Design and management of networking and capacity building activities for European Heritage Label sites - EAC/S39/2018

Deadline: Jan 3, 2019  
CALL EXPIRED

1 INTRODUCTION – BACKGROUND

The European Heritage Label (EHL) started as an intergovernmental initiative in 2006 upon the proposal of the French Minister of Culture, Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres. The aim of the Label was to "strengthen the support of European citizens for a shared European identity based on democratic values and human rights and to foster a sense of belonging to a common cultural space". Since its conception, the ultimate objective of the EHL is to become a Community action". In November 2008, the Council of Ministers of the European Union adopted conclusions inviting the European Commission to submit to it "an appropriate proposal for the creation of a European Heritage Label by the European Union and specifying the practical procedures for the implementation of the project."

The current version of the European Heritage Label was hence created in 2011 by the Decision 1194/2011/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council ("the Decision"). Its general objectives are:

(a) strengthening European citizens’ sense of belonging to the Union, in particular that of young people, based on shared values and elements of European history and cultural heritage, as well as an appreciation of national and regional diversity;

(b) strengthening intercultural dialogue.

In accordance with Article 3 (2) of Decision 1194/2011/EU, the intermediate objectives are:

(a) Stressing the symbolic value and raising the profile of sites which have played a significant role in the history and culture of Europe and/or the building of the Union;

(b) Increasing European citizens’ understanding of the history of Europe and the building of the Union, and of their common yet diverse cultural heritage, especially in relation to the democratic values and human rights that underpin the process of European integration.

 

 

The specific objectives to be attained by the selected sites are: (a) Highlighting their European significance;

(b) Raising European citizens’ awareness of their common cultural heritage, especially that of young people;

(c) Facilitating the sharing of experiences and exchanges of best practices across the Union;

(d) Increasing and/or improving access for all, especially young people;

(e) Increasing intercultural dialogue, especially among young people, through artistic, cultural and historical education;

(f) Fostering synergies between cultural heritage on one hand and contemporary creation and creativity on the other;

(g) Contributing to the attractiveness and the economic and sustainable development of regions, in particular through cultural tourism.

The European Heritage Label selects and highlights sites that celebrate and symbolise European integration, ideals, values and history. They are selected for their symbolic value, the role they have played in the European history and the activities they offer in order to bring the European Union and its citizens closer together.

The action is open to the participation, on a voluntary basis, of EU Member States. So far, 24 Member States decided to participate to the action: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Spain.

The European Heritage Label is different from other initiatives in the field of cultural heritage such as the UNESCO World Heritage List, the UNESCO Conventions on Intangible Cultural Heritage or the Council of Europe’s Cultural Routes:

o it is not about a site’s beauty or architectural quality, but rather its symbolic value;

o it is not about conserving sites, but rather the activities on offer and their educational dimension, especially for young people.

Sites are selected on the basis of the criteria laid down in the Decision, in Article 7. In particular, they must have a symbolic European value and must have played a significant role in the history and culture of Europe and/or the building of the Union. They must also submit a project and a work plan towards the objectives described above.

The selection of sites follows a two stages procedure: a preselection at national level, after which each participating country can propose up to two sites, and a selection at EU level. The selection is made by the European Commission with due regard to the recommendation of a panel of independent experts ("the European panel"). The European panel is composed of 13 members, four of whom are appointed by the European Parliament, four by the Council, four by the Commission and one by the Committee of the Regions.

In 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017, Member States have preselected respectively 9, 36, 18 and 25 sites. So far, 4, 16, 9 and 9 more sites received the European Heritage Label as output of the 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2017 selection process. The next selection will take place in 2019.

