Source: EURLEX
Language: en
Format: md

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| 4.2.2016 | EN | Official Journal of the European Union | C 41/4 |

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2016 CALL FOR PROPOSALS

SIMPLE PROGRAMMES

Information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal market and in third countries in accordance with Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014

(2016/C 41/03)

1.   BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE OF THIS CALL

1.1.   Information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products

On 22 October 2014, the European Parliament and the Council adopted Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014[(1)](#ntr1-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0001) on information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal market and in third countries and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 3/2008. This Regulation is supplemented by Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829[(2)](#ntr2-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0002), and the rules for its application are laid down in Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831[(3)](#ntr3-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0003).

The general objective of the information provision and promotion measures is to enhance the competitiveness of the Union agricultural sector.

The specific objectives of the information provision and promotion measures are to:

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| (a) | increase awareness of the merits of Union agricultural products and of the high standards applicable to the production methods in the Union; |

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| (b) | increase the competitiveness and consumption of Union agricultural products and certain food products and to raise their profile both inside and outside the Union; |

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| (c) | increase the awareness and recognition of Union quality schemes; |

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| (d) | increase the market share of Union agricultural products and certain food products, specifically focusing on those markets in third countries that have the highest growth potential; |

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| (e) | restore normal market conditions in the event of serious market disturbance, loss of consumer confidence or other specific problems. |

1.2.   The Commission's Annual work programme for 2016

The Commission's annual work programme for 2016, adopted on 13 October 2015, sets out the details for the award of co-financing and the priorities for actions for proposals for simple and multi programmes in the internal market and in third countries. It is available at the following address:

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/promotion/annual-work-programmes/2016/index\_en.htm

1.3.   Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency

The Consumers, Health, Agriculture and Food Executive Agency (hereafter Chafea) is entrusted by the European Commission with the management of certain parts of the information provision and promotion measures concerning agricultural products implemented in the internal market and in third countries, including the evaluation of simple programmes.

1.4.   The present call for proposals

The present call for proposals relates to the implementation of simple programmes, in the framework of Sections 1.2.1.1 and 1.2.1.2 of Annex I to the 2016 Annual Work Programme related to actions under thematic priority 1 and 2, namely simple programmes in the internal market and in third countries.

2.   OBJECTIVE(S) — THEMES — PRIORITIES

Sections 1.2.1.1 and 1.2.1.2 of Annex I to the 2016 Annual Work programme sets out the thematic priorities for actions to be co-financed through the present call (see also Section 6.2 on Eligible activities below). Only proposals which directly correspond to the topic and description given in this section of the Annual Work programme will be considered for funding. Therefore, 10 topics for proposals are announced with the present call document. Applications submitted under this call must fall under the scope of one of these priority topics. It is possible for a proposing organisation to submit several applications for different projects under the same priority topic. It is also possible to submit several applications for different projects under different priority topics.

3.   TIMETABLE

The deadline for submission is 28 April 2016, 17:00 (Brussels, local time).

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|  | Stages | Date and time or indicative period |
| a) | Publication of the call | 4.2.2016 |
| b) | Deadline for submitting applications | 28.4.2016 |
| c) | Evaluation period (indicative) | 29.4-31.8.2016 |
| d) | Information to applicants (indicative) | < 30.9.2016 |
| e) | Decision by the Commission (indicative) | < 30.11.2016 |
| f) | Signature of the contract with Member State (indicative) | < 28.2.2017 |
| g) | Starting date of the action (indicative) | > 1.12.2016 |

4.   BUDGET AVAILABLE

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of actions under this call is estimated at EUR 93 650 000.

The indicative amounts available per topic are indicated in the table ‘Eligible activities’ under point 6 below.

This amount is subject to the availability of the appropriations after the adoption of the budget for 2017 by the EU budgetary authority or provided for in the provisional twelfths. This amount is also subject to the availability of appropriations for the following 3 years taking into account the non-differentiated nature of the appropriations.

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

5.   ADMISSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Applications must be sent no later than the submission deadline referred to in Section 3.

