# C_2013264EN.01001101.xml

| 13.9.2013 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 264/11 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

13.9.2013

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 264/11

---

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

‘Support for information measures relating to the common agricultural policy (CAP)’ for 2014

2013/C 264/09

1.   INTRODUCTION — BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION — BACKGROUND

This call for proposals is based on Council Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 of 17 April 2000 on information measures relating to the common agricultural policy (CAP), which defines the type and content of the information measures the European Union may co-finance. Commission Regulation (EC) No 2208/2002, as amended by Regulation (EC) No 1820/2004, lays down detailed rules for the application of Council Regulation (EC) No 814/2000.

This is a call for proposals for funding information measures within the meaning of Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 814/2000 from appropriations in the 2013 budget. This call for proposals concerns information measures to be implemented (including preparation, implementation, follow-up and evaluation) between 1 April 2014 and 31 March 2015.

An information action is a self-contained and coherent set of information activities organised on the basis of a single budget.

This call for proposals is also governed by the Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (hereinafter ‘FR’) and by the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 of 29 October 2012 on the rules of application of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union (hereinafter ‘RAP’).

2.   THEME(S) AND TARGET PUBLIC

THEME(S) AND TARGET PUBLIC

2.1.   Theme

Theme

Priority theme

Priority theme

The reformed CAP

Specific themes by audience

Specific themes by audience

For citizens, the priority themes will deal with general topics about the CAP and should focus on its three core elements: food safety, sustainable management of our natural resources and the development of our rural areas. The objective of these actions is to inform a large number of people about the basic issues of the reformed CAP.

For rural actors, actions should focus on more specific issues, in particular the implementation of new measures introduced by the CAP reform, such as the convergence of direct aids, their ‘greening’, conditionality, specific support measures for certain types of production, support for young farmers and small farms, market support mechanisms, producer and interbranch organisations, development of short supply circuits, risk management, insurance-income systems, access to quality schemes such as PDO/PGI/TSG (actions targeting producers, especially in Member States with a low rate of registration), innovation and restructuring, modernisation and diversification of businesses and other rural development measures, or the farm advisory systems.

Some examples of proposals for the type of information tools to integrate information campaigns are presented in Section 6.2.

2.2.   Target groups

Target groups

The general public (with particular attention to young people in urban areas) and rural actors in particular. The impact of the measure will be evaluated according to the type of action and the type of public targeted by the action.

3.   INDICATIVE TIMETABLE

INDICATIVE TIMETABLE

| | Stages | Date and time or indicative period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| (a) | Publication of the call | First half of September 2013 |
| (b) | Deadline for submitting applications | 30.11.2013 |
| (c) | Evaluation period | 1.12.2013-31.3.2014 |
| (d) | Information to applicants | First half of April 2014 |
| (e) | Signature of grant agreements | Second half of April 2014 |
| (f) | Starting date of the action | 1.5.2014 |

Stages

Date and time or indicative period

(a)

Publication of the call

First half of September 2013

(b)

Deadline for submitting applications

30.11.2013

(c)

Evaluation period

1.12.2013-31.3.2014

(d)

Information to applicants

First half of April 2014

(e)

Signature of grant agreements

Second half of April 2014

(f)

Starting date of the action

1.5.2014

4.   BUDGET AVAILABLE

BUDGET AVAILABLE

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of actions is estimated at EUR 3 000 000.

The Commission reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.

5.   ADMISSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

ADMISSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

| — | Applications must be submitted by post no later than 30 November 2013 (the postmark on the envelope serving as proof of the date of posting). |
| --- | --- |

—

Applications must be submitted by post no later than 30 November 2013 (the postmark on the envelope serving as proof of the date of posting).

| — | Applications must be submitted in writing (see Section 14), using the application and budget forms available at: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/ |
| --- | --- |

—

Applications must be submitted in writing (see Section 14), using the application and budget forms available at: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/

| — | Applications must be drafted in one the EU official languages. Nevertheless, in order to facilitate prompt processing of applications, applicants are encouraged to submit their application in English or French or, if this is not possible, to include at least a translation into English or French of the detailed description of the proposal (Form 3). |
| --- | --- |

—

Applications must be drafted in one the EU official languages. Nevertheless, in order to facilitate prompt processing of applications, applicants are encouraged to submit their application in English or French or, if this is not possible, to include at least a translation into English or French of the detailed description of the proposal (Form 3).

| — | Applicants are authorised to submit only one application for this call for proposals. |
| --- | --- |

—

Applicants are authorised to submit only one application for this call for proposals.

| — | The amount of grant requested from the Commission shall be between the maximum and minimum amounts indicated in the point 11.2 of this call. |
| --- | --- |

—

The amount of grant requested from the Commission shall be between the maximum and minimum amounts indicated in the point 11.2 of this call.

| — | The percentage of grant requested shall not be bigger than the percentage indicated in the point 11.2 of this call. |
| --- | --- |

—

The percentage of grant requested shall not be bigger than the percentage indicated in the point 11.2 of this call.

