Cultural Cooperation Projects in the Western Balkans 2019

Deadline: Apr 28, 2020  
CALL EXPIRED

This Call for Proposals is entirely funded by the Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II). It is implemented in accordance with the applicable rules of the Creative Europe programme and the relevant work programme.

This call is based on Regulation (EU) No 231/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 March 2014 establishing an Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA II) (OJ L 77, dated 15/03/2014, p. 11–26), hereafter referred to as 'the Regulation'.

The present call implements the provisions of Commission Implementing Decision C(2019) 5515, dated 19/07/2019, adopting a Multi-country Action Programme for the year 20191.

2. Objectives and priorities

The overall objective of this Call is to foster reconciliation and good neighbourly relations in the Western Balkans through cultural cooperation and creation.

The specific objectives of this Call are:

• to increase cultural cross-border cooperation within the Western Balkans region and the EU Member States;

• to strengthen the competitiveness of the cultural and creative industries in the region.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned objectives, this Call focuses on the following priorities:

• Increase the capacity of cultural and creative industries to operate transnationally and internationally

• Increase transnational circulation of cultural and creative works and transnational mobility of cultural and creative players

• Enhance inter-cultural dialogue between artists, cultural operators as well as the general public

3. Eligibility criteria

3.1. Eligible participants and countries

In order to be eligible, a proposal must be submitted by a partnership composed of at least 5 organisations (project leader and partners) from countries participating in the EU Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance, as further specified below.

Applicants (project leader and partners) must be:

• Organisations or associations, working in the culture and creative industries (excluding audio-visual)2 or

• National Councils dealing with the cultural and creative industries (excluding audio- visual) or

• Public bodies at local, regional or central level involved in the cultural and creative industries (excluding audio-visual)

Project leader and partners must be established in

• EU Member States;

• Western Balkan IPA II Beneficiaries: Republic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, Republic of North Macedonia and Republic of Serbia

The partnership must satisfy the following minimum requirements:

• at least 2 organisations (project leader and/or partners) established in at least 2 different Western Balkan IPA II beneficiaries

• at least 2 organisations of the partnership (project leader and/or partners) established in at least 2 different EU Member States

The project leader must have had a legal personality for at least 2 years on the date of the deadline for submission of applications and be able to demonstrate its existence as a legal person.

Natural persons may not apply for a grant.

2 Cultural operators active in the cultural and creative sectors, as defined in Article 2 of Regulation No 1295/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the Creative Europe Programme: “all sectors whose activities are based on cultural values and/or artistic and other creative expressions, whether those activities are market- or non-market-oriented, whatever the type of structure that carries them out, and irrespective of how that structure is financed. Those activities include the development, the creation, the production, the dissemination and the preservation of goods and services which embody cultural, artistic or other creative expressions, as well as related functions such as education or management. The cultural and creative sectors include inter alia architecture, archives, libraries and museums, artistic crafts, audiovisual (including film, television, video games and multimedia), tangible and intangible cultural heritage, design, festivals, music, literature, performing arts, publishing, radio and visual arts”.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence

Applicants must not be in a situation that will exclude them from participation and/or from award as defined by the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the Union and its rules of application.

3.2 Eligible projects

Please note that the projects already submitted under Call EACEA 32/2019 Support to Cooperation projects, under the Creative Europe: Culture sub-programme are not eligible.

3.3 Eligible activities

Only activities aimed at effectively achieving the priorities and objectives of this Call for proposals are eligible. Activities can cover all the cultural and creative industries. Yet, activities dedicated exclusively to the audiovisual industries are not eligible under the Culture Sub- programme.

Activities must start between 1 January 2021 and 31 March 2021.

The minimum project duration is of 24 months.

The maximum project duration is of 48 months.

Applications for projects scheduled to run for a shorter or longer period than that specified in this Call for Proposals will not be accepted.

4. Award Criteria

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

1. Relevance (30):

   This criterion evaluates how the project implement the selected priority(ies) and contributes to the objectives referred to in section 2 of the Guidelines.

2. Quality of the content and activities (30)

   This criterion evaluates how the project will be implemented in practice (quality of the activities and deliverables, methodology, timetable, appropriateness of the budget) and how likely it will reach its objectives.

3. Communication and dissemination (20)

   This criterion evaluates the project's approach to communicating its activities and disseminating the results and to sharing knowledge and experiences with the sectors and across borders. The aim is to maximise the impact of the project results at local, regional, national and European levels, so that they have an impact beyond the project's lifetime.

4. Quality of the partnership (20)

   This criterion evaluates the relevance of the partnership to the project as well as the extent to which the structure and management of the project will ensure the effective implementation of the project.

In order to be considered for funding, proposals must score a minimum quality threshold of 75/100 points and a minimum score of 50% is required for each criterion.

5. Budget

The total budget for this call for proposals is estimated at EUR 5 000 000. The Agency reserves the right not to distribute all funds available.

6. Deadline for applications

Applications must be submitted to and received by the Executive Agency (EACEA) using the online application system and form (eForm) no later than 17 March 2020 at 17.00 CET/CEST (Brussels time).

Applicants shall ensure that all the documents requested and mentioned in the eForms are provided.

7. Full details

The full text of the guidelines together with the application forms, can be found at the following Internet address:
https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/sites/ipa/funding/coopwb

Applications must comply with all the terms of the guidelines and be submitted on the forms provided.

For any further information, please contact your Creative Europe Desk:

https://ec.europa.eu/programmes/creative-europe/contact_en

Contact within the Agency:

EACEA-IP A-WESTERN-BALKANS-PROJECTS@ec.europa.eu