Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria

Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works of Bulgaria

Joint Small Projects Fund
for Cross-Border Cooperation:
Bulgaria – Turkey

Guidelines
for grant applicants
responding to the Call for proposals
for 2004

Budget line: BG2004/016-715.02

Table of Contents

1.the small Projects fund programme………………………………………

1.1Background………………………………………………………………………………………….…….

1.2Objectives of the programme and priority areas………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

1.3Financial allocation provided by the Contracting Authority………………………………………………………………………………………………...….

2.1Еligibility criteria (considered as project with cross border effect)……………………………………………………………………….………………………….……

2..1.1 Categories of eligible projects...... 5

2.1.2 Eligibility of Applicants: who may apply?......

2.1.3Partnership and Eligibility of Partners…………………………………………………………………….

2.1.4Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made……………………………………….

2.1.5Eligibility of costs: costs, which may be taken into consideration for the grant……………………..

2.2How to apply and the procedures to follow……………………………………………………......

2.2.1Application form and supporting documents………………………………………………………...…

2.2.2Where and how to send the applications……………………………………………………………….

2.2.3Deadline for receipt of applications……………………………………………………………………...

2.2.4Further Information………………………………………………………………………………………..

2.2.5Acknowledgement of receipt……………………………………………………………………………..

2.3Evaluation and Selection of Applications……………………………………………………………………………………………...

2.4.Notification of the contracting authority’s decisioN…………………………………………………………………………………………….……….

2.5Conditions Applicable to the implementation of the action following the contracting authority’s decision to award a grant…………………………………………………………………………………………………...……

3.LIST OF annexes………………………………………………………………………

Annex A: Grant Application Form (Word format)/to be filled in/

Annex B: Budget (Excel format) /to be filled in/

Annex C: Logical Framework Planning Matrix (Excel format) /to be filled in/

Annex D: List of Per diems, published 12 December 2005 (Word format) /N.B. For applicants’ information, do not include in application dossier/

Annex E-VIII: Contract (Word format) /N.B. For applicants’ information do not include in application dossier/

Annex F: Format of CV

1.the small Projects fund programme

1.1Background

With a view to strengthen cross-border co-operation in their common border region, Turkey and Bulgaria decided in 2002 to start implementing a Joint Small Projects Fund (JSPF). Turkish and Bulgarian authorities held two meetings, the first in Edirne on 25 February 2003 and a subsequent one in Sofia on 7 April 2003 at which an agreement was reached on including a JSPF scheme to this effect in the 2003 pre-accession financial assistance programme. The JSPF for 2004 will be a pilot action to introduce the 2004-2006 cross-border co-operation programme (CBC) between Bulgaria and Turkey.

The overall orientations of the CBC programme are given in European Commission Regulation No. 1628/94 of 4th July 1994, latterly replaced by European Commission Regulation No. 2760/98 of 18th December 1998 and the last Commission Regulations (EC) No 1596/2002. These Regulations make specific reference to the setting up of joint small projects funds to directly involve local and regional actors in cross-border cooperation. Such funds are to be used to enhance the capabilities of local and regional public administrations and other components of the democratic society (such as chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture, trade associations, trade unions, NGOs, schools and universities, etc.) from the border region to identify and develop joint small-scale projects with a cross-border impact. The JSPF will therefore play a key role in improving the administrative capacity of local/regional actors. Flexible funding mechanisms with a relatively quick implementation period aiming to support small-scale interventions addressing identified local needs are deemed to be an efficient instrument to foster the development of direct links between the communities, the institutions and the organisations across the border. These funds are part of a process of creating” integration-minded” border regions. The action represents thus an important element in supporting the social and economic integration within the border region between Turkey and Bulgaria.

The implementation of the JSPF under Financial Memorandum 2004 will fully respect the EU Practical Guide to contract procedures), financed by the general budget of the European Communities in the context of external action (PRAG).

The budget available for the grant scheme is 500.000 EUR per country. Within these funds, the EU may finance indirect (overhead) costs up to 7% of the total allocation (maximum 35.000 EUR per country) to cover administrative costs for supporting the JSPF operation.

The overall indicative amount made available under this call for proposals is 465.000 EUR.

A similar JSPF has been granted to Turkey too.

1.2Objectives of the programme and priority areas

The overall purpose of the Joint Small Projects Fund is to support small scale, "people-to-people” and “soft" local development activities involving local actors from the border regions. These actions may be defined on the basis of local/regional needs, and which have a cross-border impact. The Joint Small Projects Fund (JSPF) supports the key objectives of the Turkish-Bulgarian CBC Programme, namely to help the border region to overcome specific development problems resulting from their relative isolation in the institutional framework of national economies and to remove existing disparities within the cross-border region and thus to the gradual alignment of economic and social development; the JSPF also supports the establishment and development of co-operative networks across the border and the creation of links between these networks and wider European Union networks. The JSPF objectives are as follows:

1.2.1Overall objective:

Reducing the negative effects, resulting from living near the border;

Support the further sustainable development of the economic potential of the border region.