Failure to comply with those requirements will lead to the rejection of the application.

6.   ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
   (1)

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

1

6.1.   Eligible applicants

Eligible applicants

The applicant (and its affiliated entities if any) shall be a legal person legally constituted in a Member State for at least two years at the time of submission of the proposal. This shall be clearly shown in the application and additional documents.

Examples of eligible organisations:

| — | non-profit organisation (private or public), |
| --- | --- |

—

non-profit organisation (private or public),

| — | public authorities (national, regional, local), |
| --- | --- |

—

public authorities (national, regional, local),

| — | European associations, |
| --- | --- |

—

European associations,

| — | universities, |
| --- | --- |

—

universities,

| — | educational institutions, |
| --- | --- |

—

educational institutions,

| — | research centres, |
| --- | --- |

—

research centres,

| — | companies (for instance communication media companies). |
| --- | --- |

—

companies (for instance communication media companies).

Legal entities having a legal or capital link with applicants, which is neither limited to the action nor established for the sole purpose of its implementation, may take part in the action as affiliated entities, and may declare eligible costs as specified in Section 11.2.

For that purpose, applicants shall identify such affiliated entities in the application form.

If affiliated entities take part in the action, the application shall:

| — | contain the written agreement of the affiliated entities, |
| --- | --- |

—

contain the written agreement of the affiliated entities,

| — | precise their role in the implementation of the action, |
| --- | --- |

—

precise their role in the implementation of the action,

| — | provide all the relevant supporting documents allowing verification of their complying with the eligibility, non-exclusion and selection criteria set out in this call for proposals. |
| --- | --- |

—

provide all the relevant supporting documents allowing verification of their complying with the eligibility, non-exclusion and selection criteria set out in this call for proposals.

Applications may be submitted also by an applicant, whether established specifically or not for the action, that is formed of several legal entities complying with the eligibility, non-exclusion and selection criteria set out in this call for proposals, and implementing together the proposed action. In such a case the application should identify the said entities. For the purpose of declaring eligible costs as specified under Section 11.2, the entities composing the applicant shall be treated as affiliated entities.

In order to assess the applicants' eligibility, the following supporting documents are requested for the applicant and its affiliated entities:

| Document | Description | Observations |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Document A | Instrument constituting the association (articles of association) | For all applicants that are not bodies governed by public law |
| Document B | Recent extract from the official register provided for by the legislation of the Member State of establishment (such as the official gazette or company register), clearly showing the applicant's name, address and date of registration | For all applicants |

Document

Description

Observations

Document A

Instrument constituting the association (articles of association)

For all applicants that are not bodies governed by public law

Document B

Recent extract from the official register provided for by the legislation of the Member State of establishment (such as the official gazette or company register), clearly showing the applicant's name, address and date of registration

For all applicants

6.2.   Eligible activities under this call for proposals

Eligible activities under this call for proposals

In the context of the current call for proposals two types of integrated public communication actions are eligible:

| 1. | at national level (actions with impact only at regional level are not eligible); |
| --- | --- |

1.

at national level (actions with impact only at regional level are not eligible);

| 2. | at European level (in several Member States). |
| --- | --- |

2.

at European level (in several Member States).

The actions should include several of the communication activities or tools listed below (the list is not exhaustive):

| — | production and distribution of multimedia or audiovisual material, |
| --- | --- |

—

production and distribution of multimedia or audiovisual material,

| — | production and distribution of printed material (publications, posters, etc.), |
| --- | --- |

—

production and distribution of printed material (publications, posters, etc.),

| — | setting up Internet and social network tools, |
| --- | --- |

—

setting up Internet and social network tools,

| — | media events, |
| --- | --- |

—

media events,

| — | conferences, seminars or workshops, |
| --- | --- |

—

conferences, seminars or workshops,

| — | events type ‘city farm’ which help to explain the importance of agriculture to the urban population, |
| --- | --- |

—

events type ‘city farm’ which help to explain the importance of agriculture to the urban population,

| — | events type ‘open doors’ aiming at showing to the citizens the role of agriculture, |
| --- | --- |

—

events type ‘open doors’ aiming at showing to the citizens the role of agriculture,

| — | static or mobile exhibitions or information points. |
| --- | --- |

—

static or mobile exhibitions or information points.

The following actions are not eligible:

| — | measures required by law, |
| --- | --- |

—

measures required by law,

| — | measures receiving EU financing under another budget line, |
| --- | --- |

—

measures receiving EU financing under another budget line,

| — | profit-making measures, |
| --- | --- |

—

profit-making measures,

| — | general or statutory meetings. |
| --- | --- |

—

general or statutory meetings.

Implementation period:

| — | activities may not start before 1 May 2014, |
| --- | --- |

—

activities may not start before 1 May 2014,

| — | activities are to be completed by 30 April 2015. |
| --- | --- |

—

activities are to be completed by 30 April 2015.