Applications must be submitted online by the coordinator via the participant portal (electronic submission system available at: https://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/agrip/index.html

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

Proposals may be submitted in any official language of the European Union. Nevertheless, when preparing their proposals, applicants should take into account that contracts will be managed by the Member States. Consequently, applicants are encouraged to submit their proposal in the language(s) of the Member State of origin of the proposing organisation(s) unless if the Member State concerned has indicated its agreement to sign the contract in English[(4)](#ntr4-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0004). To facilitate the review of proposals by independent experts who provide technical input to the evaluation, an English translation of the technical part (Part B) should preferably accompany the proposal if it is written in another EU official language.

6.   ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

6.1.   Eligible applicants

The Proposals for simple programmes can only be submitted by legal persons or other entities which do not have a legal personality under the applicable national law, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on behalf of the entity and offer guarantees for the protection of the Union's financial interests equivalent to those offered by legal persons as referred to in Article 131(2) of Regulation (Euratom, EU) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council[(5)](#ntr5-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0005) (‘Financial Regulation’).

Applicants shall be:

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| a) | Organisations as referred to in Article 7(1) of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014; |

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| b) | Representative of the sector or product concerned by the proposal complying with conditions set out in Article 1(1) or (2) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829. |

Proposals can be submitted by one or more of the proposing organisations listed in Article 7(1)(a), (c) or (d) of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014.

Only applications from entities established in EU Member States are eligible.

Non-eligible entities: applicants who already receive Union financing for the same information provision and promotion measures that are part of their proposal(s) shall not be eligible for Union financing for those measures under Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014.

In order to assess the applicants' eligibility, the following supporting documents are requested:

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| — | private entity: extract from the official journal, copy of articles of association, extract of trade or association register, certificate of liability to VAT (if, as in certain countries, the trade register number and VAT number are identical, only one of these documents is required); |

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| — | public entity: copy of the resolution or decision establishing the public company, or other official document establishing the public-law entity; |

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| — | entities without legal personality: documents providing evidence that their representative(s) have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf. |

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| — | documentation proving that the applicant meets the representativeness criteria set out in Article 1 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829. |

6.2.   Eligible activities

The proposals shall comply with the criteria of eligibility listed in Annex II to the Annual Work programme, namely:

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| (a) | proposals can only cover products and schemes listed in Article 5 of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014; |

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| (b) | proposals shall ensure that measures are implemented through implementing bodies as referred to in Article 13 of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014. Proposing organisations must select bodies responsible for implementing programmes ensuring best value for money and absence of conflict of interest (see Article 2 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829 and point (e) of Section 11.1 of the call). The proposing organisation shall undertake that the body responsible for the implementation of the programme shall be selected at the latest before the signature of the contract (see Article 10 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831); |

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| (c) | if a proposing organisation proposes to implement certain parts of the proposal itself, it shall ensure that the cost of the measure which it plans to carry out itself is not in excess of the normal market rates; |

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| (d) | proposals shall comply with Union law governing the products concerned and their marketing and with specific conditions when targeting internal market be of a significant scale and have a Union dimension, as described under Article 3(1) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829; |

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| (e) | if a message conveyed concerns information on the impact on health, proposals shall comply with the rules as referred to in Article 3(2) of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829; |

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| (f) | if the proposal proposes to mention origin or brands, it shall comply with the rules as referred to in Chapter II of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831. |

In addition, a proposal shall also comply with one of the thematic priorities listed in the 2016 Annual work programme for simple programmes. Below are extracts of the 2016 Annual Work programme detailing the 10 topics for which applications may be submitted. The text describes the topic, related amount foreseen, objectives and expected results.

