips and internships
 Production of news about rural areas and local communities
 Publication of leaflets and manuals on best practice
 Testing of innovative approaches and pilots
 Concrete activities to respond to needs of targeted stakeholder groups
 Citizens-centric approaches to delivering public services, development of community-based

integrated services
 Pilot income generating activities aimed at ensuring continuity of the action beyond the end of the
contract.
 Development of green, social and sustainable entrepreneurship and setting up of start-ups – with the
exclusion of capital investments.
 Testing and implementation of business plans and business sustainability strategies.
Integrated and holistic approaches combining different types of activities are encouraged.
Financial support to third parties16
Under this call, financial support to third parties is considered essential to achieve the objective of the action.
Therefore, except for Lot 5, Applicants shall propose financial support to third parties in order to help
achieving the objectives of the action.
Between 15% and 30% of the action total eligible costs should be dedicated to providing financial support to
third parties.
The maximum amount of financial support per third party is EUR ≤ 60 000.
This support should in particular strengthen the participation of grassroots CSOs in regional networks and
carry out activities linked to the overall objective of the action. To do so, the grantees of this Call should
mentor third parties in the implementation of their own activities, and share methodologies and knowledge
with them.
In compliance with the present guidelines and notably of any conditions or restrictions in this Section, the
lead applicant should define mandatorily in Section 2.1.1 of Annex A.2 (Grant application form – Full
application):
(i) the overall objectives, the specific objective(s) and the outputs 17 (i.e. the results) to be achieved
with the financial support
(ii) the different types of activities eligible for financial support, on the basis of a fixed list
(iii) the types of persons or categories of persons which may receive financial support
16
These third parties are neither affiliated entity(ies) nor associates nor contractors.
17
As per OECD DAC definition, the term ‘results’ includes ‘impact’ (overall objective), ‘outcome(s)’ (specific objective(s) and
‘output(s)’.
(iv) the criteria for selecting these entities and giving the financial support
(v) the criteria for determining the exact amount of financial support for each third entity, and
(vi) the maximum amount which may be given.
In all events, the mandatory conditions set above for giving financial support (points (i) to (vi)) have to be
strictly defined in the grant contract as to avoid any exercise of discretion).
In addition to the criteria related to the Financial Support, the Applicants are required to provide the
following:
(vii) the rules that will be applied to avoid mismanagement in the selection of proposals
(viii) a full explanation of the mentoring, monitoring and evaluation of the third parties receiving the
Financial Support
(ix) all requirements from (i) to (vi) should be included in the Call Guidelines. Applicants must provide
information in the concept note concerning at least points (i), (ii) and (iii) and must provide
information in the full application concerning all points from (i) to (viii).
The procedure for selecting beneficiaries of financial support to third parties should comply with the
principles of transparency, equal treatment and fair competition, and adequate measures should be foreseen
to prevent any situation which could give rise to conflict of interests.
In the context of the Financial Support, the Beneficiary(ies) of the grant contracts may be asked by the
European Commission to provide a summary of the application in English. All contracts between the
Coordinator and third parties shall be in the local language with an English copy provided by the
Coordinator.
The lead applicant should present internal project monitoring arrangements to follow up the implementation
of the activities of third parties financed with EU funds.
The lead applicant should coordinate to the best possible extent the activities implemented by third parties in
order to ensure synergies with other actions/events managed by the EU and with any other relevant projects
in the region.
Specific conditions or restrictions apply for financial support to third parties, as follows:
 All the types of activities that may be financed under this call are also eligible for financial support
to third parties (see above). Special consideration shall be given to capacity building measures to
support the third parties grantees in the implementing their activities as well as their professional
development in accordance with their needs. The activities that are ineligible under this call are also
ineligible for financial support to third parties (see above).
Compulsory in case of financial support to third parties:
Applicants proposing financial support must foresee trainings and mentoring activities for the entities
covering at least the following topics:
 Project management, including financial and operational aspects;
 Visibility of EU-funded actions and
 The thematic area targeted by the network.
Visibility
The applicants must take all necessary steps to publicise the fact that the European Union has financed or co-
financed the action. As far as possible, actions that are wholly or partially funded by the European Union
must incorporate information and communication activities designed to raise the awareness of specific or
general audiences of the reasons for the action and the EU support for the action in the country or region
concerned, as well as the results and the impact of this support.
Applicants must comply with the objectives and priorities and guarantee the visibility of the EU financing
(see the Requirements for Visibility Communication for EU external actions specified and published by the
European Commission at https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/comm-visibility-requirements_en).
The grantees shall collaborate with the EU funded TACSO project and with the Delegations/Offices of the
European Union to the IPA III Beneficiaries, to provide information about the project and ensure overall
coordination.
Number of applications and grants per applicants / affiliated entities
The lead applicant may not submit more than one application (as lead applicant) under this Call for
Proposals.
The lead applicant may not be awarded (as lead applicant) more than one grant under this call for proposals.
The lead applicant may be a co-applicant or an affiliated entity in another application at the same time
provided that it concerns another lot.
A co-applicant/affiliated entity may not be the co-applicant or affiliated entity in more than one application
under this call for proposals.
A co-applicant/affiliated entity may not be awarded more than one grant under this call for proposals.
In other words, the same one organisation can participate in maximum two funded actions – one as main
applicant, one as co-applicant, under two different lots. If this rule is not respected, all concerned
applications will be rejected.
2.1.4. Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included
Union contributions under this call for proposals take the following form(s):
- Reimbursement of eligible costs that may be based on any or a combination of the following forms:
(i) actual costs incurred by the beneficiary(ies) and affiliated entity(ies);
(ii) one or more simplified cost options (see below).
Only ‘eligible costs’ can be covered by a grant. The categories of costs that are eligible and non-eligible are
indicated below. The budget is both a cost estimate and an overall ceiling for ‘eligible costs’.
Simplified cost options (SCOs) may take the form of:
 unit costs: covering all or certain specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in
advance by reference to an amount per unit.
 lump sums: covering in global terms all or certain specific categories of eligible costs which are
clearly identified in advance.
 flat-rate financing: covering specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in
advance by applying a percentage fixed ex ante.
Simplified costs options are divided in two categories:
1/"output or result based SCOs": this category includes costs linked to outputs, results, activities,
deliverables in the framework of a specific project (for example the determination of a lump sum for the