6.3.   Actions of exceptional interest

Actions of exceptional interest

An information measure will be recognised as being of exceptional interest as referred to in Article 7(2) of Regulation (EC) No 2208/2002 if all the following conditions are met:

| 1. | the action is really implemented in at least three Member States of the EU; |
| --- | --- |

1.

the action is really implemented in at least three Member States of the EU;

| 2. | the information action is proposed by an established network at European level or it has as objective setting up and/or developing such European network; |
| --- | --- |

2.

the information action is proposed by an established network at European level or it has as objective setting up and/or developing such European network;

| 3. | the action includes a dissemination plan capable of reaching a minimum of 5 % of the target public of the action (general public and/or rural actors) in each Member State, including direct and indirect beneficiaries. |
| --- | --- |

3.

the action includes a dissemination plan capable of reaching a minimum of 5 % of the target public of the action (general public and/or rural actors) in each Member State, including direct and indirect beneficiaries.

7.   EXCLUSION CRITERIA

EXCLUSION CRITERIA

7.1.   Exclusion from participation

Exclusion from participation

Applicants will be excluded from participating in the call for proposals procedure if they are in any of the following situations:

| (a) | they are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations; |
| --- | --- |

(a)

they are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;

| (b) | they or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over them have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgment of a competent authority of a Member State which has the force of res judicata; |
| --- | --- |

(b)

they or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over them have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgment of a competent authority of a Member State which has the force of res judicata;

res judicata

| (c) | they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authority can justify including by decisions of the EIB and international organisations; |
| --- | --- |

(c)

they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authority can justify including by decisions of the EIB and international organisations;

| (d) | they are not in compliance with their obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or with those of the country of the Regional Authorising Officer or those of the country where the grant agreement is to be performed; |
| --- | --- |

(d)

they are not in compliance with their obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or with those of the country of the Regional Authorising Officer or those of the country where the grant agreement is to be performed;

| (e) | they or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over them have been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering or any other illegal activity, where such an illegal activity is detrimental to the Union's financial interests; |
| --- | --- |

(e)

they or persons having powers of representation, decision making or control over them have been the subject of a judgment which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation, money laundering or any other illegal activity, where such an illegal activity is detrimental to the Union's financial interests;

res judicata

| (f) | they are currently subject to an administrative penalty referred to in Article 109(1). |
| --- | --- |

(f)

they are currently subject to an administrative penalty referred to in Article 109(1).

7.2.   Exclusion from award

Exclusion from award

Applicants will not be granted financial assistance if, in the course of the grant award procedure, they:

| (a) | are subject to a conflict of interest; |
| --- | --- |

(a)

are subject to a conflict of interest;

| (b) | are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the Commission as a condition of participation in the grant award procedure or fail to supply this information; |
| --- | --- |

(b)

are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the Commission as a condition of participation in the grant award procedure or fail to supply this information;

| (c) | find themselves in one of the situations of exclusion, referred to in Section 7.1. |
| --- | --- |

(c)

find themselves in one of the situations of exclusion, referred to in Section 7.1.

The same exclusion criteria apply to affiliated entities.

Administrative and financial penalties may be imposed on applicants, or affiliated entities where applicable, who are guilty of misrepresentation.

7.3.   Supporting documents
   (2)

Supporting documents

2

Applicants and affiliated entities must sign a declaration on their honour certifying that they are not in one of the situations referred to in Article 106(1) and Articles 107 to 109 of the FR, filling in the relevant form attached to the application form accompanying the call for proposals and available at: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/

8.   SELECTION CRITERIA
   (3)

SELECTION CRITERIA

3

8.1.   Financial capacity
   (4)

Financial capacity

4

Applicants must have stable and sufficient sources of funding to maintain their activity throughout the period during which the action is being carried out or the year for which the grant is awarded and to participate in its funding. The applicants' financial capacity will be assessed on the basis of the following supporting documents to be submitted with the application:

| — | a declaration on their honour, and |
| --- | --- |

—

a declaration on their honour, and

| — | the profit and loss account, the balance sheet for the last financial year for which the accounts were closed. |
| --- | --- |

—

the profit and loss account, the balance sheet for the last financial year for which the accounts were closed.

The verification of financial capacity shall not apply to public bodies. Therefore, abovementioned documents should not be provided if the applicant is a public body.

The above requirements apply to the affiliated entities, as specified in Section 6.1.

On the basis of the documents submitted, if the AOSD (Authorising Officer by subdelegation) considers that financial capacity is not satisfactory, he may:

| — | request further information, |
| --- | --- |

—

request further information,

| — | reject the application. |
| --- | --- |

—

reject the application.

8.2.   Operational capacity
   (5)

Operational capacity

5

Applicants must have the professional competencies as well as appropriate qualifications necessary to complete the proposed action.

In this respect, applicants have to submit a declaration on their honour, and the following supporting documents:

| — | curriculum vitae or description of the profile of the people primarily responsible for managing and implementing the operation, |
| --- | --- |

—

curriculum vitae or description of the profile of the people primarily responsible for managing and implementing the operation,

| — | the organisations’ activity reports, |
| --- | --- |

—

the organisations’ activity reports,

| — | a list of previous projects and activities performed and connected to the policy field of the call or to the actions to be carried out. |
| --- | --- |

—

a list of previous projects and activities performed and connected to the policy field of the call or to the actions to be carried out.