Actions under thematic priority 1: simple programmes in the internal market

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| Topics | Total amount foreseen | Priorities of the year, objectives pursued and expected results |
| Topic 1 [(6)](#ntr6-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0006) — Information and promotion programmes aiming at increasing the awareness and recognition of Union quality schemes as defined in Article 5(4)(a), (b) and (c) of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014, with exception of those that are illustrated exclusively with milk/dairy products, pig meat products or a combination of those two | EUR 10 050 000 | The objective is to increase the awareness and recognition of the specific Union quality schemes:   |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Quality schemes: Protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) and optional quality terms |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Organic farming |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Agricultural products originating in the outermost regions of the Union |   Information and promotion programmes targeting Union quality schemes should be a key priority in the internal market since such schemes provide consumers with assurances on the quality and characteristics of the product or the production process used, achieve added value for the products concerned and enhance their market opportunities.  One of the expected results is to increase the levels of recognition of the logo associated with the Union quality schemes by the European consumers knowing that, according to special Eurobarometer (No 389), only 14 % (with a range from 3 to 36 % depending of the Member State concerned) of European consumers recognise the logos of products that benefit from a protected designation of origin (PDO) or a protected geographical indication (PGI), these being the main Union quality schemes.  The expected ultimate result is to enhance the competitiveness and consumption of Union agrifood products registered under a Union quality scheme, raise their profile and increase their market share. |
| Topic 2 [(6)](#ntr6-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0006) — Information and promotion programmes aiming at highlighting the specific features of agricultural methods in the Union and the characteristics of European agricultural and food products, with exception of those that concern exclusively milk/dairy products, pig meat products or a combination of those two | EUR 6 700 000 | The objective is to highlight the specific features of agricultural production methods in the Union, particularly in terms of food safety, traceability, authenticity, labelling, nutritional and health aspects, animal welfare, respect for the environment and sustainability, and the characteristics of agricultural and food products, particularly in terms of their quality, taste, diversity or traditions. It concerns all eligible products, except milk/dairy and pig meat products when they are subject to programmes that do not include other eligible products, with a view to increasing the competitiveness and consumption of Union agricultural and food products and thereby increasing their market shares in the internal market.  One of the expected results is to increase the awareness of the merits of Union agricultural products by the European consumers.  The expected impact is to enhance the competitiveness and consumption of the concerned Union agrifood products, raise their profile and increase their market share. |
| Topic 3 — Information and promotion programmes on milk/dairy, pig meat products or a combination of those two | EUR 9 000 000 | In relation with the specific market situation of the dairy and pig meat sectors in 2015, the objectives are to increase the awareness and recognition of the specific Union quality schemes that concern exclusively milk/dairy products or pig meat products, or to highlight the specific features of agricultural production methods in the Union, particularly in terms of food safety, traceability, authenticity, labelling, nutritional and health aspects, animal welfare, respect for the environment and sustainability, and the characteristics of milk/dairy or pig meat products, particularly in terms of their quality, taste, diversity or traditions.  The expected results are to increase the levels of recognition of the logo associated with those Union quality schemes by the European consumers, to increase the awareness of the merits of Union's milk/dairy products and pig meat products and thus to increase the competitiveness and consumption of these products and to increase their market shares in the internal market. |

Actions under thematic priority 2: simple programmes in third countries

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| Topics | Total amount foreseen | Priorities of the year, objectives pursued and expected results |
| Topic 4 [(6)](#ntr6-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0006) — Information and promotion programmes targeting one or more of the following countries: China, Japan, South Korea or Taiwan | EUR 11 725 000 | The information and promotion programmes should target one or more countries identified in the corresponding topic.  The objectives of these programmes should comply with the general and specific objectives set out in Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014.  The expected ultimate impact is to enhance the competitiveness and consumption of Union agrifood products, raise their profile and increase their market share in these targeted countries. |
| Topic 5 [(6)](#ntr6-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0006) — Information and promotion programmes targeting one or more of the following countries: USA or Canada | EUR 11 725 000 |
| Topic 6 [(6)](#ntr6-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0006) — Information and promotion programmes targeting one or more countries of Central and South America or the Caribbean | EUR 7 035 000 |
| Topic 7 [(6)](#ntr6-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0006) — Information and promotion programmes targeting one or more countries of South East Asia, meaning Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste or Vietnam | EUR 7 035 000 |
| Topic 8 [(6)](#ntr6-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0006) — Information and promotion programmes targeting one or more countries of Africa or Middle East | EUR 4 690 000 |
| Topic 9 [(6)](#ntr6-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0006) — Information and promotion programmes targeting other geographical areas | EUR 4 690 000 |
| Topic 10 — Information and promotion programmes on milk/dairy products, pig meat products or a combination of those two targeting any third country | EUR 21 000 000 |

