Support for information measures relating to the EU Cohesion policy

Deadline: Jan 21, 2021  
CALL EXPIRED

1. INTRODUCTION – BACKGROUND

This is a call for proposals for funding information measures within the meaning of Article 58 (1) (f) of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 from appropriations in the 2020 budget as announced by Commission Decision C(2020) 305 of 27.1.20201.

The political agenda of the European Union for the next years includes decisions of major importance for the future of the EU: a wide-ranging debate is taking place about the priorities on which the EU should focus. In parallel, a new multi-annual financial framework covering the period after 2020 will soon be adopted and new programmes and funding mechanisms will be set up to implement them.

In this context, it is important that future decisions about priorities for the EU take adequately into account the contribution of Cohesion policy2 to delivering on the EU's priorities and its potential to help reconnect the EU with its citizens.

The Cohesion policy provides investments in all regions in the EU in order to support job creation, business competitiveness, economic growth, sustainable development, and improve citizens' quality of life across the EU's 276 regions. These investments – which represent a third of the total EU budget - help to deliver on the EU's political priorities. They represent the most tangible and concrete proof of the EU's impact in the daily life of millions of citizens.

However, citizens are still insufficiently aware of the results of Cohesion policy and their impacts on their lives. To enable an informed debate about future priorities for the EU and ensure more transparency on how the EU's funds are being used and with what results, citizens should have a better knowledge and awareness of the investment in their countries, regions and cities.

The European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the EU have repeatedly emphasised the need to increase visibility of the EU's Cohesion policy, as illustrated by the General Affairs Council Conclusions3 on 'Bringing Cohesion policy closer to the citizens', by the European Parliament resolution4 on 'Increasing engagements of partners and visibility in the performance of European Structural5and Investment Funds' and by the proposals from the Joint communication actions on Cohesion policy put forward by the European Commission.

Within the current legal framework governing the implementation of the EU's Investment and Structural Funds6, this call for proposals aims to provide support for the production and dissemination of information and content linked to the EU Cohesion policy, while respecting complete editorial independence of the actors involved.

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

With the current call for proposals, the European Commission seeks to select potential beneficiaries for the implementation of a number of information measures7 co-financed by the EU. The main aim is to provide support for the production and dissemination of information and content linked to EU Cohesion policy8, including inter alia the Just Transition Fund9 and the recovery plan for Europe10, while respecting complete editorial independence of the actors involved.

The exact content of the proposed information measures will depend on the editorial choice of the applicants. The editorial independence will be guaranteed by a charter of independence that will be part of the agreement signed between the European Commission and the grant beneficiaries.

The specific objectives of this call for proposals are:

• To promote and foster a better understanding of the role of Cohesion policy in supporting all EU's regions;

• To increase awareness of projects funded by the EU - through Cohesion policy in particular - and of their impact on people's lives;

• To disseminate information and encourage an open dialogue on Cohesion policy, its results, its role in delivering on the EU's political priorities and on its future;

• To encourage civic participation in matters related to Cohesion policy and to foster citizens' participation to setting priorities for the future of this policy.

The proposals shall illustrate and assess the role of Cohesion policy in delivering the European Commission’s political priorities and in addressing current and future challenges for the EU, its Member States, its regions and the local level. More specifically, they should relate to the contribution of Cohesion policy to:

Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013 laying down common provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and laying down general provisions on the European Regional Development Fund, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1083/2006 (in particular Articles 115-117 therein and Annex XII).

With this call for proposals the European Commission is supporting information measures relating to the EU Cohesion policy, which is delivered through three main funds: the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the Cohesion Fund (CF) and the European Social Fund (ESF). In this sense, a project which addresses the impact of any of these three Funds in a region is eligible.