The above requirements apply to the affiliated entities, as specified in Section 6.1.

9.   AWARD CRITERIA
   (6)

AWARD CRITERIA

6

The different communication tools and activities should be interconnected, clear in their conceptual approach and the results to be achieved. They should also have a significant impact that can be measured through external and internal objectively verifiable indicators which should be set up taking into account SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-oriented) criteria.

Eligible applications will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

| — | the relevance of the action and its expected results in relation to the themes and target public mentioned in the point 2 of the call (10 points), |
| --- | --- |

—

the relevance of the action and its expected results in relation to the themes and target public mentioned in the point 2 of the call (10 points),

| — | the effectiveness, rationality and consistency of the proposed methodology and organisation (including the timetable, the programme and the possible involvement of a European network) (20 points of which 5 accounted for the involvement of a network), |
| --- | --- |

—

the effectiveness, rationality and consistency of the proposed methodology and organisation (including the timetable, the programme and the possible involvement of a European network) (20 points of which 5 accounted for the involvement of a network),

| — | the relevance and quality of the means of implementation and the resources deployed in relation to the objectives envisaged (particularly in terms of cost-effectiveness) (10 points), |
| --- | --- |

—

the relevance and quality of the means of implementation and the resources deployed in relation to the objectives envisaged (particularly in terms of cost-effectiveness) (10 points),

| — | the geographical coverage of the action (number of regions in the case of actions with national coverage, or number of EU countries in the cases of actions with European coverage) (15 points), |
| --- | --- |

—

the geographical coverage of the action (number of regions in the case of actions with national coverage, or number of EU countries in the cases of actions with European coverage) (15 points),

| — | the innovative nature of the action and the communication tools used (10 points), |
| --- | --- |

—

the innovative nature of the action and the communication tools used (10 points),

| — | the impact and dissemination of the expected results (targets publics, number of direct and indirect beneficiaries, expected multiplying effect) (15 points), |
| --- | --- |

—

the impact and dissemination of the expected results (targets publics, number of direct and indirect beneficiaries, expected multiplying effect) (15 points),

| — | the transferability and sustainability of the expected results (including the possible involvement of a European network) (10 points), |
| --- | --- |

—

the transferability and sustainability of the expected results (including the possible involvement of a European network) (10 points),

| — | the ex ante and ex post evaluation proposed and the monitoring activities foreseen in the proposal (10 points). |
| --- | --- |

—

the ex ante and ex post evaluation proposed and the monitoring activities foreseen in the proposal (10 points).

ex ante

ex post

Only applications which have obtained a total of at least 60 out of the 100 points available during this phase of the evaluation shall be admitted to the next phase. The fact of obtaining 60 of the 100 points available shall not, however, guarantee that an information measure will receive a grant. The Commission may raise the minimum acceptable mark on the basis of the number of retained applications and the budgetary resources available.

10.   LEGAL COMMITMENTS
   (7)

LEGAL COMMITMENTS

7

In the event of a grant awarded by the Commission, a grant agreement, drawn up in euros and detailing the conditions and level of funding, will be sent to the beneficiary, as well as the procedure in view to formalise the obligations of the parties.

The two copies of the original grant agreement must be signed first by the beneficiary and returned to the Commission immediately. The Commission will sign it last.

Please note that the award of a grant does not establish an entitlement for subsequent years.

11.   FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

11.1.   General principles

General principles

(a)   Non-cumulative award
   (8)

Non-cumulative award

8

An action may only receive one grant from the EU budget.

In no circumstances shall the same costs be financed twice by the Union budget. To ensure this, applicants shall indicate the sources and amounts of Union funding received or applied for the same action or part of the action or for its functioning during the same financial year as well as any other funding received or applied for the same action (9).

9

(b)   Non-retroactivity
   (10)

Non-retroactivity

10

No grant may be awarded retrospectively for actions already completed.

A grant may be awarded for an action which has already begun only where the applicant can demonstrate the need to start the action before the grant agreement is signed.

In such cases, costs eligible for financing may not have been incurred prior to the date of submission of the grant application

(c)   Co-financing
   (11)

Co-financing

11

Co-financing means that the resources which are necessary to carry out the action may not be entirely provided by the EU grant.

Co-financing of the action may take the form of:

| — | the beneficiary's own resources, |
| --- | --- |

—

the beneficiary's own resources,

| — | income generated by the action, |
| --- | --- |

—

income generated by the action,

| — | financial contributions from third parties. |
| --- | --- |

—

financial contributions from third parties.