 

Sites currently holding the title are:

•   Krapina Neanderthal Site, Croatia

•   The Heart of Ancient Athens, Greece

•   Archaeological Park Carnuntum, Austria

•   Leipzig’s Musical Heritage Sites, Germany

•   Abbey of Cluny, France

•   Olomouc Premyslid Castle and Archdiocesan Museum, Czech Republic

•   Archive of the Crown of Aragon, Barcelona, Spain

•   Great Guild Hall, Tallinn, Estonia

•   Sagres Promontory, Portugal

•   General Library of the University of Coimbra, Portugal

•   The Imperial Palace, Vienna, Austria

•   Union of Lublin, Poland

•   Münster and Osnabrück – Sites of the Peace of Westphalia, Germany

•   The May 3, 1791 Constitution, Warsaw, Poland

•   Historic Ensemble of the University of Tartu, Estonia

•   Hambach Castle, Germany

•   Dohány Street Synagogue Complex, Budapest, Hungary

•   Fort Cadine, Trento, Italy

•   Charter of Law of Abolition of the Death Penalty, Lisbon, Portugal

•   Liszt Ferenc Academy of Music, Budapest, Hungary

•   Mundaneum, Mons, Belgium

•   Peace Palace, The Hague, the Netherlands

•   Javorca Memorial Church and its cultural landscape, Tolmin, Slovenia

•   Residencia de Estudiantes, Madrid, Spain

•   World War I Eastern Front Cemetery No. 123, Łużna – Pustki, Poland

•   Kaunas of 1919-1940, Lithuania

•   Camp Westerbork, the Netherlands

•   Former Natzweiler concentration camp and its satellite camps, France - Germany

•   Franja Partisan Hospital, Slovenia

•   Sighet Memorial, Romania

•   European District of Strasbourg, France

•   Robert Schuman's House, Scy-Chazelles, France

•   Bois du Cazier, Marcinelle, Belgium

•   Museo Casa Alcide De Gasperi, Pieve Tesino, Italy

•   The historic Gdańsk Shipyard, Poland

•   Village of Schengen, Schengen, Luxembourg

•   Pan-European Picnic Memorial Park, Sopron, Hungary

•   Maastricht Treaty, Netherlands

A certain number of sites are expected to be added in 2020, following the selection in 2019.

Article 17 (3) of Decision 1194/2011/EU asks the Commission to foster networking activities among the sites awarded the label. The publication of this restricted call for proposals aims to encourage and launch a concrete project which will consist in creating the conditions for continuous networking, collaboration and training among the European Heritage Label Sites. The overall budget earmarked for this initiative is 500.000 €.

 

 

2 OBJECTIVE(S) – THEME(S) – PRIORITIES

The action under this call for proposals should contribute to the general objectives of the European Heritage Label action of "strengthening European Citizens' sense of belonging to the Union, in particular that of young people, based on shared values and elements of European history and cultural heritage, as well as an appreciation of national and regional diversity; and strengthening intercultural dialogue". 1

This call for proposals is subject to the to the positive opinion or to the lack of objection by the Committee mentioned in the basic act on the annual work programme for the implementation of the Creative Europe programme for 2019.

 

The specific objectives of the call for proposals are:

Promote networking for the EHL sites
Encourage the sites to develop joint projects such as youth exchanges and volunteering, staff mobility, joint curatorial work, etc...
Increase the capacity of the sites to act at international level, through training of site managers and exchange of staff among EHL sites.
Support the development of joint educational programmes and joint marketing and tourism products.
Improve the visibility of the EU action and of the EHL sites.

Expected results:

1. (a)  The creation of a framework for the coordination and animation of a network of EHL sites on a sustainable basis,

2. (b)  Increased capacity of the sites to act at international level,

3. (c)  Increased number of joint projects for collaboration among the sites.

4. (d)  Higher visibility of the EU action and of the EHL sites individually and as a network.

Purpose of this call:

The purpose of this call is to select a coordinator (a single legal entity or consortium of organisations) to launch activities of networking, capacity building and exchange of best practices among the EHL sites, and communication and promotions activities for the action, thereby contributing to the above stated objectives.

2.4 Tasks to be carried out by the selected applicant(s).

Applicants should describe how they intend to carry out the following activities and how these align with the objectives of the EHL action and of this call for proposals:

a) Provide for a framework for the coordination and animation of a network of EHL sites; define its methodology and global strategy, define the tasks to be carried out and the means to ensure its sustainability. The support of the European Commission will cover the initiation of such a project and eligible activities for the duration of the grant agreement and will be strictly limited to the indicated implementation period.

2. b)  Involve in the different activities and cooperate with the sites that are not among the direct beneficiaries of the action, if necessary.

3. c)  Develop and maintain a multilingual website for the general public. The website should contain information of interest to the public about the sites and about the activities they organise.