Types of eligible activities

Promotion and information provision actions may notably consist of the following activities, eligible under this call:

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| 1. | Management of project |

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| 2. | Strategy   |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Communication strategy definition |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Definition of campaign's visual identity | |

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| 3. | Public relations   |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | PR activities |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Press events | |

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| 4. | Website, social media   |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Website setup, updating, maintenance |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Social media (accounts setup, regular posting) |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Other (mobile apps, e-learning platforms, webinars, etc.) | |

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| 5. | Advertising   |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Print |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | TV |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Radio |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Online |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Outdoor |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Cinema | |

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| 6. | Communication tools   |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Publications, media kits, promotional merchandise |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Promotional videos | |

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| 7. | Events   |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Stands at trade fairs |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Seminars, workshops, B2B meetings, trainings for trade/cooks, activities in schools |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Restaurant weeks |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Sponsorship of events |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Study trips to Europe | |

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| 8. | Point-of-sale (POS) promotion   |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Tasting days |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | — | Other: promotion in retailers' publications, POS advertising | |

Implementation period

The co-financed action (information provision/promotion programmes) shall be implemented over a period of at least one but not more than three years.

Proposals should specify the duration of the action.

7.   EXCLUSION CRITERIA

7.1.   Exclusion from participation:

Applicants will be excluded from participating in the call for proposals procedure if they are in any of the exclusion situations[(7)](#ntr7-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0007):

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| (a) | the economic operator is bankrupt, subject to insolvency or winding-up procedures, where its assets are being administered by a liquidator or by a court, where it is in an arrangement with creditors, where its business activities are suspended, or where it is in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for under national laws or regulations; |

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| (b) | it has been established by a final judgment or a final administrative decision that the economic operator is in breach of its obligations relating to the payment of taxes or social security contributions in accordance with the law of the country in which it is established, with those of the country in which the contracting authority is located or those of the country of the performance of the contract; |

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| (c) | it has been established by a final judgment or a final administrative decision that the economic operator is guilty of grave professional misconduct by having violated applicable laws or regulations or ethical standards of the profession to which the economic operator belongs, or by having engaged in any wrongful conduct which has an impact on its professional credibility where such conduct denotes wrongful intent or gross negligence, including, in particular, any of the following:   |  |  | | --- | --- | | (i) | fraudulently or negligently misrepresenting information required for the verification of the absence of grounds for exclusion or the fulfilment of selection criteria or in the performance of a contract; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (ii) | entering into agreement with other economic operators with the aim of distorting competition; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (iii) | violating intellectual property rights; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (iv) | attempting to influence the decision-making process of the contracting authority during the procurement procedure; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (v) | attempting to obtain confidential information that may confer upon it undue advantages in the procurement procedure; | |

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| (d) | it has been established by a final judgment that the economic operator is guilty of any of the following:   |  |  | | --- | --- | | (i) | fraud, within the meaning of Article 1 of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities' financial interests, drawn up by the Council Act of 26 July 1995[(8)](#ntr8-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0008); |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (ii) | corruption, as defined in Article 3 of the Convention on the fight against corruption involving officials of the European Communities or officials of Member States of the European Union, drawn up by the Council Act of 26 May 1997[(9)](#ntr9-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0009), and in Article 2(1) of Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA[(10)](#ntr10-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0010), as well as corruption as defined in the law of the country where the contracting authority is located, the country in which the economic operator is established or the country of the performance of the contract; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (iii) | participation in a criminal organisation, as defined in Article 2 of Council Framework Decision 2008/841/JHA[(11)](#ntr11-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0011); |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (iv) | money laundering or terrorist financing, as defined in Article 1 of Directive 2005/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council[(12)](#ntr12-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0012); |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (v) | terrorist-related offences or offences linked to terrorist activities, as defined in Articles 1 and 3 of Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA[(13)](#ntr13-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0013) respectively, or inciting, aiding, abetting or attempting to commit such offences, as referred to in Article 4 of that Decision; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (vi) | child labour or other forms of trafficking in human beings as defined in Article 2 of Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council[(14)](#ntr14-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0014); | |