(d)   Balanced budget
   (12)

Balanced budget

12

The estimated budget of the action is to be attached to the application form. It must:

| — | be drawn up in euros. Applicants which foresee that costs will not be incurred in euros are obliged to use the exchange rate published on the InforEuro website available at: http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/inforeuro/inforeuro_en.cfm |
| --- | --- |

—

be drawn up in euros. Applicants which foresee that costs will not be incurred in euros are obliged to use the exchange rate published on the InforEuro website available at: http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/inforeuro/inforeuro_en.cfm

| — | have revenue and expenditure in balance, |
| --- | --- |

—

have revenue and expenditure in balance,

| — | be drawn up using detailed calculations (quantities, unit prices, total prices) and the relevant explanations in the column ‘comments’; no flat-rate amounts (except for the flat-rates mentioned in point 11.2) will be accepted, |
| --- | --- |

—

be drawn up using detailed calculations (quantities, unit prices, total prices) and the relevant explanations in the column ‘comments’; no flat-rate amounts (except for the flat-rates mentioned in point 11.2) will be accepted,

| — | respect the maximum amounts established by the Commission for certain kind of expenditures (see the relevant documents available at: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/), |
| --- | --- |

—

respect the maximum amounts established by the Commission for certain kind of expenditures (see the relevant documents available at: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/),

| — | be presented exclusive of VAT if the applicant is subject to and entitled to deduct VAT or if the applicant is an institution under public law, |
| --- | --- |

—

be presented exclusive of VAT if the applicant is subject to and entitled to deduct VAT or if the applicant is an institution under public law,

| — | enter on the income part the direct contribution from the applicant, the requested Commission funding, and (if applicable) details of any contributions from other fund providers, as well as any revenue generated by the project, including, where appropriate, the fees required of participants. |
| --- | --- |

—

enter on the income part the direct contribution from the applicant, the requested Commission funding, and (if applicable) details of any contributions from other fund providers, as well as any revenue generated by the project, including, where appropriate, the fees required of participants.

(e)   Implementation contracts/subcontracting
   (13)

Implementation contracts/subcontracting

13

Where the implementation of the action requires the award of procurement contracts (implementation contracts), the beneficiary must award the contract to the bid offering best value for money or the lowest price (as appropriate), avoiding conflicts of interests, and retain the documentation for the event of an audit.

In the event of procurement exceeding EUR 60 000, the beneficiary must abide by special rules as referred in the grant agreement annexed to the call. Moreover the beneficiary is expected to clearly document the tendering procedure and retain the documentation for the event of an audit.

Entities acting in their capacity of contracting authorities in the meaning of Directive 2004/18/EC or contracting entities in the meaning of Directive 2004/17/EC shall abide by the applicable national public procurement rules.

Subcontracting, i.e. the externalisation of specific tasks or activities which form part of the action as described in the proposal, must satisfy the conditions applicable to any implementation contract (as specified above) and in addition to them the following conditions:

| — | it may only cover the implementation of a limited part of the action, |
| --- | --- |

—

it may only cover the implementation of a limited part of the action,

| — | it must be justified having regard to the nature of the action and what is necessary for its implementation, |
| --- | --- |

—

it must be justified having regard to the nature of the action and what is necessary for its implementation,

| — | it must be clearly stated in the proposal. |
| --- | --- |

—

it must be clearly stated in the proposal.

(f)   Financial support to third parties
   (14)

Financial support to third parties

14

The applications may not envisage provision of financial support to third parties.

11.2.   Funding
   (15)

Funding

15

Funding shall take the form of a mixed financing composed of:

Funding shall take the form of a mixed financing composed of:

| — | a reimbursement of a specified proportion (50 % or 75 %) of the eligible costs actually incurred, |
| --- | --- |

—

a reimbursement of a specified proportion (50 % or 75 %) of the eligible costs actually incurred,

| — | a flat-rate financing of 7 % of the total eligible direct costs of the action is eligible under indirect costs, representing the beneficiary's and affiliated entities' general administrative costs which can be regarded as chargeable to the action. |
| --- | --- |

—

a flat-rate financing of 7 % of the total eligible direct costs of the action is eligible under indirect costs, representing the beneficiary's and affiliated entities' general administrative costs which can be regarded as chargeable to the action.

The grant amount may neither exceed the eligible costs nor the amount requested. Amounts are indicated in euros.

Maximum and minimum amount requested

Maximum and minimum amount requested

The minimum and maximum amount requested (including the flat-rate for indirect costs) will be EUR 100 000 and EUR 500 000 respectively.

The maximum co-funding rate will be 50 % of direct eligible costs. For information measures of exceptional interest (see point 6.3) and if the applicant so requests in the application, the percentage of contribution from the Commission may be up to 75 % of the direct eligible costs.

Consequently, part of the total eligible expenses entered in the estimative budget must be financed from sources other than the EU grant (see Section 11.1(c)).

