Call for proposals with a view to obtaining grants in the field of transport — Call for proposals DG TREN/SUB/01-2003
Date: 2003-04-24
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: EU aid, aid system, terms for aid, transport policy, transport safety

C 97/2

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

24.4.2003

CALL FOR PROPOSALS WITH A VIEW TO OBTAINING GRANTS IN THE FIELD OF TRANSPORT

Call for proposals DG TREN/SUB/01-2003

(2003/C 97/02)

1. POLITICAL CONTEXT

Area 1: User behaviour

The European Commission intends to award grants to
promote the objectives of the common transport policy.
The policy priorities have been set in the work programme
for 2003 adopted by the Commission on 21 March 2003
(C/2003/205).

2. SOURCES OF FUNDING

The operations selected will be financed from budget
headings
B2-704,
Sustainable mobility policy.

Transport

B2-702,

safety,

and

3. ESTIMATED TOTAL AMOUNT FOR THIS CALL

The estimated total amount for 2003 is EUR 7 400 000.

for both private
and mental

Checks and penalties to enforce the rules of the road;
and professional drivers;
training
physical
to
fitness
combat/check for driving under the influence of drugs,
drink or medicines (in particular, designated drivers and
trials with alcolics); safety belts and child restraint devices;
vulnerable users; accident data recorders; driving hours and
rest periods (for professional drivers); and safety in tunnels
(in particular, driving in tunnels).

action

drive;

to

Area 2: Vehicle technology

Impact resistance; roadworthiness testing (particularly elec-
tronic passenger protection systems); active and passive
vehicle safety (including tyre quality and pressure).

Transport safety: EUR 7 200 000.

Area 3: Road infrastructure

Sustainable mobility policy: EUR 200 000.

4. PERCENTAGE OF COMMUNITY CO-FINANCING

could

be
and they

The grants are intended as incentives for carrying out an
executed without
not
operation which
Community financial
the
reflect
support,
co-financing. The Commission therefore
principle of
plans to grant only funds complementary and subsidiary
to contributions made by the beneficiary,
the national,
regional or local authorities and other bodies. Accordingly,
the amount granted will be between 10 % and 50 % of the
total eligible costs of the operation. Contributions in kind are
not regarded as eligible costs.

5. ACTIVITIES COVERED AND OBJECTIVE

In the context of the work programme for 2003, the
Commission wishes to support action in the areas listed
below without, however, excluding other applications for
financial support which are innovatory, have a European
dimension and meet the objectives set in the White Paper
‘European transport policy for 2010: time to decide’.

A. TRANSPORT SAFETY

Road safety

Improvement of road safety in the European Union, the
candidate countries and the European Economic Area by
means of studies, campaigns, the establishment of best
practice and demonstration activities in the following
areas:

Road safety audits/safety evaluations of roads and tunnels
(in particular,
identification of blackspots) and harmon-
isation of signs (roads and tunnels).

Area 4: Road technology

Freight and passenger transport by road, in particular intel-
ligent technologies to improve road safety.

Area 5: Information and databases

Improvements in collection, analysis and dissemination of
data on road accidents (conditions, causes, impact, under-
reporting, independent surveys, multidisciplinary approach,
risk exposure variables).

Area 6: Evaluation of national road safety policies

Evaluation of
abovementioned areas.

the national road safety systems in the

Maritime safety

Improving maritime safety in the European Union:

Area 7: Shipping accidents

Analysis of the causes of major shipping accidents,
particular development of
carriers.

safety standards

in
for bulk

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Official Journal of the European Union

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B. SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY POLICY

Area 8: Sustainable mobility policy in the maritime
sector

Development of
waterway services.

short-distance maritime

and inland

6. PERIOD OF ELIGIBILITY OF COSTS

Eligible costs can be incurred only after signature of the
grant agreement by all the parties, save in exceptional
cases and, under no circumstances, before submission of
the application for a grant. The duration of the operation
may not exceed 36 months.

7. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

7.1. Legal status of applicants

Applications submitted in writing by legal persons who are
citizens of a Member State of the European Union are
eligible.