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| (e) | the economic operator has shown significant deficiencies in complying with main obligations in the performance of a contract financed by the budget, which has led to its early termination or to the application of liquidated damages or other contractual penalties, or which has been discovered following checks, audits or investigations by an authorising officer, OLAF or the Court of Auditors; |

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| (f) | it has been established by a final judgment or final administrative decision that the economic operator has committed an irregularity within the meaning of Article 1(2) of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95[(15)](#ntr15-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0015). |

7.2.   Exclusion from award:

Applicants will be excluded from the award of co-financing if, in the course of the grant award procedure, they fall under one of the situations described under Article 107 of the Financial Regulation:

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| a) | are in an exclusion situation established in accordance with Article 106 of the Financial Regulation; |

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| b) | have misrepresented the information required as a condition for participating in the procedure or have failed to supply that information in the grant award procedure; |

In order to demonstrate compliance with the exclusion criteria, the applicant has to check the relevant box while submitting its online application. If selected for co-funding, all beneficiaries have to sign a declaration on honour certifying they are not in one of the situations referred to in Article 106(1) and Articles 107 to 109 of the Financial Regulation. The applicants should follow the instructions in the participant portal.

8.   SELECTION CRITERIA

8.1.   Financial capacity

Applicants must have stable and sufficient sources of funding to maintain their activity throughout the period of implementation of the action and to participate in its funding.

The financial capacity of all applicants will be assessed in line with the requirements of the Financial Regulation (EC) No 966/2012. This assessment will not be carried out if:

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| — | the EU-contribution requested by the applicant is ≤ EUR 60 000; |

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| — | the applicant is a public body |

The supporting documents that need to be annexed to the online application to allow the assessment of the financial capacity include:

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| — | the annual accounts (including the balance sheet and the profit and loss statement) for the past financial year for which the accounts were closed (for newly created entities, the business plan shall be submitted to replace the accounts); |

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| — | A pre-filled Financial Viability Form summarising the necessary data from the annual accounts contributing to the assessment of the applicant's financial capacity. |

In addition for a coordinator or other beneficiary requesting an EU-contribution of ≥ EUR 750 000 (threshold applicable per beneficiary):

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| — | an audit report produced by an approved external auditor certifying the accounts for the last financial year available. This provision shall not apply to public bodies. |

8.2.   Operational capacity

Applicants must have the professional competencies and qualifications required to complete the action.

As evidence, the following information must be provided in Part B of the proposal:

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| — | General profiles (qualifications and experiences) of the applicant's staff primary responsible for managing and implementing the proposed action |

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| — | The proposing organisation(s) activity report or a description of activities performed in connection to the operating areas that are eligible for co-financing as described under point 6 (above). |

In cases where proposing organisations propose to implement certain parts of the proposal, evidence shall be given that they have at least three years' experience in implementing information provision and promotion measures.

9.   AWARD CRITERIA

Part B of the application serves to evaluate the proposal against the award criteria.

Generally, projects are expected to have an efficient management structure, a clear strategy and a precise description of expected results.