organization of a conference, or for the realisation of a determined output/activity). Where possible and
appropriate, lump sums, unit costs or flat rates shall be determined in such a way to allow their payment
upon achievement of concrete outputs and/or results. This type of SCO can be proposed by the beneficiary
(no threshold is applicable) at proposal's stage (in Annex A.2 – Grant application form – Full application). In
case the evaluation committee is not satisfied with the quality of the justification provided reimbursement on
the basis of actually incurred costs is always possible.
2/ "other SCOs": This second category entails simplified cost options embedded in the cost accounting
practices of the beneficiary, if they are accepted by national authorities under comparable funding schemes.
In this case, the grant beneficiary shall demonstrate that the national authority accepted the cost accounting
practices and will have to specify in which context this acceptance was given. The evaluation committee will
assess if the funding scheme is comparable. To obtain reimbursement of this category of SCOs, the
beneficiary shall make reference to the comparable funding schemes of national authorities in the budget
justification sheet (annex B). In case the evaluation committee is not satisfied with the quality of the
justification provided reimbursement on the basis of actually incurred costs is always possible.
The amounts or rates have to be based on estimates using objective data such as statistical data or any other
objective means or with reference to certified or auditable historical data of the applicants or the affiliated
entity(ies). Determining SCO is possible also through ‘expert judgement’ provided by internally available
experts or procured in accordance with the applicable rules. Experts must be either commissioned auditors or
chartered accountants, or staff of the contracting authority but cannot be staff of the beneficiary. The
methods used to determine the amounts or rates of unit costs, lump sums or flat-rates must comply with the
criteria established in Annex K, and especially ensure that the costs correspond fairly to the actual costs
incurred by the beneficiary(ies) and affiliated entity(ies), are in line with their cost accounting practices, no
profit is made and the costs are not already covered by other sources of funding (no double funding). Refer
to Annex K for the details of the procedure to be followed depending on the type and amount of the costs to
be declared as SCO.
Applicants proposing this form of reimbursement, must clearly indicate in worksheet no.1 of Annex B, each
heading/item of eligible costs concerned by this type of financing, i.e. add the reference in capital letters to
‘UNIT COST’, ‘LUMPSUM’, ‘FLAT RATE’ in the Unit column (see example in Annex K).
Additionally in Annex B, in the second column of worksheet no.2, ‘Justification of the estimated costs’ per
each of the corresponding budget item or heading applicants must:
 describe the information and methods used to establish the amounts of unit costs, lump sums and/or
flat-rates, to which costs they refer, etc for output or result based SCO;
 clearly explain the formulas for calculation of the final eligible amount for output or result based
SCO;
 make reference to the national authorities comparable funding schemes for other SCOs.
In case of output or result based SCOs the evaluation committee decides whether to accept the proposed
amounts or rates on the basis of the provisional budget submitted by the applicants, by analysing factual data
of grants carried out by the applicants or of similar actions. In case the evaluation committee is not satisfied
with the quality of the justification provided reimbursement on the basis of actually incurred costs is always
possible.
No threshold is set ex-ante for the total amount of financing that can be authorised by the contracting
authority on the basis of simplified cost options. Other SCOs can be proposed only if previously accepted by
national authorities in comparable funding schemes.
Recommendations to award a grant are always subject to the condition that the checks preceding the signing
of the grant contract do not reveal problems requiring changes to the budget (such as arithmetical errors,
inaccuracies, unrealistic costs and ineligible costs). The checks may give rise to requests for clarification and
may lead the contracting authority to impose modifications or reductions to address such mistakes or
inaccuracies. It is not possible to increase the grant or the percentage of EU co-financing as a result of these
corrections.
It is therefore in the applicants' interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget.
The grant may take the form of a single lump-sum covering the entire eligible costs of an action or a work
programme.
Single lump sums may be determined on the basis of the estimated budget, which should comply with the
principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Compliance with these principles shall be verified ex
ante at the time of evaluation of the grant application.
When authorising single lump sums the authorising officer responsible shall comply with the conditions
applicable to output or result based SCOs.
When using this form of financing, the description of the action shall include detailed information on the
essential conditions triggering the payment, including, where applicable, the achievement of outputs and/or
results.
Eligible direct costs
To be eligible under this call for proposals, costs must comply with the provisions of Article 14 of the
general conditions to the standard grant contract (see Annex G of the guidelines).
Salary costs of the personnel of national administrations may be eligible to the extent that they relate to the
cost of activities which the relevant public authority would not carry out if the action were not undertaken.
Contingency reserve
The budget may include a contingency reserve not exceeding 5 % of the estimated direct eligible costs. It can
only be used with the prior written authorisation of the contracting authority.
Eligible indirect costs
The indirect costs incurred in carrying out the action may be eligible for flat rate funding, but the total must
not exceed 7 % of the estimated total eligible direct costs. Indirect costs are eligible provided that they do not
include costs assigned to another budget heading in the standard grant contract. The lead applicant may be
asked to justify the percentage requested before the grant contract is signed. However, once the flat rate has
been fixed in the special conditions of the grant contract, no supporting documents need to be provided.
If any of the applicants or affiliated entity(ies) is in receipt of an operating grant financed by the EU, it may
not claim indirect costs on its incurred costs within the proposed budget for the action.
Contributions in kind
Contributions in kind mean the provision of goods or services to beneficiaries or affiliated entities free of
charge by a third party. As contributions in kind do not involve any expenditure for beneficiaries or affiliated
entities, they are not eligible costs (except for personnel costs for the work carried out by volunteers under an
action or an operating grant if so authorised).
Contributions in kind may not be treated as co-financing.
However, if the description of the action as proposed includes contributions in kind, the contributions have to
be made.
Other co-financing shall be based on estimates provided by the applicant.
Ineligible costs
The following costs are not eligible:
 debts and debt service charges (interest);
 provisions for losses or potential future liabilities;
 costs declared by the beneficiary(ies) and financed by another action or work programme receiving a
European Union (including through EDF) grant;
 purchases of land or buildings, except where necessary for the direct implementation of the action, in
which case ownership must be transferred in accordance with Article 7.5 of the general conditions of
the standard grant contract, at the latest at the end of the action;
 currency exchange losses;
 credit to third parties;
 salary costs of the personnel of national administrations, unless otherwise specified in the special
conditions and only to the extent that they relate to the cost of activities which the relevant public
authority would not carry out if the action were not undertaken and if permitted by the local
legislation.
2.1.5. Ethics clauses and Code of Conduct