7.2. Grounds for exclusion

Applications will not be considered for a grant
applicants are in any of the following situations:

if

the

(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
situation
those matters, or are in any analogous
arising from a similar procedure provided for
in
national legislation or regulations;

(b) they have been convicted of an offence concerning
professional conduct by a judgment which has the
force of res judicata;

(c)

they have been guilty of grave professional misconduct
proven by any means which the contracting authority
can justify;

social
taxes

fulfilled obligations relating to the
(d) they have not
the
security contributions or
payment of
payment of
legal
in accordance with the
provisions of the country in which they are established
or with those of
the contracting
authority or those of the country where the contract
is to be performed;

the country of

(e)

force of

they have been the subject of a judgment which has
the
corruption,
involvement in a criminal organisation or any other
illegal
to the Communities'
financial interests;

detrimental

activity

judicata

fraud,

for

res

(f)

following another procurement procedure or grant
procedure financed by the Community budget, they
have been declared to be in serious breach of
contract for failure to comply with their contractual
obligations;

(g) they are faced with a conflict of interest;

(h) they have been guilty of misrepresentation in
supplying the information required or have failed to
supply this information.

Applicants must certify that they are not in one of the
situations listed in point 7.2.

7.3. Administrative and financial penalties

1. Without prejudice to the application of penalties laid
down in the contract, candidates or tenderers and
contractors who have been guilty of making false
declarations or have been found to have seriously
in an
failed to meet
earlier procedure shall be excluded from all contracts
and grants financed by the Community budget for a
maximum of
from the time when the
infringement is established, as confirmed after an adver-
sarial procedure with the contractor.

their contractual obligations

two years

That period may be extended to three years in the
event of a repeat offence within five years of the first
infringement.

Tenderers or candidates who have been guilty of
making false declarations shall also receive financial
penalties representing 10 % of the total value of the
grant being awarded.

Contractors who have been found to have seriously
shall
failed to meet
the
receive financial penalties representing 10 % of
value of the subvention in question.

contractual obligations

their

That rate may be increased to 20 % in the event of a
first
repeat
infringement.

offence within

years

five

the

of

2. In the cases referred to in points 7.2(a), (c), (d) and (f),
the candidates or tenderers shall be excluded from all
contracts and grants for a maximum of two years from
the time when the infringement
is established, as
confirmed after an adversarial procedure with the
contractor.

In the cases referred to in points 7.2(b) and (e), the
candidates or
tenderers shall be excluded from all
contracts and grants for a minimum of one year and
a maximum of four years from the date of notification
of the judgment.

Those periods may be extended to five years in the
event of a repeat offence within five years of the first
infringement or the first judgment.

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Official Journal of the European Union

24.4.2003

3. The cases referred to in point 7(e) cover:

9. AWARD CRITERIA

(a) cases of fraud as referred to in Article 1 of the
the European
Convention on the protection of
Communities' financial interests, drawn up by the
Council Act of 26 July 1995 (1);

the objectives

The operation supported must be designed to further one
of
referred to in point 5 above. The
Commission will base the choice of operations and the
rate of Community cofinancing on the following criteria,
listed in descending order of weighting in per cent.

(b) cases of corruption as referred to in Article 3 of the
corruption
Convention on the
the European Communities
involving officials of
or officials of Member States of
the European
Union, drawn up by the Council Act of 26 May
1997 (2);

against

fight

(c) cases of participation in a criminal organisation, as
defined in Article 2(1) of Joint Action 98/733/JHA
of the Council (3);

(d) cases of money laundering as defined in Article 1 of

Council Directive 91/308/EEC (4).

8. SELECTION CRITERIA

The applicant must have stable and sufficient sources of
funding to maintain his 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. He must have the professional competences and
qualifications required to complete the proposed action or
work programme.

8.1. Financial capacity of applicants

Applicants must show that they exist as a legal person and
have the financial capacity and operational capability to
complete the operation to be supported and must provide
their balance sheet for the last financial year for which the
accounts have been closed. The last of these provisions
does not apply to public bodies and international organi-
sations.

8.2. Technical capacity of applicants

capability to complete

Applicants must have the technical capacity and oper-
ational
the operation to be
supported and must provide the documents requested
(CVs of
the
operation, description of projects and activities undertaken
in the last three years, etc.).

the persons responsible for carrying out

(1) OJ C 316, 27.11.1995, p. 48.
(2) OJ C 195, 25.6.1997, p. 1.
(3) OJ L 351, 29.12.1998, p. 1. Joint action of 21 December 1998 on
making it a criminal offence to participate in a criminal organi-
sation in the Member States of the European Union.