4. d)  DevelopandmaintainarestrictedwebsiteaccessibletotheEHLsites,containing relevant information about funding, networking and cooperation opportunities, along with a repository of documents produced and shared by the sites. This website can be a restricted area in the general public website or a separate site.

5. e)  Develop communication tools and implement communication activities to enhance the visibility of the EU action and of the EHL sites, aiming at reaching a variety of audiences

6. f)  Develop and implement networking activities for the sites. These could include conferences, workshops, exchange of best practices and experiences, etc.., including by digital means.

7. g)  Develop and implement capacity building activities for the sites. These could include multilateral exchanges, peer to peer training, workshops, tutoring by experts, etc..

8. h)  Foster the development of individual or joint projects aiming at the objectives of the call and the objectives to be attained by the sites as defined in the Decision and in point 1 above. These activities should aim to illustrate the symbolic value of the sites and be linked to European Union significant events, i.e. festivities of 9th May. These activities can include financing schemes under specific calls for proposals, to be carried out by the beneficiaries or other EHL sites. The provisions in point 11.7 (d) should apply.

9. i)  Organise an annual conference on topics related to the EHL action, open to the EHL sites and other interested stakeholders.

Applicants should take into account when defining their proposal the fact that the number of sites will increase during the period of implementation of the action.

 

3 TIMETABLE

a) Publication of the call

September 2018

b) Deadline for submitting applications

03/01/2019 –
13:00 Brussels time

c) Evaluation period

January-February 2019

d) Information to applicants

February 2019

e) Signature of grant agreement

March 2019

 

4 BUDGET AVAILABLE

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects is estimated at 500.000 €.

This amount is subject to the availability of the appropriations, provided for in the draft budget for 2019, after the adoption of the budget for 2019 by the budgetary authority.

The maximum grant will be 500.000 €.
The Commission will fund 1(one) proposal.
The Commission reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.

 

5 ADMISSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

•   Applications must be sent no later than the deadline for submitting applications referred to in section 3.

•   Applications must be submitted in writing (see section 14), using the application forms available as annexes to this call for proposals.

•   Applications must be drafted in one of the EU official languages.

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

 

6. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

•  Eligible applicants

6 6.1

To be eligible applicants should:

• -  Be active in the cultural and creative sectors as defined in article 2 of the Regulation establishing the Creative Europe programme.3

• -  Have a strong connection with the European Heritage Label.

• -  Be legally established in one of the countries participating in the Culture Sub- programme.

Natural persons may not apply for a grant.

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 11.1.

 

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

Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. If the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, you will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible, to participate) or be required to leave the project on the basis of Article II.17.3.1(a) of the grant agreement.

The application may be submitted
- by a consortium including a minimum of 10 EHL awarded sites established in a

minimum of 5 different countries

Or

- by a single legal entity, whether established specifically or not for the action, provided that its stakeholders include minimum of 10 EHL awarded sites established in a minimum of 5 different countries and

  Are clearly identified in the proposal

  Comply with the eligibility, non-exclusion and selection criteria set out in this

call for proposals,.

The said stakeholders shall be treated as affiliated entities, notably for declaring eligible costs as specified under section 11.1.

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

 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);

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

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

 European Heritage Label sites applying as part of the Consortium should appear in the list of sites that have been awarded the European Heritage Label.4

6.2 Eligible activities

Activities eligible under this call for proposals:

• • Activities related to the creation of the framework mentioned in point 2.4 (a) above and the implementation of its governance provisions.

• Organisation of meetings, conferences, workshops and/or the development of tools, including digital tools to foster information exchange, exchange of practice and informal peer learning which are important to strengthening the capacity of their sectors, in particular internationalising and professionalising it.

• Multilateral exchanges, professional networking and partnership and project development. Exchanges maybe among professionals, or multi-layered, e.g. with artists, policy-makers, etc.

• Creation and maintenance of websites

• Preparation of newsletters, maintenance of professional databases to assist cultural professionals, artists or audiences.

• Activities, which encourage the sharing and appreciation of Europe's cultural heritage as a shared resource, to raise awareness of common history and values, and to reinforce a sense of belonging to a common European space.

• Promotion and dissemination activities

• Financing of projects to be carried out by the sites, jointly or individually, under specific calls for proposals (including the activities described in point 2.4. (h), keeping however in mind that double-financing and benefits from a subsidy are excluded.