1.2.2Specific objective:

Strengthening of people to people co-operation across the border;

Encouraging and supporting the establishment or further development of sustainable co-operation network between local and regional stakeholders;

Increasing personnel and institutional capability for co-operation and participation in future development programmes.

Supporting development particularly in the field of small-scale activities (people to people co-operation) across the border.

1.2.3Priority areas:

The Joint Small Projects Fund will finance small-scale people-to-people projects in the following priority areas:

Economic Development – support and co-ordination of joint activities for encouraging the conclusion of cross-border co-operation agreements, strengthening the existing relation between the region’s administrations and associations;

Tourism –support for preparation and implementation of joint projects related to the protection, recovery and popularisation of the common cultural, architectural, artistic, historic, natural and tourism resources in the Border Region;

Cultural Exchanges –support for strengthening relations and for the creation of cross-border networks between universities, schools, and research institutions, for exchanges of student, for joint sport and cultural activities among the youth, for joint training initiatives with a view to popularisation of new technologies and innovations, for joint scientific research and for joint studies on the history and traditions of the region;

Institutional capacity building at local level–support for intensifying the institutional interaction and co-operation in the Border Region by improving the skills of organizational structures in local and regional administrations and in other areas of the civil society;

Proposed activities must demonstrate a strong and evident cross-border impact.

1.3Financial allocation provided by the Contracting Authority

The overall indicative total grants amount available under the present Call for Proposals is 465,000 EUR for Bulgariafrom Phare Programme and the same amount by the Pre-Accession Programme for Turkey. The Contracting Authority reserves the right not to award all available funds.

Size of grants

The following minimum and maximum amounts apply to the grants for the individual projects, which may be financed under the programme:

• minimum amount of grant requested[1]: 10,000 EUR

• maximum amount of grant requested: projects up to a maximum of 50,000 EUR may be financed under this facility.

In addition, no grant may exceed 90 % of the total eligible costs of the action (see also 2.1.4. below). The balance must be financed from the applicant’s or partners’ own resources, or from sources other than the European Community budget.

Note: Minimum co-financing will be 10% of the total eligible costs of the action. All co-financing must be visible in the Applicant’s and/or partner’s accounts /accountancy. Co-financing must support projects in order to demonstrate local commitment. This may not be in kind. No resources, which have been assisted by other EC support, may be taken into account as own contribution (projects should not be financed by another EU sources.

2.RULES OF THE PRESENT CALL FOR PROPOSALS

These guidelines set out the rules for the submission selection and implementation of projects for the above mentioned programme and are in application of the Practical Guide to contracting procedures (PRAG), section 6 on Grants.

See also:

2.1Еligibility criteria (considered as project with cross border effect).

There are four sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:

Categories of eligible projects;

Organisations which may request a grant;

Projects for which a grant may be awarded;

Types of cost, which may be taken into account for establishing the amount of the grant.

2.1.1Categories of eligible projects

• Simple Projects

Projects have to be prepared by the Applicant[2] in co-operation with the partners from the other side of the border, though only one application is presented. In any case, direct and clear cross-border impact should be ensured. These projects are realised on one side of the border with only one applicant organisation. As above, at least one partner from the other side of the border (which won’t be funded) is compulsory.

• Complementary/Mirror Projects

Complementary projects are developed in cross border co-operation. Activities should take place on both sides of the border and show strong coherence (e.g. in content, partnership, impact). Two different applications have to be submitted by the two Applicants. In this case, the two Applicants (from each side of the border) acting as mutual partners. This requirement is compulsory.

The applicant organisation may also have partnership with organisations from the same side of the border. However that is not a mandatory requirement (for detailed information see p. 2.1.3).

Project activities to be implemented on the different sides of the border are complementary. Clear reference should be made in the application referring to the mirror project, which could be either a new or mirror to already existing projects (PHARE, Pre-Accession Programme or other projects).

Complementary projects haveto be realised parallel in time. Since these projects are registered independently, it is important to indicate the complementary project to facilitate the evaluation of the proposals.

Complementary projects have to be applied for separately in each partner country comprising of actions to be carried out on one side of the border, therefore only one contract will be signed for each mirror project and the project budget should not be divided by countries.

It is important that two applications have to be prepared in a way that allows even separate implementation, in case one of the projects is rejected during the selection process.

Special attention should be given to identify the cross-border impact of such mirror activities.

In case the complementary/mirror projects are approved by the Evaluation Committee, both Applicants will receive funding. The Bulgarian project part will be financed from PHARE, whereas the Turkish from the Pre-Accession Programme budget. Applicants from Bulgaria will be responsible for distributing funds to their (financing) partners in Bulgaria, whereas applicants from Turkey will be responsible for transferring funds to their partners in Turkey.