a) Absence of conflict of interest
The applicant must not be affected by any conflict of interest and must have no equivalent relation in
that respect with other applicants or parties involved in the actions. Any attempt by an applicant to
obtain confidential information, enter into unlawful agreements with competitors or influence the
evaluation committee or the contracting authority during the process of examining, clarifying,
evaluating and comparing applications will lead to the rejection of its application and may result in
administrative penalties according to the Financial Regulation in force.
b) Respect for human rights as well as environmental legislation and core labour standards
The applicant and its staff must comply with human rights. In particular and in accordance with the
applicable act, applicants who have been awarded contracts must comply with the environmental
legislation including multilateral environmental agreements, and with the core labour standards as
applicable and as defined in the relevant International Labour Organisation conventions (such as the
conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining; elimination of forced and compulsory
labour; abolition of child labour).
Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment
The European Commission applies a policy of 'zero tolerance' in relation to all wrongful conduct which
has an impact on the professional credibility of the applicant.
Physical abuse or punishment, or threats of physical abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, harassment and
verbal abuse, as well as other forms of intimidation shall be prohibited.
Applicants (and affiliated entities) other than (i) natural persons, (ii) pillar-assessed entities and (iii)
governments and other public bodies, whose application has been pre-selected or placed in a reserve list,
shall assess their internal policy against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEA-H) through a
self-evaluation questionnaire (Annex L). For grants of EUR 60 000 or less no self-evaluation is
required. Such self-evaluation questionnaire is not part of the evaluation of the full application by the
contracting authority, but is an administrative requirement. See Section 2.5.6 of the PRAG.
c) Anti-corruption and anti-bribery
The applicant shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and codes relating to anti-bribery
and anti-corruption. The contracting authority reserves the right to suspend or cancel project financing if
corrupt practices of any kind are discovered at any stage of the award process or during the execution of
a contract and if the contracting authority fails to take all appropriate measures to remedy the situation.
For the purposes of this provision, ‘corrupt practices’ are the offer of a bribe, gift, gratuity or
commission to any person as an inducement or reward for performing or refraining from any act relating
to the award of a contract or execution of a contract already concluded with the contracting authority.
d) Unusual commercial expenses
Applications will be rejected or contracts terminated if it emerges that the award or execution of a
contract has given rise to unusual commercial expenses. Such unusual commercial expenses are
commissions not mentioned in the main contract or not stemming from a properly concluded contract
referring to the main contract, commissions not paid in return for any actual and legitimate service,
commissions remitted to a tax haven, commissions paid to a payee who is not clearly identified or
commissions paid to a company which has every appearance of being a front company.
Grant beneficiaries found to have paid unusual commercial expenses on projects funded by the
European Union are liable, depending on the seriousness of the facts observed, to have their contracts
terminated or to be permanently excluded from receiving EU/EDF funds.
e) Breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud
The contracting authority reserves the right to suspend or cancel the procedure, where the award
procedure proves to have been subject to substantial breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud. If
substantial breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud are discovered after the award of the contract,
the contracting authority may refrain from concluding the contract.
2.2. HOW TO APPLY AND THE PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW

To apply for this call for proposals the lead applicants need to:
I. Provide information about the organisations involved in the action. To this end, lead applicants, co-
applicants and affiliated entities must register in PADOR. Lead applicants must register at the
concept note step. Co-applicants and affiliated entities must register at the full application step; lead
applicants must make sure that their PADOR profile is up to date. Please note that the registration of
this data in PADOR is obligatory for this call for proposals:
PADOR is an on-line database in which organisations register and update information concerning their
entity. Organisations registered in PADOR get a unique ID (EuropeAid ID) which they must mention in
their application. PADOR is accessible via the website:
https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/funding/looking-for-funding_en
If it is impossible to register online in PADOR for technical reasons, lead applicants, co-applicants and/or
affiliated entity(ies) must complete the ‘PADOR registration form 18 attached to these guidelines. This form
must be sent together with the full application, by the submission deadline (see section 2.2.5).
II. Provide information about the action in the documents listed under sections 2.2.2 (Where and how to
send concept notes) and 2.2.5 (Full applications). Please note that online submission via
PROSPECT is obligatory for this call.
It is strongly recommended to register in PADOR well in advance and not to wait until the last minute
before the deadline to submit your application in PROSPECT.
Before starting using PADOR and PROSPECT, please read the user guides available on the website. All
technical questions related the use of these systems should be addressed to the IT helpdesk at INTPA-
SUPPORT-SERVICES@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in PROSPECT.
18
Which corresponds to Annex F – PADOR off-line form (PRAG annex e13).
2.2.1. Concept note content
Applications must be submitted in accordance with the concept note instructions in the grant application
form annexed to these guidelines (Annex A). Lead applicants should then keep strictly to the format of the
concept note and fill in the paragraphs and pages in order.
Applicants must apply in English.
Please note that:
1. In the concept note, lead applicants must only provide an estimate of the requested EU contribution
as well as an indicative percentage of that contribution in relation to the eligible costs of the action.
A detailed budget is to be submitted only by the lead applicants invited to submit a full application in
the second phase.
2. The elements outlined in the concept note may not be modified in the full application, except for the
changes described below:
 The EU contribution may not vary from the initial estimate by more than 20 %. Lead applicants
are free to adapt the percentage of co-financing required within the minimum and maximum
amount and percentages of co-financing, as laid down in these guidelines in Section 1.3.
 The lead applicant may add, remove or replace one or more co-applicant(s) or affiliated
entity(ies) only in duly justified cases.
 The lead applicant may adjust the duration of the action if unforeseen circumstances outside the
scope of the applicants have taken place following the submission of the concept note and
require such adaptation (risk of action not being carried out). In such cases, the duration must
remain within the limits imposed by the guidelines for applicants. Own contributions by the
applicants can be replaced by other donors' contributions at any time.
An explanation/justification of the relevant replacements/adjustments shall be included in Annex A.2 –