Eligible costs
   (16)

Eligible costs

16

Eligible costs are costs actually incurred by the beneficiary of a grant which meet all the following criteria:

| — | they are incurred during the duration of the action, |
| --- | --- |

—

they are incurred during the duration of the action,

| — | the period of eligibility of costs will start as specified in the grant agreement. If a beneficiary can demonstrate the need to start the action before the agreement is signed, expenditure may be authorised before the grant is awarded. Under no circumstances can the eligibility period start before the date of submission of the grant application (see Section 11.1(b)), |
| --- | --- |

—

the period of eligibility of costs will start as specified in the grant agreement. If a beneficiary can demonstrate the need to start the action before the agreement is signed, expenditure may be authorised before the grant is awarded. Under no circumstances can the eligibility period start before the date of submission of the grant application (see Section 11.1(b)),

| — | they are indicated in the estimated budget of the action, |
| --- | --- |

—

they are indicated in the estimated budget of the action,

| — | they are necessary for the implementation of the action which is the subject of the grant, |
| --- | --- |

—

they are necessary for the implementation of the action which is the subject of the grant,

| — | they are identifiable and verifiable, in particular being recorded in the accounting records of the beneficiary and determined according to the applicable accounting standards of the country where the beneficiary is established and according to the usual cost accounting practices of the beneficiary, |
| --- | --- |

—

they are identifiable and verifiable, in particular being recorded in the accounting records of the beneficiary and determined according to the applicable accounting standards of the country where the beneficiary is established and according to the usual cost accounting practices of the beneficiary,

| — | they comply with the requirements of applicable tax and social legislation, |
| --- | --- |

—

they comply with the requirements of applicable tax and social legislation,

| — | they are reasonable, justified, and comply with the requirements of sound financial management, in particular regarding economy and efficiency. |
| --- | --- |

—

they are reasonable, justified, and comply with the requirements of sound financial management, in particular regarding economy and efficiency.

The beneficiary's internal accounting and auditing procedures must permit direct reconciliation of the costs and revenue declared in respect of the action with the corresponding accounting statements and supporting documents.

The same criteria apply to the affiliated entities.

Eligible direct costs (50 % or 75 % co-financing)

Eligible direct costs (50 % or 75 % co-financing)

The eligible direct costs for the action are those costs which, with due regard for the conditions of eligibility set out above, are identifiable as specific costs directly linked to the performance of the action and which can therefore be booked to it directly, such as:

| — | the costs of personnel working under an employment contract with the applicant or equivalent appointing act and assigned to the action, comprising actual salaries plus social security contributions and other statutory costs included in the remuneration, provided that these costs are in line with the applicant's usual policy on remuneration. Those costs may include additional remuneration, including payments on the basis of supplementary contracts regardless of their nature, provided that it is paid in a consistent manner whenever the same kind of work or expertise is required and independently from the source of funding used, |
| --- | --- |

—

the costs of personnel working under an employment contract with the applicant or equivalent appointing act and assigned to the action, comprising actual salaries plus social security contributions and other statutory costs included in the remuneration, provided that these costs are in line with the applicant's usual policy on remuneration. Those costs may include additional remuneration, including payments on the basis of supplementary contracts regardless of their nature, provided that it is paid in a consistent manner whenever the same kind of work or expertise is required and independently from the source of funding used,

| — | costs of travel (for meetings, including kick-off meetings where applicable, conferences, etc.), provided that these costs are in line with the beneficiary's usual practices on travel, |
| --- | --- |

—

costs of travel (for meetings, including kick-off meetings where applicable, conferences, etc.), provided that these costs are in line with the beneficiary's usual practices on travel,

| — | costs entailed by implementation contracts awarded by the beneficiaries for the purposes of carrying out the action, provided that the conditions laid down in the grant agreement are met, |
| --- | --- |

—

costs entailed by implementation contracts awarded by the beneficiaries for the purposes of carrying out the action, provided that the conditions laid down in the grant agreement are met,

| — | costs arising directly from requirements linked to the implementation of the action (dissemination of information, specific evaluation of the action, translations, reproduction). |
| --- | --- |

—

costs arising directly from requirements linked to the implementation of the action (dissemination of information, specific evaluation of the action, translations, reproduction).

Annex V to the draft grant agreement attached to the present call provides a list of specific provisions relating to certain kind of eligible costs and the supporting documents required with the final report.

Eligible indirect costs (overheads)

Eligible indirect costs (overheads)

A flat-rate amount of 7 % of the total eligible direct costs of the action is eligible under indirect costs, representing the beneficiary's general administrative costs which can be regarded as chargeable to the action.

Indirect costs may not include costs entered under another budget heading.