• Financial support to third parties (see point 11.7.d) to carry out activities as described in point 2.4. (h)

6.3 Implementation period

The project's duration must be 20 months.

Consequently, applications for projects scheduled to run for a different period than that specified in this call for proposals will not be accepted.

 

7 EXCLUSION CRITERIA

7.1 Exclusion

1. Participants will be excluded from award procedures governed by the Financial Regulation5, or from being selected for implementing Union funds where that person or entity is in one or more of the following exclusion situations:

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

(b) it has been established by a final judgment or a final administrative decision that the person or entity is in breach of its obligations relating to the payment of taxes or social security contributions in accordance with the applicable law;

(c) it has been established by a final judgment or a final administrative decision that the person or entity is guilty of grave professional misconduct by having violated applicable laws or regulations or ethical standards of the profession to which the person or entity 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 eligibility or selection criteria or in the implementation of the legal commitment;

(ii) entering into agreement with other persons or entities with the aim of distorting competition;

(iii) violating intellectual property rights;

(iv) attempting to influence the Commission's decision-making during the award procedure;

(v) attempting to obtain confidential information that may confer upon it undue advantages in the award procedure;

(d) it has been established by a final judgment that the person or entity is guilty of any of the following:

(i) fraud, within the meaning of Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 ) and Article 1 of the Convention on the protection of the European Communities’ financial interests, drawn up by the Council Act of 26 July 1995 ( 2 );

(ii) corruption, as defined in Article 4(2) of Directive (EU) 2017/1371 or active corruption within the meaning of 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 ( 3 ), or conduct referred to in Article 2(1) of Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA ( 4 ), or corruption as defined in other applicable laws;

(iii) conduct related to a criminal organisation as referred to in Article 2 of Council Framework Decision 2008/841/JHA ( 5 );EN L 193/94 Official Journal of the European Union 30.7.2018

(iv) money laundering or terrorist financing within the meaning of Article 1(3), (4) and (5) of Directive (EU) 2015/849 of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 1 );

(v) terrorist offences or offences linked to terrorist activities, as defined in Articles 1 and 3 of Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA ( 2 ), 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 offences concerning trafficking in human beings as referred to in Article 2 of Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council ( 3 );

(e) the person or entity has shown significant deficiencies in complying with main obligations in the implementation of a legal commitment financed by the budget which has:

(i) led to the early termination of a legal commitment;
(ii) led to the application of liquidated damages or other contractual penalties; or

(iii) been discovered by the Commission services, OLAF or the Court of Auditors following checks, audits or investigations;

(f) it has been established by a final judgment or final administrative decision that the person or entity has committed an irregularity within the meaning of Article 1(2) of Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2988/95 ( 4 );

(g) it has been established by a final judgment or final administrative decision that the person or entity has created an entity in a different jurisdiction with the intent to circumvent fiscal, social or any other legal obligations in the jurisdiction of its registered office, central administration or principal place of business;

(h) it has been established by a final judgment or final administrative decision that an entity has been created with the intent referred to in point (g).

2. In the absence of a final judgment or, where applicable, a final administrative decision in the cases referred to in points (c), (d), (f), (g) and (h) of paragraph 1 of this Article, or in the case referred to in point (e) of paragraph 1 of this Article, the Commission shall exclude a person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation on the basis of a preliminary classification in law of a conduct as referred to in those points, having regard to established facts or other findings contained in the recommendation of the panel referred to in Article 143 of the Financial Regulation.

The preliminary classification referred to in the first subparagraph of this paragraph does not prejudge the assessment of the conduct of the person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation concerned by the competent authorities of Member States under national law. The Commission shall review his or her decision to exclude the person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation and/or to impose a financial penalty on a recipient without delay following the notification of a final judgment or a final administrative decision. In cases where the final judgment or the final administrative decision does not set the duration of the exclusion, the Commission shall set that duration on the basis of established facts and findings and having regard to the recommendation of the panel referred to in Article 143 of the Financial Regulation.

Where such final judgment or final administrative decision holds that the person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation is not guilty of the conduct subject to a preliminary classification in law, on the basis of which that person or entity has been excluded, the Commission shall, without delay, bring an end to that exclusion and/or reimburse, as appropriate, any financial penalty imposed.