Instructions for drafting the Full Application, section 2.1.1, point viii. Should the
explanation/justification not be accepted by the evaluation committee, the proposal may be rejected on
that sole basis.
Only the concept note form will be evaluated. It is therefore of utmost importance that this document
contains ALL relevant information concerning the action. No additional annexes should be sent.
Please complete the concept note form carefully and as clearly as possible so that it can be assessed properly.
Any error or major discrepancy related to the concept note instructions may lead to the rejection of the
concept note.
Clarifications will only be requested when information provided is not sufficient to conduct an objective
assessment.
2.2.2. Where and how to send concept notes
The concept note together with the declaration by the lead applicant (Annex A.1 section 2) must be
submitted online via PROSPECT https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prospect following the
instructions given in the PROSPECT user manual.
Upon submission of a concept note online, the lead applicant will receive an automatic confirmation of
receipt in its PROSPECT profile.
Please note that incomplete concept notes may be rejected. Lead applicants are advised to verify that their
concept note is complete using the checklist for concept note (Annex A.1, Instructions).
2.2.3. Deadline for submission of concept notes
The deadline for the submission of concept notes is 24/05/2022 at 18:00 (Brussels date and time). In order to
convert this deadline to local time you can use any online time converter tool that takes into account
timezones and winter/summer time changes (example available here)19. The lead applicant is strongly
advised not to wait until the last day to submit its concept note, since heavy Internet traffic or a fault with
the Internet connection (including electricity failure, etc.) could lead to difficulties in submission. The
Contracting Authority cannot be held responsible for any delay due to such afore-mentioned difficulties.
Any concept note submitted after the deadline will be rejected.
2.2.4. Further information about concept notes
Online Information sessions on this call for proposals will be held on 27/04/2022 (please consult TACSO
project website – www.tacso.eu - for further information).
Questions may be sent by e-mail no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of concept
notes to the address(es) below, indicating clearly the reference of the call for proposals:
E-mail address: NEAR-CSF-applications@ec.europa.eu
The contracting authority has no obligation to provide clarifications to questions received after this date.
Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline for submission of concept notes.
To ensure equal treatment of applicants, the contracting authority cannot give a prior opinion on the
eligibility of lead applicants, co-applicants, affiliated entity(ies), an action or specific activities.
No individual replies will be given to questions. All questions and answers as well as other important notices
to applicants during the course of the evaluation procedure will be published on the website where the call
was published: website of DG International Partnerships
https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/funding/looking-for-funding_en or Funding & Tender
opportunities (F&T Portal) https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home , as the
need arises. It is therefore advisable to consult the abovementioned website regularly in order to be informed
of the questions and answers published.
All questions related to registration in PADOR or the online submission via PROSPECT should be addressed
to the IT helpdesk at INTPA-SUPPORT-SERVICES@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in
PROSPECT: Please note that the working languages of the IT support are English French and Spanish.
Therefore users are invited to send their questions in English, French or Spanish should they wish to benefit
from an optimum response time.
Please note that the contracting authority may decide to cancel the call for proposals procedure at any stage
according to the conditions set out in Section 6.5.9 of the PRAG.
2.2.5. Full applications
Lead applicants invited to submit a full application following pre-selection of their concept note must do so
using the grant application form annexed to these guidelines (Annex A.2 – Grant application form – Full
application). Lead applicants should then keep strictly to the format of the grant application form and fill in
the paragraphs and pages in order.
The elements outlined in the concept note may not be modified in the full application except for the changes
described below:
 The EU contribution may not vary from the initial estimate by more than 20 %. Lead
applicants are free to adapt the percentage of co-financing required within the minimum and
19
For example: http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html.
maximum amount and percentages of co-financing, as laid down in these guidelines in
Section 1.3.
 The lead applicant may add, remove or replace one or more co-applicant(s) or affiliated
entity(ies) only in duly justified cases.
 The lead applicant may adjust the duration of the action if unforeseen circumstances outside
the scope of the applicants have taken place following the submission of the concept note
and require such adaptation (risk of action not being carried out). In such cases, the duration
must remain within the limits imposed by the guidelines for applicants.
An explanation/justification of the relevant replacements/adjustments shall be included in Annex A.2 –