Ineligible costs

Ineligible costs

The following costs shall not be considered eligible:

| — | contributions in kind, |
| --- | --- |

—

contributions in kind,

| — | costs connected with the purchase of new or second-hand equipment, |
| --- | --- |

—

costs connected with the purchase of new or second-hand equipment,

| — | costs relating to the depreciation of equipment, |
| --- | --- |

—

costs relating to the depreciation of equipment,

| — | costs not provided for in the projected budget, |
| --- | --- |

—

costs not provided for in the projected budget,

| — | VAT, unless beneficiaries prove that they cannot recover it under the relevant national legislation. However, VAT paid by bodies governed by public law is not eligible, |
| --- | --- |

—

VAT, unless beneficiaries prove that they cannot recover it under the relevant national legislation. However, VAT paid by bodies governed by public law is not eligible,

| — | return on capital, |
| --- | --- |

—

return on capital,

| — | debt and debt-service charges, |
| --- | --- |

—

debt and debt-service charges,

| — | provision for any future losses or debts, |
| --- | --- |

—

provision for any future losses or debts,

| — | debit interest, |
| --- | --- |

—

debit interest,

| — | dubious debts, |
| --- | --- |

—

dubious debts,

| — | costs of a transfer of the Commission charged by the bank to the beneficiary, |
| --- | --- |

—

costs of a transfer of the Commission charged by the bank to the beneficiary,

| — | exchange losses, |
| --- | --- |

—

exchange losses,

| — | costs declared by the beneficiary and covered by another measure or work programme receiving an EU grant, |
| --- | --- |

—

costs declared by the beneficiary and covered by another measure or work programme receiving an EU grant,

| — | excessive or reckless expenditure. |
| --- | --- |

—

excessive or reckless expenditure.

EU grants may not have the purpose or effect of producing a profit within the framework of the action of the beneficiary. Profit shall be defined as a surplus of the receipts over the eligible costs incurred by the beneficiary, when the request is made for payment of the balance. In this respect, where a profit is made, the Commission shall be entitled to recover the percentage of the profit corresponding to the Union contribution to the eligible costs actually incurred by the beneficiary to carry out the action.

Calculation of the final grant amount

Calculation of the final grant amount

The final amount of the grant to be awarded to the beneficiary is established after completion of the action, upon approval of the request for payment containing the following documents (17) including relevant supporting documents where appropriate:

17

| — | a final technical report providing details of the implementation and results of the action with relevant supporting documents, |
| --- | --- |

—

a final technical report providing details of the implementation and results of the action with relevant supporting documents,

| — | the final financial statement of costs actually incurred with relevant supporting documents (see Annex V to the draft grant agreement attached to this call). |
| --- | --- |

—

the final financial statement of costs actually incurred with relevant supporting documents (see Annex V to the draft grant agreement attached to this call).

11.3.   Payment arrangements
   (18)

Payment arrangements

18

An interim payment shall be paid to the beneficiary. The interim payment is intended to cover the beneficiary’s expenditure on the basis of a request for payment when the action has been partly carried out. For the purpose of determining the amount due as interim payment, the reimbursement rate to be applied to the eligible costs approved by the Commission shall be the rate defined in point 11.2 of the call.

The interim payment shall not exceed 30 % of the maximum grant amount.

The Commission will establish the amount of the final payment to be made to the beneficiary on the basis of the calculation of the final grant amount. If the total of earlier payments is higher than the final grant amount, the beneficiary will be required to reimburse the amount paid in excess by the Commission through a recovery order.

12.   PUBLICITY

PUBLICITY

12.1.   By the beneficiaries

By the beneficiaries

Beneficiaries must clearly acknowledge the European Union’s contribution in all publications or in conjunction with activities for which the grant is used. In addition, beneficiaries must use a disclaimer stating that the EU is not responsible for the views displayed in the publications and/or in conjunction with the activities for which the grant is used.

In this respect, beneficiaries are required to give prominence to the name and emblem of the European Commission and to the specific CAP-related visual identity rules on all their publications, posters, programmes and other products realised under the co-financed action.

To do this, they must use the text and the emblem of the European Commission, the specific CAP-related visual identity rules and the disclaimer, all of them available at: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/

If this requirement is not fully complied with, the beneficiary’s grant may be reduced in accordance with the provisions of the grant agreement.

12.2.   By the Commission
   (19)

By the Commission

19

All information relating to grants awarded in the course of a financial year shall be published on an Internet site of the European Union institutions no later than the 30 June of the year following the financial year in which the grants were awarded.

The Commission will publish the following information:

| — | name of the beneficiary, |
| --- | --- |

—

name of the beneficiary,

| — | address of the beneficiary, |
| --- | --- |

—

address of the beneficiary,

| — | subject of the grant, |
| --- | --- |

—

subject of the grant,

| — | amount awarded. |
| --- | --- |

—

amount awarded.

Upon a reasoned and duly substantiated request by the beneficiary, the publication shall be waived if such disclosure risks threatening the rights and freedoms of individuals concerned as protected by the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union or harms the commercial interests of the beneficiaries.