The facts and findings referred to in the first subparagraph shall include, in particular:

(a) facts established in the context of audits or investigations carried out by EPPO in respect of those Member States participating in enhanced cooperation pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2017/1939, the Court of Auditors, OLAF or the internal auditor, or any other check, audit or control performed under the responsibility of the authorising officer;

(b) non-final administrative decisions which may include disciplinary measures taken by the competent supervisory body responsible for the verification of the application of standards of professional ethics;

(c) facts referred to in decisions of persons and entities implementing Union funds pursuant to point (c) of the first subparagraph of Article 62(1) of the Financial Regulation;

(d) information transmitted in accordance with point (d) of Article 142(2) of the Financial Regulation by entities implementing Union funds pursuant to point (b) of the first subparagraph of Article 62(1) of the Financial Regulation;

(e) decisions of the Commission relating to the infringement of Union competition law or of a national competent authority relating to the infringement of Union or national competition law.

3. Any decision of the Commission taken under Articles 135 to 142 of the Financial Regulation or, where applicable, any recommendation of the panel referred to in Article 143 of the Financial Regulation, shall be made in compliance with the principle of proportionality, in particular taking into account:

(a) the seriousness of the situation, including the impact on the financial interests and image of the Union;

(b) the time which has elapsed since the relevant conduct;

(c) the duration of the conduct and its recurrence;

(d) whether the conduct was intentional or the degree of negligence shown;

(e) in the cases referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1, whether a limited amount is at stake;

(f) any other mitigating circumstances, such as:

(i) the degree of collaboration of the person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation concerned with the relevant competent authority and the contribution of that person or entity to the investigation as recognised by the Commission; or

(ii) the disclosure of the exclusion situation by means of a declaration as referred to in Article 137(1) of the Financial Regulation.

4. The Commission shall exclude a person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation where:

(a) a natural or legal person who is a member of the administrative, management or supervisory body of the person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation, or who has powers of representation, decision or control with regard to that person or entity, is in one or more of the situations referred to in points (c) to (h) of paragraph 1 of this Article;

(b) a natural or legal person that assumes unlimited liability for the debts of the person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation is in one or more of the situations referred to in point (a) or (b) of paragraph 1 of this Article;

(c) a natural person who is essential for the award or for the implementation of the legal commitment is in one or more of the situations referred to in points (c) to (h) of paragraph 1.

5. In the cases referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, the Commission may exclude a person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation provisionally without the prior recommendation of the panel referred to in Article 143 of the Financial Regulation, where their participation in an award procedure or their selection for implementing Union funds would constitute a serious and imminent threat to the financial interests of the Union. In such cases, the Commission shall immediately refer the case to the panel referred to in Article 143 of the Financial Regulation and shall take a final decision no later than 14 days after having received the recommendation of the panel.

6. The Commission, having regard, where applicable, to the recommendation of the panel referred to in Article 143 of the Financial Regulation, shall not exclude a person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation from participating in an award procedure or from being selected for implementing Union funds where:

(a) the person or entity has taken remedial measures as specified in paragraph 7 of this Article, to an extent that is sufficient to demonstrate its reliability. This point shall not apply in the case referred to in point (d) of paragraph 1 of this Article;

(b) it is indispensable to ensure the continuity of service, for a limited duration and pending the adoption of remedial measures specified in paragraph 7 of this Article;

(c) such an exclusion would be disproportionate on the basis of the criteria referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article.

In addition, point (a) of paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply in the case of the purchase of supplies on particularly advantageous terms from either a supplier which is definitively winding up its business activities or the liquidators in an insolvency procedure, an arrangement with creditors, or a similar procedure under Union or national law.

In the cases of non-exclusion referred to in the first and second subparagraphs of this paragraph, the Commission shall specify the reasons for not excluding the person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation and inform the panel referred to in Article 143 of the said Regulation of those reasons.