Instructions for drafting the Full Application, section 2.1.1, point viii. Should the
explanation/justification not be accepted by the evaluation committee, the proposal may be rejected on
that sole basis.
Lead applicants must submit their full applications in the same language as their concept notes.
Please complete the full application form carefully and as clearly as possible so that it can be assessed
properly.
Any error related to the points listed in the checklist (Annex A.2, Instructions) or any major inconsistency in
the full application (e.g. if the amounts in the budget worksheets are inconsistent) may lead to the rejection
of the application.
Clarifications will only be requested when information provided is unclear and thus prevents the contracting
authority from conducting an objective assessment.
Please note that only the full application form and the published annexes which have to be filled in (budget,
logical framework) will be transmitted to the evaluators (and assessors, if used). It is therefore of utmost
importance that these documents contain ALL the relevant information concerning the action.
If it is impossible to register online in PADOR for technical reasons, the lead applicant has to submit with
the full application the completed PADOR form (Annex F) for the lead applicant, each co-applicants
(if any) and each (if any) affiliated entities20.
Please note that the following documents shall be uploaded in PADOR by the full application deadline or
submitted together with the PADOR registration form with the full application form:
1. The statutes or articles of association of the lead applicant, of each co-applicant (if any) and of each
affiliated entity (if any). Where the contracting authority has recognised the lead applicant’s, or the
co-applicant(s)’s, or their affiliated entity(ies)’s eligibility for another call for proposals under the
same budget line within 2 years before the deadline for receipt of applications, it should be
submitted, instead of the statutes or articles of association, a copy of the document proving their
eligibility in a former call (e.g. a copy of the special conditions of a grant contract received during
the reference period), unless a change in legal status has occurred in the meantime. This obligation
does not apply to international organisations which have signed a framework agreement with the
European Commission.
2. Legal entity form (see Annex D of these guidelines) duly completed and signed by each of the
applicants (i.e. by the lead applicant and by each co-applicant, if any), accompanied by the justifying
documents requested there. If the applicants have already signed a contract with the contracting
authority, instead of the legal entity form and supporting documents, the legal entity number may be
provided, unless a change in legal status occurred in the meantime.
3. A financial identification form of the lead applicant (not from co-applicant(s)) conforming to the
model attached as Annex E of these guidelines, certified by the bank to which the payments will be
made. This bank should be located in the country where the lead applicant is established. If the lead
20
Natural persons who apply for a grant (if so allowed in the guidelines for applicants) do not have to provide an organisation data
form. In this case, the information included in the grant application form is sufficient.
applicant has already submitted a financial identification form in the past for a contract where the
European Commission was in charge of the payments and intends to use the same bank account, a
copy of the previous financial identification form may be provided instead.
In addition, for the purpose of the evaluation of the financial capacity, the following documents should be
submitted21:
1. For action grants exceeding EUR 750 000 and for operating grants above EUR 100 000, the lead
applicant must provide an audit report produced by an approved external auditor where it is
available, and always in cases where a statutory audit is required by EU or national law. That report
shall certify the accounts for up to the last 3 financial years available.
In all other cases, the lead applicant shall provide a self-declaration signed by its authorised
representative certifying the validity of its accounts for up to the last 3 financial years available.
This requirement shall apply only to the first application made by an applicant to the contracting
authority in any one financial year.
The external audit report as well as the self-declaration certifying the validity of the accounts are not
required from the co-applicant(s) or affiliated entities (if any).
2. A copy of the lead applicant’s latest accounts (the profit and loss account and the balance sheet for
the last financial year for which the accounts have been closed) 22. A copy of the latest account is
neither required from the co-applicant(s) (if any) nor from affiliated entity(ies) (if any).
The requested supporting documents (uploaded in PADOR or sent together with the PADOR offline form)
must be supplied in the form of originals, photocopies or scanned versions (i.e. showing legible stamps,
signatures and dates) of the said originals. Originals should be kept on file for controls.
Where such documents are not in one of the official languages of the European Union, a translation into
English of the relevant parts of these documents proving the lead applicant's and, where applicable, co-
applicants' and affiliated entity(ies)' eligibility, must be attached for the purpose of analysing the application.
Where these documents are in an official language of the European Union other than English, it is strongly
recommended, in order to facilitate the evaluation, to provide a translation of the relevant parts of the
documents, proving the lead applicant's and, where applicable, co-applicants' and affiliated entity(ies)'
eligibility, into English.
Applicants have to take into consideration the time necessary to obtain official documents from national
competent authorities and to translate such documents in the authorised languages while registering their
data in PADOR.
If the abovementioned supporting documents are not provided by the deadline for the submission of the full
application, the application may be rejected.
No additional annexes should be sent.
2.2.6. Where and how to send full applications
Full applications (i.e. the full application form, PADOR registration form (where applicable), the budget, the
logical framework, and the declaration by the lead applicant) must be submitted online via PROSPECT
https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/prospect following the instructions given in the PROSPECT users’
manual.
21
No supporting documents will be requested for applications for a grant not exceeding EUR 60 000.
22
This obligation does not apply to natural persons who have received a scholarship or that are in most need of direct support, nor to
public bodies and to international organisations. It does not apply either when the accounts are in practice the same documents as the
external audit report already provided pursuant to Section 2.2.5, point 1.
Upon submission of the full application online, the lead applicants will receive an automatic confirmation of
receipt in their PROSPECT profile.
Please note that incomplete applications may be rejected. Lead applicants are advised to verify that their
application is complete using the checklist (Annex A.2, Instructions).
2.2.7. Deadline for submission of full applications
The deadline for the submission of full applications will be indicated in the letter sent to the lead applicants
whose application has been pre-selected. This letter will appear online automatically in the PROSPECT
profile of the lead applicant.
Lead applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit their full applications,
since heavy Internet traffic or a fault with the Internet connection (including electricity failure, etc.) could
lead to difficulties in submission. The Contacting Authority cannot be held responsible for any delay due to
such afore-mentioned difficulties.
Any application submitted after the deadline will be rejected.
2.2.8. Further information about full applications
Questions may be sent by e-mail no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of full
applications to the addresses listed below, indicating clearly the reference of the call for proposals:
E-mail address: NEAR-CSF-applications@ec.europa.eu
The contracting authority has no obligation to provide clarifications to questions received after this date.
Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline for the submission of full applications.
To ensure equal treatment of applicants, the contracting authority cannot give a prior opinion on the
eligibility of lead applicants, co-applicants, affiliated entity(ies), or an action.
No individual replies will be given to questions. All questions and answers as well as other important notices
to applicants during the course of the evaluation procedure, will be published on the website of DG
International Partnerships: https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/home_fr, as the need arises. It is
therefore advisable to consult the abovementioned website regularly in order to be informed of the questions
and answers published.
All questions related to registration in PADOR or the online submission via PROSPECT should be addressed
to the IT helpdesk at INTPA-SUPPORT-SERVICES@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in
PROSPECT. Please note that the working languages of the IT support are English French and Spanish.
Therefore users are invited to send their questions in English, French or Spanish should they wish to benefit
from an optimum response time.
2.3. EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF APPLICATIONS

Applications will be examined and evaluated by the contracting authority with the possible assistance of
external assessors. All applications will be assessed according to the following steps and criteria.
If the examination of the application reveals that the proposed action does not meet the eligibility criteria
stated in Section 2.1, the application will be rejected on this sole basis.
(1) STEP 1: ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS AND CONCEPT NOTE EVALUATION
During the administrative check the following will be assessed:
 If the deadline has been met. Otherwise, the application will be automatically rejected.
 If the concept note satisfies all the criteria specified in the checklist in Annex A.1, Instructions of the
grant application form. This includes also an assessment of the eligibility of the action. If any of the
requested information is missing or is incorrect, the application may be rejected on that sole basis
and the application will not be evaluated further.
The concept notes that pass this check will be evaluated on the relevance and design of the proposed action.
The concept notes will receive an overall score out of 50 using the breakdown in the evaluation grid below.
The evaluation will also check on compliance with the instructions on how to complete the concept note,
which can be found in Annex A.1.
The evaluation criteria are divided into headings and subheadings. Each subheading will be given a score
between 1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.
Scores*
1. Relevance of the action Sub-score 20
1.1 How innovative and relevant is the proposal to the objectives and priorities of the call 5
for proposals and to the specific themes/sectors/areas or any other specific
requirements and guidance stated in the guidelines for applicants? Are the expected
results of the action aligned with the priorities defined in the guidelines for applicants
(in particular section 1.2 and 2.1.3)?
1.2 How relevant is the proposal to the particular needs and constraints of the target 5
enlargement region and/or relevant sectors (including value-added and synergy with
other EU-funded initiatives in the region such as other CSF-funded actions, Creative
Europe and the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights - EIDHR -
and avoidance of duplication)?
1.3 How clearly defined and strategically chosen are those involved (final beneficiaries, 5
target groups)? Have their needs (as rights holders and/or duty bearers) and
constraints been clearly defined and does the proposal address them appropriately? Is
there evidence of a gender analysis having been carried out and informing the
proposal?
1.4 Does the proposal contain particular added-value elements (e.g. innovation, best 5
practices, constructive partnerships with public central and local authorities, relevant
bodies and economic stakeholders; and the other additional elements indicated under
1.2., 2.1.1 and 2.1.3 of the guidelines for applicants?
2. Design of the action Sub-score 30
2.1 How coherent is the overall design of the action? 5x2**