The content of each proposal will be assessed according to the following criteria and sub criteria:

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| Criteria | Maximum Points | Threshold |
| |  |  | | --- | --- | | 1. | Contribution to general and specific objectives of information provision and promotion measures and relevance of the content and objectives of the proposals to the priorities, objectives and expected results announced under thematic priority described in Article 1.2.1.3 of the annual work programme[(16)](#ntr16-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0016) | | 20 | 14 |
| |  |  | | --- | --- | | 2. | Technical quality of the project | | 40 | 24 |
| |  |  | | --- | --- | | 3. | Management quality | | 10 | 6 |
| |  |  | | --- | --- | | 4. | Cost-effectiveness | | 30 | 18 |
| TOTAL | 100 | 62 |

Proposals falling below the overall and/or the individual thresholds announced above shall be rejected.

The following sub-criteria shall be taken into account in the assessment of each of the main award criteria:

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| 1. | Contribution to general and specific objectives of information provision and promotion measures   |  |  | | --- | --- | | (a) | relevance of proposed information and promotion measures to priorities, objectives and expected results announced under the thematic priority mentioned above; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (b) | relevance of proposed information and promotion measures to the general and specific objectives listed in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (c) | relevance of proposed information and promotion measures to aims listed in Article 3 of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (d) | Union dimension of the programme. | |

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| 2. | Technical quality of the project   |  |  | | --- | --- | | (a) | quality of the analysis (description of target markets, challenges for competitors from the EU, consumer awareness, etc.); |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (b) | suitability of the programme strategy, SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, results-focused, and time bound) objectives, key messages; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (c) | clear and detailed description of activities; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (d) | suitable choice of activities with respect to objectives and target groups, complementarity to other private or public activities carried out on the target market |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (e) | quality of the proposed evaluation methods and indicators. | |

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| 3. | Management quality   |  |  | | --- | --- | | (a) | project organisation and management structure; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (b) | quality control mechanisms and risk management. | |

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| 4. | Cost-effectiveness   |  |  | | --- | --- | | (a) | balanced split of budget in relation to the scope of the activities; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (b) | consistency between the estimated cost and the corresponding description of the activities; |  |  |  | | --- | --- | | (c) | realistic estimation of person/days for activities implemented by the proposing organisation, including costs of project coordination. | |

Following the evaluation, all eligible proposals are ranked according to the total number of points awarded. The highest ranked proposal or proposals will be awarded co-financing depending on budget availability.

A separate ranked list shall be established for each of the 10 priority topics listed under Section 6.2 of the present call.

If there are two (or more) proposals on the budgetary cut-off point having received the same number of points, then the proposal(s) considered to allow the highest diversification in terms of products or targeted markets in the context of the proposals, shall be retained for co-financing. It means that between two proposals having received equal scoring, the Agency shall first select the one the content of which (firstly in terms of products, secondly in terms of targeted market) is not yet represented in the ranked list. If this criterion cannot be applied, then the Agency shall first select the proposal which received the highest score in relation to the first award criterion mentioned above (‘Contribution to general and specific objectives of information provision and promotion measures’).

10.   LEGAL COMMITMENTS

Following the evaluation, Chafea establishes a list of proposals recommended for funding, ranked according to the total number of points awarded.

According to Article 11(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014, the European Commission shall adopt an implementing act, determining the simple programmes selected, any changes to be made to them, and the corresponding budgets (award decision).

This Commission decision will list the selected programmes accepted for a financial contribution from the Union under Article 15 of Regulation (EU) No 1144/2014. This Decision will be addressed to the competent Member States. The Member States concerned shall be responsible for the proper implementation of the simple programmes selected and for the relevant payments.

As soon as the Commission adopts this implementing act, it shall forward the copies of the selected programmes to the Member States concerned. Member States shall without delay inform the proposing organisations concerned whether or not their applications have been accepted.

Member States shall conclude contracts for the implementation of programmes with the selected proposing organisations in accordance with the requirements mentioned under Article 10 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831. The contract will notably detail the conditions and level of funding, as well as the obligations of the parties.

11.   FINANCIAL PROVISIONS

11.1.   General Principles

a)   Non-cumulative award

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.