7. The remedial measures referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 6 shall include, in particular:

(a) measures to identify the origin of the situations giving rise to exclusion and concrete technical, organisational and personnel measures within the relevant business or activity area of the person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation, appropriate to correct the conduct and prevent its further occurrence;

(b) proof that the person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation has undertaken measures to compensate or redress the damage or harm caused to the financial interests of the Union by the underlying facts giving rise to the exclusion situation;

(c) proof that the person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation has paid or secured the payment of any fine imposed by the competent authority or of any taxes or social security contributions referred to in point (b) of paragraph 1 of this Article.

8. The Commission, having regard, where applicable, to the revised recommendation of the panel referred to in Article 143 of the Financial Regulation, shall, without delay, revise its decision to exclude a person or entity referred to in Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation ex officio or on request from that person or entity, where the latter has taken remedial measures sufficient to demonstrate its reliability or has provided new elements demonstrating that the exclusion situation referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article no longer exists.

9. In the case referred to in point (b) of Article 135(2) of the Financial Regulation, the Commission shall require that the candidate or tenderer replaces an entity or a subcontractor on whose capacity it intends to rely, which is in an exclusion situation referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.

7.2 Rejection from the call for proposals6

1. Will be excluded from award procedures governed by the Financial regulation, a participant who:

(a) is in an exclusion situation established in accordance with Article 136 of the Financial Regulation;

(b) has misrepresented the information required as a condition for participating in the procedure or has failed to supply that information;

(c) was previously involved in the preparation of documents used in the award procedure where this entails a breach of the principle of equality of treatment, including distortion of competition, that cannot be remedied otherwise.

The Commission shall communicate to the other participants in the award procedure the relevant information exchanged in the context of or resulting from the involvement of the participant in the preparation of the award procedure as referred to in point (c) of the first subparagraph. Prior to any such rejection the participant shall be given the opportunity to prove that its involvement in preparing the award procedure does not breach the principle of equality of treatment.

2. Article 133(1) of the Financial Regulation shall apply unless the rejection has been justified in accordance with point (a) of the first subparagraph of paragraph 1 of this Article by a decision concerning exclusion taken with regard to the participant, following an examination of its observations.

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 documents7

A participant shall declare whether it is in one of the situations referred to in Articles 136(1) and 141(1) of the Financial Regulation, and, where applicable, whether it has taken any remedial measures referred to in point (a) of the first subparagraph of Article 136(6) of the Financial Regulation, by filling in the relevant form attached to the application form accompanying the call for proposals and available as annex 2.

A participant shall also declare whether the following persons or entities are in one of the exclusion situations referred to in points (c) to (h) of Article 136(1) of the Financial Regulation:

(a) natural or legal persons that are members of the administrative, management or supervisory body of the participant or that have powers of representation, decision or control with regard to that participant;

(b) beneficial owners, as defined in point (6) of Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2015/849, of the participant.

The participant or the recipient shall without delay inform the Commission of any changes in the situations as declared.

Where appropriate, the candidate or tenderer shall provide the same declarations referred to in the first and second subparagraphs signed by a subcontractor or by any other entity on whose capacity it intends to rely, as the case may be

This obligation may be fulfilled in one of the following ways:

a) for mono beneficiary grants

(i) the applicant signs a declaration in its name and on behalf of its affiliated entities OR

(ii) the applicant and its affiliated entities sign each a separate declaration in their own name

b) for multi beneficiaries grants

(i) the coordinator of a consortium signs a declaration on behalf of all applicants and their affiliated entities OR

(ii) each applicant in the consortium signs a declaration in its name and on behalf its affiliated entities OR

(iii) each applicant in the consortium and the affiliated entities sign each a separate declaration in their own name

 

8 SELECTION CRITERIA

8.1 Financial capacity9

The financial capacity will be assessed based on the methodology described in Annex 7a.

Applicants must have stable and sufficient sources of funding to maintain their activity throughout the duration of the grant 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) Grants with a pre-financing value of EUR 600 000 or less

For grants of this type, proof of financial capacity is constituted by a declaration on the honour by the grant applicant (see Annex 1 of the Application form).

However, in case of doubt and only for grants exceeding EUR 60 000, the assessment committee reserves the right to request supporting documents and to carry out a financial analysis as described at point 4 of the above mentioned methodology.