Does the proposal indicate the expected results to be achieved by the action? Does
the intervention logic explain in a convincing way how the expected results will be
achieved?
2.2 Does the design reflect a robust analysis of the problems involved, and the capacities 5
of the relevant stakeholders?
2.3 Does the design take into account external factors (risks and assumptions) and 5
include plans to adapt to such risks materialising, or assumptions not being
fullfilled?
2.4 Are the activities feasible and consistent in relation to the expected results (including 5
timeframe)? Are results (output, outcome and impact) realistic?
2.5 To which extent does the proposal integrate relevant cross-cutting elements such as 5
environmental/climate change issues, promotion of gender equality and equal
opportunities, needs of disabled people, rights of minorities and rights of indigenous
peoples, youth, outreach to grassroots and citizens?
TOTAL SCORE 50
**this score is multiplied by 2 because of its importance
Once all concept notes have been assessed, a list will be drawn up with the proposed actions ranked
according to their total score.
Firstly, only the concept notes with a score of at least 30 will be considered for pre-selection.
Secondly, the number of concept notes will be reduced, taking account of the ranking, to the number of
concept notes whose total aggregate amount of requested contributions is equal to 200% of the available
budget for this call for proposals. The amount of requested contributions of each concept note will be based
on the indicative financial envelopes for each lot, where relevant.
Lead applicants will receive a letter indicating the reference number of their application and the respective
results. This letter will automatically appear online in the PROSPECT profile of the lead applicant.
The pre-selected lead applicants will subsequently be invited to submit full applications.
(2) EVALUATION OF THE FULL APPLICATION
Firstly, the following will be assessed:
 If the submission deadline has been met. Otherwise, the application will automatically be rejected.
 If the full application satisfies all the criteria specified in the checklist (Annex A.2, Instructions).
This includes also an assessment of the eligibility of the action. If any of the requested information
is missing or is incorrect, the application may be rejected on that sole basis and the application will
not be evaluated further.
The full applications that pass this check: they will be further evaluated on their quality, including the
proposed budget and capacity of the applicants and affiliated entity(ies). They will be evaluated using the
evaluation criteria in the evaluation grid below. There are two types of evaluation criteria: selection and
award criteria.
The selection criteria help to evaluate the applicant(s)'s and affiliated entity(ies)'s operational capacity and
the lead applicant's financial capacity and are used to verify that they:
 have stable and sufficient sources of finance to maintain their activity throughout the proposed
action and, where appropriate, to participate in its funding (this only applies to lead applicants);
 have the management capacity, professional competencies and qualifications required to successfully
complete the proposed action. This applies to applicants and any affiliated entity(ies).
For the purpose of the evaluation of the financial capacity, lead applicants must ensure that the relevant
information and documents (i.e. accounts of the latest financial year and external audit report, where
applicable) are up to date either in their PADOR profile or when submitting the requested documents with
PADOR registration form. If the information and documents requested are outdated and do not allow for a
proper evaluation of the financial capacity, the application may be rejected.
The award criteria help to evaluate the quality of the applications in relation to the objectives and priorities
set forth in the guidelines, and to award grants to projects which maximise the overall effectiveness of the
call for proposals. They help to select applications which the contracting authority can be confident will
comply with its objectives and priorities. They cover the relevance of the action, its consistency with the
objectives of the call for proposals, quality, expected impact, sustainability and cost-effectiveness.
Scoring:
The evaluation grid is divided into Sections and subsections. Each subsection will be given a score between
1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.
Evaluation grid
Maximum
Section
Score
1. Financial and operational capacity 20
1.1 Do the applicants and, if applicable, their affiliated entity(ies) have sufficient in-house 5
experience of project management?
technical expertise? (especially knowledge and experience of the issues to be addressed)
management capacity? (including staff, equipment and ability to handle the budget for
the action, including in relation to support to third parties)?
1.4 Does the lead applicant have stable and sufficient sources of finance and does its 5
turnover/annual budget indicate a capacity to deal with a grant of the size requested
under the call?
2. Relevance 20
Score transferred from the Concept Note evaluation
3. Design of the action 15
3.1 How coherent is the design of the action? Does the proposal indicate the expected 5
results to be achieved by the action? Does the intervention logic explain in a convincing
way how the expected results will be achieved? Are the activities proposed appropriate,
practical, and consistent with the envisaged outputs and outcome(s) (including the
modalities chosen for FSTP)? Are gender issues adequately addressed?
3.2 Does the Full application/Logical Framework include credible baseline, targets and 5
sources of verification? If not, is a baseline study foreseen (and is the study budgeted
appropriately in the proposal)?
3.3 Does the design reflect a robust analysis of the problems involved, and the capacities of 5
the relevant stakeholders?
4. Implementation approach 15
4.1 Is the action plan for implementing the action clear and feasible? Is the timeline 5
realistic?
4.2 Does the proposal include an effective and efficient monitoring system? Is there an 5
evaluation planned (previous, during or/and at the end of the implementation)?
4.3 Is the co-applicant(s)'s and affiliated entity(ies)'s level of involvement and participation 5
in the action satisfactory?
5. Sustainability of the action 15
5.1 Is the action likely to have a tangible impact on its target groups? 5
5.2 Is the action likely to have multiplier effects, including scope for replication, extension, 5
capitalisation on experience and knowledge sharing?
5.3 Are the expected results of the proposed action sustainable? 5
- Financially (e.g. financing of follow-up activities, sources of revenue for covering all
future operating and maintenance costs)
- Institutionally (will structures allow the results of the action to be sustained at the end
of the action? Will there be local ‘ownership’ of the results of the action?)
- At policy level (where applicable) (what will be the structural impact of the action —
e.g. improved legislation, codes of conduct, methods)
- Environmentally (if applicable) (will the action have a negative/positive environmental