Applicants shall indicate the sources and amounts of Union funding received or applied for the same action or part of the action or their functioning (operating grants), as well as any other funding received or applied for the same action.

b)   Non-retroactivity

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

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

The remaining expenditure shall be borne exclusively by the proposing organisation.

d)   Balanced budget

The estimated budget of the action must be presented in Part A of the application form. It must have revenue and expenditure in balance.

The budget must be drawn up in euros.

Applicants who foresee that costs will not be incurred in euros, are invited to use the exchange rate published in the Official Journal of the European Union:

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts\_grants/info\_contracts/inforeuro/inforeuro\_en.cfm

e)   Implementation contracts/subcontracting

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.

Where the proposing organisation is a body governed by public law within the meaning of Article 2(1)(4) of Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council[(17)](#ntr17-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0017), it must select the subcontractors in accordance with the national legislation transposing that Directive.

Sub-contracting, 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:

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| --- | --- |
| — | 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 technical and financial parts of the proposal. |

f)   Subcontracting to entities having a structural link with the beneficiary

Subcontracts may also be awarded to entities that have a structural link with the beneficiary, but only if the price is limited to the actual costs incurred by the entity (i.e. without any profit margin).

The tasks to be implemented by such entities must be clearly stated in the technical part of the proposal.

11.2.   Funding forms

Co-financing shall take the form of reimbursement of a specified proportion of eligible costs actually incurred; it will also comprise a flat rate covering indirect costs (equal to 4 % of eligible personnel costs) that are linked with the implementation of the action[(18)](#ntr18-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0018).

Maximum amount requested

The EU grant is limited to the following maximum co-funding rate of:

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | for simple programmes in the internal market: 70 % of the programme's eligible costs |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | for simple programmes in third countries: 80 % of the programme's eligible costs |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | for simple programmes in the internal market of beneficiary established in Member States receiving on or after 1 January 2014 financial assistance in accordance with Articles 136 and 143 TFEU[(19)](#ntr19-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0019): 75 % of the programme's eligible costs |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | for simple programmes in third countries of beneficiary established in Member States receiving on or after 1 January 2014 financial assistance in accordance with Articles 136 and 143 TFEU: 85 % of the programme's eligible costs |

These two latest percentages shall apply to those programmes decided upon by the Commission before the date from which the Member State concerned no longer receives such financial assistance.

Consequently, part of the total eligible expenses entered in the estimative budget must be financed from sources other than the EU grant (co-financing principle).

Eligible costs

Eligible costs are actually incurred by the beneficiary of the grant and meet all the criteria indicated in Article 4 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829.

Ineligible costs

Ineligible costs are costs that do not comply with the conditions set out in Article 4 of Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/1829, in particular:

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| --- | --- |
| — | return on capital; |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | debt and debt service charges; |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | provisions for losses or debts; |

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| --- | --- |
| — | interest owed; |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | doubtful debts; |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | exchange losses; |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | costs of transfers from the Commission charged by the bank of a beneficiary; |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | costs declared by a beneficiary and covered by another action receiving a European Union grant. In particular, indirect costs shall not be eligible under a grant for an action awarded to a beneficiary who already receives an operating grant financed from the Union budget during the period in question; |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | contributions in kind; |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | excessive or reckless expenditure; |

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| --- | --- |
| — | deductible VAT; |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | costs incurred during suspension of the implementation of the action. |

Calculation of the final grant amount

The final grant amount is calculated after completion of the programme, upon approval of the payment request.

The ‘final grant amount’ depends on the actual extent to which the programme is implemented in accordance with the Agreement's terms and conditions.

This amount is calculated by the Member State — when the payment of the balance is made — in accordance with Article 15 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831.

11.3.   Payment arrangements

The proposing organisation may submit an application for an advance payment to the Member State concerned in accordance with Article 13 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831.

Applications for an interim payment of the Union's financial contributions shall be submitted by the proposing organisation to the Member States in accordance with Article 14 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831.

Applications for payment of the balance shall be submitted by the proposing organisation to the Member State States in accordance with Article 15 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831.