Moreover for grants exceeding EUR 60 000, entities falling into one of the high-risk categories mentioned at point 3.1 of the methodology must provide proof of their financial capacity and are required to undergo the financial analysis provided for in point 4 of the same methodology.

b) Grants with a pre-financing value of EUR 600 000 or more

For grants of this type, proof of economic and financial capacity is provided by the following documents:

• -  the declaration on the honour by the grant applicant (see Annex 1 Declaration on the honour of the Application form);

• -  the economic and financial capacity analysis form showing the financial data of the economic operator, completed and signed by the operator (see Annex 2 Economic and Financial Capacity Analysis Form of the Application Form);

• -  for economic operators required under national law to keep a complete set of accounts: the balance sheet, profit and loss account and annexes of the last financial year for which accounts have been closed;

• -  for economic operators required under national law to keep a simplified set of accounts: the schedule of actual expenditure and income and the annex showing assets and liabilities for the last financial year for which accounts have been closed.

In addition, in case of grants for an action ≥ EUR 750 000 or operating grants ≥ EUR 100 00010, an audit report produced by an approved external auditor certifying the accounts shall be provided for the last financial year available. In the event of an

 

application grouping several applicants (consortium), the thresholds apply to each applicant.

In the case of legal entities forming one applicant (“the sole applicant”), as specified in section 6.1, the above requirements apply to each one of those entities.

On the basis of the documents submitted, if the RAO considers the financial capacity to be weak, s/he may:

• request further information;
• decide not to give pre-financing;
• decide to give pre-financing paid in instalments;
• decide to give pre-financing covered by a bank guarantee (see section 11.4 below);
• where applicable, require the joint and several financial liability of all the co- beneficiaries;
• If the application RAO considers the financial capacity to be insufficient s/he will reject the

8.2 Operational capacity

Applicants must have the professional competencies as well as appropriate qualifications necessary to complete the proposed action. Applicants other than European Heritage Label sites should demonstrate at least 3 years of experience in managing projects in the Heritage sector and have performed activities in connection with the tasks described in point 2.4 about for a minimum of 3 years. The applicants other than European Heritage Label sites should be in a position to allocate a minimum of 1.5 Full Time Equivalent to the action (consolidated effort for the consortium).

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

For applicants that are awarded European Heritage Label sites.

 description of the profile of the people primarily responsible for managing and implementing the action,

For applicants other than designated European Heritage Label sites:

•   curriculum vitae or description of the profile of the people primarily responsible for managing and implementing the action, including language knowledge profile that should allow for communicating effectively with the other members of the consortium and with the Commission (English at level B2 is required);

•   the organisation's activity reports over the last 3 years;

•   an exhaustive lists of previous projects and activities performed and connected to

  the European Heritage Label action and other actions in the field of Heritage.

•   A list of projects and activities performed in connection with the tasks described in point 2.4 above.

 

In the case of legal entities forming one applicant (the "sole" applicant), as specified in section 6.1, the above requirements apply to each one of those entities.

 

9 AWARD CRITERIA

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

1. Relevance (30)

This criterion will assess: the extent to which the proposal will be able to attract the European Heritage Sites to be part of the network and participate in its activities, as beneficiaries and third parties, and mobilise them to develop joint projects in line with the objectives of the action; whether the proposed activities have the potential to foster the development of joint projects among the EHL sites; the suitability of the proposed mechanisms to develop a framework for networking; the proposed strategy for the sustainability of the network after the support foreseen in this action.

2. Quality of the content and activities, (40)

This criterion will assess the design of the networking and capacity building activities foreseen; the suitability and impact of the communication tools and activities; the proposed methodology of the organisation of the annual conference; the suitability of the web solutions for the external and internal websites for the objectives of the action.

3. Management of the project (30)

This criterion will assess the suitability of the allocation of resources to the different activities; the relevance and allocation of budget to the different activities, including subcontracting; the proposed schedule of activities; the comprehensiveness of the risk management strategy and quality control measures.

Proposals should have a minimum of 50% of the points allocated to each criterion and a minimum total of 60 points to be considered for selection.

 

10 LEGAL COMMITMENTS

The grant agreement, drawn up in euros and detailing the conditions and level of funding, will be sent to the selected applicant, as well as the information on the procedure to formalise the agreement between the parties.

The 2 copies of the original agreement must be signed first by the beneficiary [on behalf of the consortium] and returned to the Commission immediately. The Commission will sign it last.14

 

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