impact?)
6. Budget and cost-effectiveness of the action 15
6.1 Are the activities appropriately reflected in the budget? 5
6.2 Is the ratio between the estimated costs and the results satisfactory? 5x2**
Maximum total score 100
**: this scores is multiplied by 2 because of its importance
If the total score for Section 1 (financial and operational capacity) is less than 12 points, the application will
be rejected. If the score for at least one of the subsections under Section 1 is 1, the application will also be
rejected.
If the lead applicant applies without co-applicants or affiliated entities the score for point 4.3 shall be 5
unless the involvement of co-applicants or affiliated entities is mandatory according to these guidelines for
applicants.
Provisional selection
After the evaluation, a table will be drawn up listing the applications ranked according to their score. The
highest scoring applications will be provisionally selected until the available budget for this call for
proposals is reached. In addition, a reserve list will be drawn up following the same criteria. This list will be
used if more funds become available during the validity period of the reserve list.
(3) STEP 3: VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY OF THE APPLICANTS AND
AFFILIATED ENTITY(IES)
The eligibility verification will be performed on the basis of the supporting documents requested by the
contracting authority (see Sections 2.4). It will by default only be performed for the applications that have
been provisionally selected according to their score and within the available budget for this call for
proposals.
 The declaration by the lead applicant (Section 5 of Annex A.2) will be cross-checked with the
supporting documents provided by the lead applicant. Any missing supporting document or any
incoherence between the declaration by the lead applicant and the supporting documents may lead to
the rejection of the application on that sole basis.
 The eligibility of applicants and the affiliated entity(ies) will be verified according to the criteria set
out in Section 2.1.1.
Any rejected application will be replaced by the next best placed application on the reserve list that falls
within the available budget for this call for proposals.
2.4. SUBMISSION OF SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
The lead applicant should submit the documents listed in Section 2.2.5.
In addition, a lead applicant whose application has been provisionally selected or placed on the reserve list
will be informed in writing by the contracting authority. It will be requested to supply the following
documents via PROSPECT:
1. Declaration on honour: the lead applicant as well as all co-applicants and affiliated entities shall fill
in and sign the declaration on honour certifying that they are not in one of the exclusion situations
(see Section 2.6.10.1 of the PRAG) where the amount of the grant exceeds EUR 15 000. Please note
that the declaration on honour should be submitted via PROSPECT.
2. Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H: the lead applicant as well as all co-applicants and affiliated
entities shall fill in the self-evaluation questionnaire assessing the organisation’s internal policy and
procedure against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEA-H) (Annex L) where the amount
of grant exceeds EUR 60 000 (see Section 2.5.6 of the PRAG) 23. Please note that the self-evaluation
questionnaire on SEA-H should be submitted via PADOR.
After verifying the supporting documents, the evaluation committee will make a final recommendation to the
contracting authority, which will decide on the award of grants.
NB: In the eventuality that the contracting authority is not satisfied with the strength, solidity, and
guarantee offered by the structural link between one of the applicants and its affiliated entity, it can
require the submission of the missing documents allowing for its conversion into co-applicant. If all
the missing documents for co-applicants are submitted, and provided all necessary eligibility criteria
are fulfilled, the above mentioned entity becomes a co-applicant for all purposes. The lead applicant
has to submit the application form revised accordingly.
2.5. NOTIFICATION OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY’S DECISION
2.5.1. Content of the decision
The lead applicants will be informed in writing of the contracting authority’s decision concerning their
application and, if rejected, the reasons for the negative decision. This letter will be sent by e-mail and will
appear online automatically in the PROSPECT profile of the user who submitted the application. Therefore,
please check regularly your PROSPECT profile, taking into account the indicative timetable below. Please
note that the lead applicant is the intermediary for all communications between applicants and the
contracting authority during the procedure.
An applicant believing that it has been harmed by an error or irregularity during the award process may
lodge a complaint. See Section 2.12 of the practical guide.
Applicants and, if they are legal entities, persons who have powers of representation, decision-making or
control over them, are informed that, should they be in one of the situations of early detection or exclusion,
their personal details (name, given name if natural person, address, legal form and name and given name of
the persons with powers of representation, decision-making or control, if legal person) may be registered in
the early detection and exclusion system, and communicated to the persons and entities concerned in relation
to the award or the execution of a grant contract.
For more information, you may consult the privacy statement available on
http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm
23
Applicants, co-applicants and affiliated entities who are (i) natural persons (ii) pillar-assessed entities and (iii)
governments and other public bodies do not have to submit the self-evaluation questionnaire.
2.5.2. Indicative timetable
DATE TIME
1. Information meeting (if any) 27/04/2022 Further information on

TACSO (www.tacso.eu)
website
2. Deadline for requesting any clarifications 03/05/2022 18.00

from the contracting authority
3. Last date on which clarifications are issued 13/05/2022 -

by the contracting authority
4. Deadline for submission of concept notes 24/05/2022 18.00
5. Information to lead applicants on opening, July 2022 -

administrative checks and concept note
evaluation (Step 1)
6. Invitations to submit full applications July 2022 -
7. Deadline for submission of full applications August 2022 -
8. Information to lead applicants on the October 2022 -

evaluation of the full applications (Step 2)
9. Notification of award (after the eligibility October 2022 -

check) (Step 3)
10.Contract signature December 2022 -
All times are in the time zone of the country of the contracting authority.
This indicative timetable refers to provisional dates (except for dates 2, 3, and 4) and may be updated by the
contracting authority during the procedure. In such cases, the updated timetable will be published on the web
site where the call was published: website of DG International Partnerships:
https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/home_fr or Funding & Tender opportunities (F&T Portal)
https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home.
2.6. CONDITIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AFTER THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY’S DECISION