13.   DATA PROTECTION

DATA PROTECTION

The reply to any call for proposals involves the recording and processing of personal data (such as name, address and CV). Such data will be processed pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 on the protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data by the Community institutions and bodies and on the free movement of such data. Unless indicated otherwise, the questions and any personal data requested are required to evaluate the application in accordance with the specifications of the call for proposal and will be processed solely for that purpose by the Unit K1 of the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission. Details concerning the processing of personal data are available on the privacy statement at: http://ec.europa.eu/dataprotectionofficer/privacystatement_publicprocurement_en.pdf

Personal data may be registered in the Early Warning System (EWS) only or both in the EWS and central exclusion database (CED) by the Accounting Officer of the Commission, should the beneficiary be in one of the situations mentioned in:

| — | the Commission Decision 2008/969/EC of 16 December 2008 on the Early Warning System (for more information see the privacy statement on:
  http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/legal_entities/legal_entities_en.cfm),
  or |
| --- | --- |

—

the Commission Decision 2008/969/EC of 16 December 2008 on the Early Warning System (for more information see the privacy statement on:

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/legal_entities/legal_entities_en.cfm),

or

| — | the Commission Regulation (EC) No 1302/2008 of 17 December 2008 on the central exclusion database (for more information see the privacy statement on:
  http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm). |
| --- | --- |

—

the Commission Regulation (EC) No 1302/2008 of 17 December 2008 on the central exclusion database (for more information see the privacy statement on:

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm).

14.   PROCEDURE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

PROCEDURE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Proposals must be submitted in accordance with the formal requirements and by the deadline set out under Section 5.

No modification to the application is allowed once the deadline for submission has elapsed. However, where, due to an obvious clerical error on the part of the applicant, the applicant omits to submit evidence or to make statements, the Commission shall ask the applicant to provide missing information or clarify supporting documents during the evaluation process (20). Such information or clarification shall not substantially change the proposal.

20

Applicants will be informed in writing about the results of the evaluation process concerning their application (21).

21

Submission on paper

Submission on paper

Application forms are available at: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/

Applications shall be submitted on the correct form, duly completed, dated, showing a balanced budget (revenue/expenditure), and signed by the person authorised to enter into legally binding commitments on behalf of the applicant organisation.

Where applicable, all additional information considered necessary by the applicant can be included on separate sheets.

Applications must be sent to the following address (22):

22

| European Commission |
| --- |
| Unit AGRI. K.1. |
| Call for proposals 2013/C 264/09 |
| To the attention of Angela Filote |
| L130 4/148A |
| 1049 Bruxelles/Brussel |
| BELGIQUE/BELGIË |

European Commission

Unit AGRI. K.1.

Call for proposals 2013/C 264/09

To the attention of Angela Filote

L130 4/148A

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

| — | by post, date as postmark, |
| --- | --- |

—

by post, date as postmark,

| — | by courier service, date of receipt by the courier service. |
| --- | --- |

—

by courier service, date of receipt by the courier service.

Applications sent by fax will not be accepted.

Electronic submission

Electronic submission

The admissibility of the applications will be evaluated on the basis of the paper version, nonetheless, and in order to facilitate its treatment, applicants are also requested to send an electronic copy of the application by e-mail to agri-applications@ec.europa.eu (not to agri-grants@ec.europa.eu). The deadline for the submission of the electronic copy is 15 November 2013 at 24.00.

Contacts

Contacts

If you have any question about the call, you can send it by e-mail to:

agri-grants@ec.europa.eu

The deadline for the submission of questions is 8 of November 2013 at 24.00.

The most relevant questions and answers will be published on: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/

15.   EVALUATION PROCEDURE

EVALUATION PROCEDURE

Applicants having complied with the admissibility requirement will be examined in the light of the exclusion criteria.

The evaluation committee shall first examine the proposals in the light of the exclusion criteria (see point 7 of the call).

The evaluation committee will then examine the applications in the light of the award criteria (see point 9 of the call).

Finally, the applications having succeeded the previous phases will be examined in the light of the eligibility (see point 6 of the call) and selection (see point 8 of the call) criteria.

16.   ANNEXES

ANNEXES

| — | Application form (with the checklist of documents to be provided), available at:
  http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/ |
| --- | --- |

—

Application form (with the checklist of documents to be provided), available at:

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/

| — | Model of grant agreement, available at:
  http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/ |
| --- | --- |

—

Model of grant agreement, available at:

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/grants-for-information-measures/

---

(1)  Articles 131 FR, 201 RAP.

1

(2)  Article 197 RAP.

2

(3)  Articles 132 FR, 202 RAP.

3

(4)  Articles 131, 132 FR, 202 RAP.

4

(5)  Articles 131 FR, 202 RAP.

5

(6)  Articles 132 FR, 203 RAP.

6

(7)  Articles 121 FR, 174 RAP.

7

(8)  Article 129 FR.

8

(9)  Article 196.4 RAP.

9

(10)  Article 130 FR.

10

(11)  Articles 125 FR, 183 RAP.

11

(12)  Article 196.2 RAP.

12

(13)  Articles 137 FR, 209 RAP.

13

(14)  Articles 137 FR, 210 RAP.

14

(15)  Articles 123 FR, 181 RAP.

15

(16)  Article 126 FR.

16

(17)  Article 135 FR.

17

(18)  Articles 90, 135 FR, 207 RAP.

18

(19)  Articles 35, 128.3 FR, 21, 191 RAP.

19

(20)  Article 96 FR.

20

(21)  Articles 133 FR, 205 RAP.

21

(22)  Article 195.3 RAP.

22

---