(4) OJ L 166, 28.6.1991, p. 77. Directive of 10 June 1991, as amended
by Directive 2001/97/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 4 December 2001 (OJ L 344, 28.12.2001, p. 76).

9.1. Quality of the operation (70 %)

— European dimension:

the Commission will assess the
extent to which the proposed operation will create
and contribute genuine added value to the common
transport policy (20 %).

— Innovative

character:

the Commission will assess the
extent to which the proposed operation will generate
new approaches and practices. The results of
the
operation supported will, where appropriate, be incor-
porated into proposals for legislation, communications
and other European Commission documents (10 %).

— Multiplier effect: the Commission will assess the extent
to which the proposed operation will enable the
transfer, generalisation, dissemination or application
on a large scale of results, experience, knowledge and
good practice (10 %).

— Cost-effectiveness: the budget, broken down by category
of expenditure, should demonstrate excellent value for
money for the operation (balance between expected
results and amount of grant) (10 %).

— Evaluation: the Commission will assess the evaluation
method proposed and the quality of
the results
indicators with reference to the expected objectives
(10 %).

— Visibility: the description of the operation should give
the Community
details of
operation will be publicised (publications, organisation
of events, websites, CD-ROM, etc.) (10 %).

the means whereby

9.2. Quality of the application (30 %)

The organisation of the operation should be set out in
detail, in particular as regards the following aspects:

— work plan (clarity and achievability of the objectives,

achievability of the expected results) (10 %),

— timetable for the operation (10 %),

— proposed methodology (10 %).

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Official Journal of the European Union

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Only applications with a total score of 70 % or higher and
of at least 60 % for each individual criterion will be taken
into consideration for Community funding.

European Commission
Courrier Central
Rue de Genève 1
B-1140 Brussels

10. GENERAL CONDITIONS FOR AWARDING GRANTS

The general conditions for awarding grants, particularly
the definition of the eligible costs and the methods of
in
payment, are set out
Annex II.

in the draft grant agreement

all

for

applications

pre-financing

For
of
EUR 100 000, a financial guarantee equivalent
amount pre-financed will be required.
Commission reserves
guarantee for amounts of under EUR 100 000.

over
to the
the
In addition,
to require a financial

the right

The budget for the action attached to the application must
have revenue and expenditure in balance and show clearly
the costs which are eligible for
financing from the
Community budget.

For actions where the cost
to be financed exceeds
EUR 300 000, the application must be accompanied by
an external audit
report produced by an approved
auditor. This report must certify the accounts for the last
year available and give an assessment of
the financial
viability of the applicant.

by 16h00 (Brussels time) on 10 June 2003 at the
latest.
In this case, proof of submission will be by
means of a dated and signed receipt issued by the
receiving official in the abovementioned department.

Applications received by the Commission after the
closing date will not be taken into consideration.

Applications may not be delivered to the Direc-
torate-General for Energy and Transport (whether
personal delivery or delivery by any authorised
representative of the applicant, including private
delivery services).

Bids must be submitted inside two sealed envelopes. The
inner envelope must bear the words:

Call for proposals
TREN/SUB/01-2003

Area . . .

NOT TO BE OPENED BY THE POSTAL SERVICE

DM 28 0/91 Courrier/archives

11. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS FOR A GRANT

Applications must be submitted using the standard
application form in Annex I. For each application, one
signed original and five copies must be supplied by the
applicant.

12. CLOSING DATE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

FOR A GRANT

If self-adhesive envelopes are used, they must be sealed
with adhesive tape and the sender must sign across that
tape.

13. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Any questions regarding this call for proposals should be
sent by e-mail (stating the reference number of the area, as
indicated in point 5) to:

Applicants interested in these grants are invited to submit
their applications to the European Commission.

TREN-CALL-2003@cec.eu.int.

Applications may be submitted:

(a) either by registered letter postmarked no later than

10 June 2003 addressed to:

European Commission
Directorate-General for Energy and Transport
DM 28 0/91 Courrier/archives
B-1049 Brussels

(b) or by delivery to the central mail service of the
European Commission (personal delivery or delivery
the applicant,
by any authorised representative of
including private delivery services) at
the following
address:

14. TIMETABLE

Closing date for submission of applications: 10 June 2003

Date of opening of applications: 20 June 2003

Estimated date of completion of the evaluation: 15 July
2003

Notification of unsuccessful applicants: from 22 July 2003
on

Notification of successful applicants: from 28 July 2003
on.