TO AWARD A GRANT
Following the decision to award a grant, the beneficiary(ies) will be offered a contract based on the standard
grant contract (see Annex G of these guidelines). By signing the application form (Annex A of these
guidelines), the applicants agree, if awarded a grant, to accept the contractual conditions of the standard grant
contract. Where the coordinator is an organisation whose pillars have been positively assessed, it will sign a
contribution agreement based on the contribution agreement template. In this case, references to provisions
of the standard grant contract and its annexes shall not apply. References in these guidelines to the grant
contract shall be understood as references to the relevant provisions of the contribution agreement.
Implementation contracts
Where implementation of the action requires the beneficiary(ies) and its affiliated entity(ies) (if any) to
award procurement contracts, those contracts must be awarded in accordance with Annex IV to the standard
grant contract.
In this context, a distinction should be made between awarding implementation contracts and subcontracting
parts of the action described in the proposal, i.e. the description of the action annexed to the grant contract,
such subcontracting being subject to additional restrictions (see the general terms and conditions in the
model grant contract).
Awarding implementation contracts: implementation contracts relate to the acquisition by beneficiaries of

routine services and/or necessary goods and equipment as part of their project management; they do not
cover any outsourcing of tasks forming part of the action that are described in the proposal, i.e. in the
description of the action annexed to the grant contract.
Subcontracting: subcontracting is the implementation, by a third party with which one or more beneficiaries
have concluded a procurement contract, of specific tasks forming part of the action as described in annex to
the grant contract (see also the general terms and conditions in the model grant contract).
3. LIST OF ANNEXES
DOCUMENTS TO BE COMPLETED
Annex A: Grant application form (Word format)

A.1 – Concept note
A.2 – Full application form
Annex B: Budget (Excel format)
Annex C: Logical framework
Annex D: Legal entity sheet
Annex E: Financial identification form
Annex F: PADOR registration form
DOCUMENTS FOR INFORMATION24
Annex G: Standard grant contract

- Annex II: general conditions
- Annex IV: contract award rules
- Annex V: standard request for payment
- Annex VI: model narrative and financial report
- Annex VII: model report of factual findings and terms of reference for an expenditure verification of
an EU financed grant contract for external action
- Annex VIII: model financial guarantee (not applicable)
-Annex IX: standard template for transfer of ownership of assets
Annex H: Declaration on Honour

Annex I: Daily allowance rates (per diem), available at the following address:
https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/system/files/per_diem_rates_20191218.pdf
Annex J: Information on the tax regime applicable to grant contracts signed under the call.
Annex K: Guidelines for assessing simplified cost options.
Annex L: Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H
Annex M: Overview of the eligibility criteria per lots
Annex N: Guidelines on VAT Exemption Procedures for EU Funded Projects in the IPA Beneficiaries
Useful links:
Project Cycle Management Guidelines

https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/funding/managing-project_en
The implementation of grant contracts - A Users' Guide
http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/companion/document.do?nodeNumber=19&locale=en
Financial Toolkit
https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/financial-management-toolkit_en
Please note: the toolkit is not part of the grant contract and has no legal value. It merely provides general
guidance and may in some details differ from the signed grant contract. In order to ensure compliance with
24
These documents should also be published by the contracting authority.
their contractual obligations beneficiaries should not exclusively rely on the toolkit but always consult their
individual contract documents.
Enhanced Outreach to Civil Society Organisations: a Collection of Good Practices of Financial

Support to Third Parties in the Neighbourhood and Enlargement Countries
https://www.tacso.eu/enhanced-outreach-to-civil-society-organizations /
A collection of gender analysis that applicants may want to consult is available on the TACSO website
(www.tacso.eu).
***

Guidelines For Applicants - Final

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Contracting authority: European Commission

EU Civil Society Facility and Media Programme in favour of the

Guidelines for grant applicants

Budget line(s): 15.020101.01

1. SUPPORT TO REGIONAL THEMATIC NETWORKS OF CIVIL SOCIETY

2.1. Eligibility criteria.................................................................................................................................9

2.1.2. Associates and contractors 13

2.1.3. Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made 14

2.1.4. Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included 21

2.1.5. Ethics clauses and Code of Conduct 24

2.2. How to apply and the procedures to follow........................................................................................25

2.2.2. Where and how to send concept notes 26

2.2.3. Deadline for submission of concept notes 27

2.2.4. Further information about concept notes 27

2.2.5. Full applications 27

2.2.6. Where and how to send full applications 30

2.2.7. Deadline for submission of full applications 30

2.2.8. Further information about full applications 30

2.3. Evaluation and selection of applications............................................................................................30

2.5.2. Indicative timetable 39

Good Governance, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption

1.2. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAMME AND PRIORITY ISSUES

The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

2. Enhanced neighbourly relations between Serbia and Kosovo;

3. Increased capacity of journalist professional organisations and networks; and

1.3. FINANCIAL ALLOCATION PROVIDED BY THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY

Indicative allocation of funds by lot:

No. Lots Budget in M€

Lot 1 - Good Governance, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption

Lot 2 - Human Rights, Anti-discrimination and Inter-Cultural Dialogue

Lot 3 - Green and Digital Transition

Lot 6 - Quality Journalism

2.1. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

(1) the actors (2.1.1.):

 and, if any, affiliated entity(ies) to the lead applicant and/or to a co-applicant(s);

(2) the actions (2.1.3.):

• actions for which a grant may be awarded;

(3) the costs (2.1.4.):

2.1.1. Eligibility of applicants (i.e. lead applicant and co-applicant(s))

(1) In order to be eligible for a grant, the lead applicant must:

 be a legal person and

 be a civil society organisation10 (CSO) or a representative network of CSOs 11 working on one

The lead applicant must act with co-applicant(s) as specified hereafter.

Co-applicants must sign the mandate in A.2 Section 5.

The participation of CSOs or CSOs networks established in an EU Member State is encouraged as

Entities affiliated to an applicant may hence be:

What is not an affiliated entity?

The following are not considered entities affiliated to an applicant:

How to verify the existence of the required link with an applicant?

2.1.2. Associates and contractors

2.1.3. Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made

Lot 1 - Good Governance, Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption

- Government and business transparency, integrity, and accountability.

Indicative allocated amount: EUR 3.4 Million

- Empowerment/inclusion of marginalised groups, including Roma, other minorities,

- Rights of victims of crime, including victims of trafficking;

- Inter-cultural and/or inter-religious literacy, understanding and tolerance, democratic values,

Indicative allocated amount: EUR 3.3 Million

- Depollution of air, water and soil;