• boosting jobs, growth and investment at the regional and national level, and improving citizens’ quality of life;

• helping deliver on the EU's and Member States' major priorities – which include, in addition to job and growth creation, addressing climate change, protecting environment, enhancing research and innovation, among others;

• enhancing economic, social and territorial cohesion in the EU while reducing disparities between and within EU countries and regions;

• helping regions harness globalisation by finding their niche in the world economy;

• reinforcing the European project as Cohesion policy directly serves EU citizens. The expected results and outputs are the following:

  • To increase media coverage on Cohesion policy, in particular at regional level;

  • To enhance people's awareness of the results of Cohesion policy and their impact

    on their lives;

  • To achieve concrete outputs and deliverables aimed at wide outreach within the

    measure's duration – e.g. TV and radio broadcast, online or print coverage, other type of information measures and dissemination - taking multilingualism into account;

  • To establish an efficient and effective collaboration between the European Commission and the grant beneficiaries.

    The target audience of the information measures to be implemented through this call is the general public and/or related stakeholders. More specifically:

• −  For the general public: the objective is to raise public awareness of the results of Cohesion policy and their impact on citizens' lives to Europeans who are unaware of the EU and of the EU action in their region. Information should focus on developing greater understanding of the contribution of Cohesion policy to boosting jobs and growth in Europe and reducing disparities among Member States and regions.

• −  For stakeholders: the objective is to engage with stakeholders (including national, regional and local authorities, beneficiaries, businesses, academia) to further communicate the impact of Cohesion policy on their regions and to feed into the discussion on the future of Cohesion policy and, more broadly, the future of Europe.

3. TIMETABLE

(a) Publication of the call

13/10/2020

(b) Deadline for submitting applications

12/01/2021

(c) Evaluation period

February to April 2021

(d) Information to applicants

May 2021

(e) Signature of grant agreements

June to August 2021

4. BUDGET AVAILABLE

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects under this call for proposals is estimated at 5.000.000 €.

The grant amount will be maximum EUR 300 000.
The Commission reserves the right not to distribute all the funds available.

5. ADMISSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

In order to be admissible, applications must be:

− sent no later than the deadline for submitting applications referred to in section 3;

− submitted in writing (see section 14), using the application form available at https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/newsroom/funding-opportunities/calls- for-proposal/; and

− drafted in one of the EU official languages.
Failure to comply with those requirements will lead to rejection of the application.

6. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

6.1. Eligible applicants

Proposals may be submitted by any of the following applicants11:

• −  media organisations/news agencies (television, radio, written press, online media, new media, combination of different media);

• −  non-profit organizations;

• −  universities and educational institutions;

• −  research centres and think-tanks;

• −  associations of European interest;

• −  private entities;

• − public authorities12 (national, regional and local), with the exception of the authorities in charge of the implementation of Cohesion policy in accordance with Art 123. of Regulation (EU) No 1303/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 December 2013.

Natural persons as well as entities established for the sole purpose of the implementation of the projects within this call for proposals are not eligible.

Applicants who participated in the calls launched by the European Commission in 2017, 2018 and 2019 (Call for proposals 2017CE16BAT063, 2018CE16BAT042, and 2019CE16BAT117 respectively, for "Support for information measures relating to the EU Cohesion policy") are eligible notwithstanding the outcome of their previous applications.

Please be aware that following the entry into force of the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement13 on 1 February 2020 and in particular Articles 127(6), 137 and 138, the references to natural or legal persons residing or established in a Member State of the European Union are to be understood as including natural or legal persons residing or established in the United Kingdom. UK residents and entities are therefore eligible to participate under this call.]

Country of establishment

Only applications from legal entities established in the following countries are eligible: − EU Member States;

Supporting documents

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;

• −  natural persons: photocopy of identity card and/or passport; certificate of liability to VAT, if applicable (e.g. some self-employed persons)

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

Please note that, in the course of the procedure, applicants may be requested to register and provide a Participant Identification Code (PIC, 9-digit number), serving as the unique identifier of their organisation in the Participant Register. Applicants will receive instructions on how to create a PIC in due time.

Public law bodies or bodies governed by private law with a public service mission.

Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the

European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community.

Upon communication of the applicant's PIC, the EU Validation Services (Research Executive Agency Validation Services) will contact the applicant (via the messaging system embedded in the Participant Register) and request the latter to provide the supporting documents necessary to prove the legal existence and status of the organisation. All necessary details and instructions will be provided via this separate notification.