2.1.2Eligibility of Applicants: who may apply?

Applicants must comply with the following conditions in order to be eligible for a grant:

Be non-profit-making legal persons[3];

Be local and regional authorities; associations of local and regional authorities, sport associations; Euro regions; chambers of commerce, industry or agriculture; professional associations; trade union associations; non-governmental organisations (any non-profit organizations which are independent from government and typically value-based organizations that depend, in whole or in part, on charitable donations and voluntary service); schools, colleges, universities, etc.;

Be registered at least 12 months before the submission deadline of this Call for Proposals

Be located within an eligible district or province in the border region between Bulgaria and Turkey. For Bulgaria this includes the districts of Haskovo, Yambol or Burgas. For Turkey the provinces of Edirne and Kirklareli. National organisations with a branch office and a clear role in the region can be eligible. In this case a document of foundation is required, proving that the local branch has been registered and it is an independent entity with own set of accounts;

Be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action, not acting as an intermediary;

Have at least one partner from the other side of the border, which has to be backed by a partnership statement[4].

Profit-making organisations, district administrations, political parties are not eligible.

IMPORTANT: Civil servants or other officials of the central and District Governor’s administrations, regardless of their administrative situation, must not apply under this Call for Proposals either as Applicant or Partner.

Potential applicants may not participate in Calls for Proposals or be awarded grants if:

(a)they are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subjects of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;

(b)they have been convicted of an offence concerning professional conduct by a judgement which has the force of res judicata (i.e., against which no appeal is possible);

(c)they are guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the Contracting Authority can justify;

(d)they have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country where they are established;

(e)they have been the subject of a judgement which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement in a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the Communities’ financial interest;

(f)they have been declared to be in serious breach of contract for failure to comply with their contractual obligations in connection with a procurement procedure or other grant award procedure financed by the Community budget;

Applicants are also excluded from participation in calls for proposals or the award of grants if, at the time of the call for proposals:

(g)they are subject to a conflict of interests;

(h)they are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required by the contracting authority as a condition of participation in the call for proposals or fail to supply this information;

(i)they have attempted to obtain confidential information or influence the evaluation committee or contracting authority during the evaluation process of current or previous calls for proposals.

In the case referred to in points (a), (c), (d), (f), (h) and (i) above, the exclusion applies for a period of two years from the time when the infringement is established. In the cases to in points (b) and (e), the exclusion applies for a period of four years from the date of notification of the judgement.

Applicants must supply with their applications a sworn statement that they do not fall into any of the above categories (a) to (f).

2.1.3Partnership and Eligibility of Partners[5]

Applicant organisations must have at least one action partner from the other side of the border. This is a mandatory requirement. The Turkish partner(s) must comply with the following conditions:

• be non-profit-making legal organisations/bodies;
• be municipalities; local authorities; associations of local authorities; Euro regions; chambers of commerce, industry or agriculture; professional associations; non-governmental organisations; schools and other educational institutions,(colleges, universities etc)., community centres, foundations, civil associations, other NGO’s etc.
• be located within an eligible Turkish NUTS III regions: Edirne and Kirklareli.

The above said is valid without exclusion.

The applicant organisation may also have partnership with other Bulgarian organisations. However that is not a mandatory requirement. Bulgarian partners must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as those for applicants (see item 2.1.2).

The applicant will be the lead organisation and, in case of selection, the contracting party (the “Beneficiary”). Partnership is not to be substantiated by legal documents. The partnership statement in the application form will need to be filled in, signed, dated and stamped in this regard. It stands for co-operation and mutual agreement to ensure that the projects have a strong cross-border impact, directly linked with the rationale of the CBC programme.

Applicant’s partners participate in designing and implementing the Action and the costs they incur are eligible in the same way as those incurred by the grant Beneficiary.

Subcontractors are neither partners nor associates, and are subject to the rules set out in Annex IV to the standard grant contract.

Other organisations may be involved in the action. So-called associates play a real role in the action but may not receive funding from the grant. Associates do not have to meet the eligibility criteria referred to in section 2.1.2.

2.1.4Eligible actions: actions for which an application may be made

Size

Amount: there are no restrictions concerning the total cost of the action. However, the Community grant applied for must fall within the minimum and maximum amounts set out in section 1.3 above.

Duration: The duration of an action may not exceed 12 months. The commencement date will be of the day following the date when the grant contract has been signed by the last of the two contracting parties (the beneficiary and the Contracting Authority)

Sectors or themes

Small Scale non-investment “People-to people” projects-the development and enhancing of co-operation between neighbouring regions on both sides of a border with a view to joint improvement of the cultural, educational and socio-economic development, living conditions and on-going contact. Activities have to be related to the following priority areas:

1. Economic development
2. Tourism
3. Cultural exchanges
4. Institutional capacity building at local and regional level

Location