11.4.   Advance guarantee

In accordance with Article 13 of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1831, the advance payment shall be paid on condition that the proposing organisation has lodged a security equal to the amount of that advance in favour of the Member State in accordance with Chapter IV of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 907/2014[(20)](#ntr20-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0020).

12.   PUBLICITY

Beneficiaries must clearly acknowledge the European Union's contribution in all activities for which the grant is used.

In this respect, beneficiaries are required to give prominence to the name and emblem of the European Union on all their publications, posters, programmes and other products realised under the co-financed project.

Rules for the graphic reproduction of the European emblem are found in the Interinstitutional Style Guide[(21)](#ntr21-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0021).

In addition, all visual material produced in the framework of a promotion programme co-financed by the European Union must bear the signature ‘Enjoy it's from Europe’. Guidelines on the use of the signature, as well as all graphic files can be downloaded from the promotion website on Europa[(22)](#ntr22-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0022).

Lastly, all written material, i.e. brochures, posters, leaflets, banners, billboards, print advertisements, articles in newspaper, webpages (with the exception of small gadgets) should include a disclaimer according to the terms detailed in the grant agreement, explaining that it represents the views of the author. The European Commission does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.

13.   DATA PROTECTION

The reply to any call for proposals involves the recording and processing of personal data (such as name, address and CVs of individuals participating in the co-financed action). Such data will be processed pursuant to Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council[(23)](#ntr23-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0023) 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 will be processed solely for that purpose by the Executive Agency/the Commission or third parties acting on behalf and under the responsibility of the Executive Agency/Commission. Data subjects may be informed regarding further details of the processing operations, their rights and how they may be enforced by referring to the privacy statement published in the participant portal:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/support/legal\_notices.html

and the Agency's website:

http://ec.europa.eu/chafea/about/data\_protection.html

Applicants are invited to check the relevant privacy statement at regular intervals so as to be duly informed on possible updates that may occur by the deadline for submission of their proposals or afterwards. Beneficiaries assume the legal obligation to inform their staff on the relevant processing operations that are to be performed by the Agency; in order to do so, they have to provide them with the privacy statements published by the Agency in the participant's portal before transmitting their data to the Agency; Personal data may be registered in the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES) of the European Commission provided for in Articles 105a and 108 of the EU Financial Regulation according to the applicable provisions.

14.   PROCEDURE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Proposals must be submitted by the deadline set out under Section 5 via the Electronic Submission System: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/agrip/index.html

Before submitting a proposal:

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| --- | --- |
| 1. | Find a call:  http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/agrip/index.html |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| 2. | Create an account to submit a proposal:  http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/organisations/register.html |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| 3. | Register all partners via the beneficiary registry:  http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/organisations/register.html |

Applicants will be informed in writing about the results of the selection process.

In submitting a proposal, the applicant accepts the procedures and conditions as described in this call and in the documents to which it refers.

No modification to the application is allowed once the deadline for submission has elapsed. However, if there is a need to clarify certain aspects or for the correction of clerical mistakes, the Commission/Agency may contact the applicant for this purpose during the evaluation process[(24)](#ntr24-C_2016041EN.01000401-E0024).

Contacts

For questions on the online submission tools please contact the IT helpdesk set-up for this purpose via the participant portal website:

http://ec.europa.eu/research/index.cfm?pg=enquiries

For non-IT related questions a helpdesk at the Chafea is available at: +352 4301 36611, email address: CHAFEA-AGRI-CALLS@ec.europa.eu weekdays between 9.30-12.00 and 14.00-17.00. The helpdesk is unavailable on weekends and public holidays.

Frequently asked questions are published on the website of the Chafea:

http://ec.europa.eu/chafea/agri/faq.html

In all correspondence relating to this call (e.g. when requesting information, or submitting an application), reference must be clearly made to this specific call. Once the electronic exchange system allocated a proposal ID, the applicant must use this number in all subsequent correspondence.

After the deadline for submission modifications to the application are impossible.

Related documents:

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| --- | --- |
| — | Guide for applicants with the relevant annexes |

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| — | Application form |

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