6.2. Eligible activities

The eligible activities shall be those necessary to carry out the information measure and realise the intended outputs/results in accordance with the objectives, themes and target audience as listed under section 2 of this call for proposals.

A. The measures should be implemented within the EU at local, regional, multiregional, national level, or at the level of several Member States.

B. The proposals should include one or several activities and tools having an innovative character with a view to attaining the objectives, cover the themes and reach the target audience.

C. Measures required by law or under the specific public service contracts (in the case of publicly owned entities) are not eligible.

6.3. Implementation period

Applicants are invited to submit proposals for projects with a maximum duration of 12 months.

7. EXCLUSION CRITERIA

7.1. Exclusion

The authorising officer shall exclude an applicant from participating in call for proposals procedures where:

1. (a)  the applicant 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 EU or national laws or regulations;

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

3. (c)  it has been established by a final judgment or a final administrative decision that the applicant is guilty of grave professional misconduct by having violated applicable laws or regulations or ethical standards of the profession to which the applicant belongs, or by having engaged in any wrongful intent or gross negligence, including, in particular, any of the following:

   1. (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 performance of a contract, a grant agreement or a grant decision;

   2. (ii)  entering into agreement with other applicants with the aim of distorting competition;

   3. (iii)  violating intellectual property rights;

   4. (iv)  attempting to influence the decision-making process of the Commission during the award procedure;

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

4. (d)  it has been established by a final judgment that the applicant is guilty of any of the following:

   1. (i)  fraud, within the meaning of Article 3 of Directive (EU) 2017/1371 of the European Parliament and of the Council 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 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, or conduct referred to in Article 2(1) of Council Framework Decision 2003/568/JHA, or corruption as defined in the applicable law;

   3. (iii)  conduct related to a criminal organisation, as referred to in Article 2 of Council Framework Decision 2008/841/JHA;

   4. (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;

   5. (v)  terrorist offences or offences linked to terrorist activities, as defined in Articles 1 and 3 of Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA, respectively, or inciting, aiding, abetting or attempting to commit such offences, as referred to in Article 4 of that Decision;

   6. (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;

5. (e)  the applicant has shown significant deficiencies in complying with main obligations in the performance of a contract, a grant agreement or a grant decision financed by the Union's 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;

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

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

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

9. (i) for the situations referred to in points (c) to (h) above, the applicant is subject to:

   1. (i)  facts established in the context of audits or investigations carried out by European Public Prosecutor's Office after its establishment, the Court of Auditors, the European Anti-Fraud Office or the internal auditor, or any other check, audit or control performed under the responsibility of an authorising officer of an EU institution, of a European office or of an EU agency or body;

   2. (ii)  non-final judgments or 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;

   3. (iii)  facts referred to in decisions of persons or entities being entrusted with EU budget implementation tasks;

   4. (iv)  information transmitted by Member States implementing Union funds;

   5. (v)  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; or

   6. (vi)  decisions of exclusion by an authorising officer of an EU institution, of a European office or of an EU agency or body.

7.2. Remedial measures

If an applicant declares one of the situations of exclusion listed above (see section 7.1), it must indicate the measures it has taken to remedy the exclusion situation, thus demonstrating its reliability. This may include e.g. technical, organisational and personnel measures to correct the conduct and prevent further occurrence, compensation of damage or payment of fines or of any taxes or social security contributions. The relevant documentary evidence which illustrates the remedial measures taken must be provided in annex to the declaration. This does not apply for situations referred in point (d) of section 7.1.

7.3. Rejection from the call for proposals

The authorising officer shall not award a grant to an applicant who:

1. (a)  is in an exclusion situation established in accordance with section 7.1; or

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

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

The same exclusion criteria apply to affiliated entities.

Administrative sanctions (exclusion) may be imposed on applicants, or affiliated entities where applicable, if any of the declarations or information provided as a condition for participating in this procedure prove to be false.