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LIFE Preparatory Projects for the European Solidarity Corps
Date de clôture : 7 mars 2017  
APPEL À PROJET CLÔTURÉ

 Jeunes agriculteurs
 Ressources naturelles
 Environnement
 Protection environnementale
 Mobilité des jeunes
 Services volontaires européens
 Volontaires de l'aide de l'UE
 Fonds européen agricole pour le développement rural (...
 Programme LIFE
 Sciences du climat

1. General Information 

1.0 Introduction 

This call embodies a joint initiative of the European Programme for the Environment and Climate Action (LIFE) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) aimed at concretely exploring the potential of using volunteer work for environmental protection activities, mainly targeted to Natura 2000 sites. This initiative will be implemented by means of LIFE preparatory projects and builds on the mobilisation and deployment opportunities of volunteers provided by the European Solidarity Corps1. 

1.1 Funding programmes 

What is LIFE? 

LIFE is the European Programme for the Environment and Climate Action, for the period from 1 January 2014 until 31 December 2020. The legal basis for LIFE is Regulation 1293/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 20132

The LIFE Programme is structured in two sub-programmes: the sub-programme for Environment and the sub-programme for Climate Action. The overall financial envelope for the implementation of the LIFE Programme is 3,456,655,000 Euro, 75% of which is allocated to the sub-programme Environment (2,592,491,250 Euro) and 25% of which is allocated to the sub-programme Climate Action. 

According to Article 17(4) of the LIFE Regulation, at least 81% of the total budget shall be allocated to projects supported by way of action grants or, where appropriate, financial instruments. The first LIFE Multiannual Work Programme covering the period 2014-2017 foresees a budget of 1,347.1 Million Euro for the sub-programme for environment and 449.2 Million Euro for the sub-programme for climate action 3. 

What is EAFRD? 

The EAFRD (European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development) is the funding instrument of the EU’s rural development policy. The overall financial envelop of the EAFRD reaches 99.6 billion euro for the 2014-2020 programming period and for the Union as a whole. 

The rural development policy, frequently called "the second pillar” of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), helps the rural areas of the EU to meet a wide range of economic, environmental and social challenges, in line with the underlying goals of the "Europe 2020" strategy of the Union. 

 

One of the specific six Union priorities for Rural Development concerns the restoration, preservation and enhancement of ecosystems related to agriculture and forestry, including environmental protection activities, nature conservation and restoration of natural areas and ecosystems such as Natura 2000. The rural development (EAFRD) contribution to the present initiative relates to this priority. 

What is the European Solidarity Corps? 

It was announced by President Juncker during his State of the Union speech on 14 September 2016: "The European Union can also contribute to helping create opportunities for young people. There are many young, socially-minded people in Europe willing to make a meaningful contribution to society and help show solidarity. […] I am convinced much more solidarity is needed. But I also know that solidarity must be given voluntarily. It must come from the heart. It cannot be forced. […] In the same spirit, the Commission is proposing today to set up a European Solidarity Corps. Young people across the EU will be able to volunteer their help where it is needed most, to respond to crisis situations, like the refugee crisis or the recent earthquakes in Italy. I want this European Solidarity Corps up and running as soon as possible. And by 2020, to see the first 100,000 young Europeans taking part. By voluntarily joining the European Solidarity Corps, these young people will be able to develop their skills and get not only work but also invaluable human experience." 

The European Solidarity Corps (ESC) is conceived to offer people under 30 in Europe the chance to support a non-governmental organisation (NGO), local authority or private company active in addressing challenging situations across the European Union – for instance: rebuilding communities following natural disasters; addressing social challenges such as social exclusion, poverty, health and demographic challenges; or working on the reception and integration of refugees. 

The Corps will develop its own distinct identity, rooted in the core EU values of engagement and solidarity. By joining the Corps, participants will express their commitment and willingness to devote a period of their lives to helping others. By supporting others, including the most vulnerable in our societies and communities, young people will not only put the core EU value of solidarity into practice, but also acquire skills and experience, including language skills, that can be valuable when looking for a job or considering further education and training. 

More information is available at europa.eu/solidarity-corps 

1.2 What are LIFE Preparatory projects? 

According to the LIFE Regulation, Preparatory projects address specific needs for the development and implementation of Union environmental or climate policy and legislation. 

1.3 Scope of LIFE Preparatory projects 

The Commission identified a specific need regarding the development and implementation of Union environmental or climate policy and legislation that could be addressed by Preparatory projects. Before launching the call for proposals, Member States have been consulted. 

 

1.4 How, where and when to submit a proposal? 

LIFE applicants must submit their proposals using the forms included in this application guide and attaching all relevant documents. Applications must arrive at the following address no later than 16:00 Brussels local time on 7 March 2017. 

Postal address: 

LIFE 2016 – Preparatory Projects 

European Commission 

DG ENV – LIFE Unit (BU9 03/006) 

B-1049 Brussels 

Belgium 

Delivery by hand is possible at the following address only: 

LIFE 2016– Preparatory Projects 

European Commission 

DG ENV – LIFE Unit (BU9 03/006) 

Avenue du Bourget 1 

B-1140 Brussels (Evere) 

Belgium 

Note that it is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the proposal arrives on time; any courier or postal service serves as the applicant's agent. 

The proposal and all its obligatory annexes must be submitted in an electronic format, accompanied by a signed cover letter. The full title of the proposal should be clearly labelled in an electronic format and on the letter. 

The proposal itself must be submitted as one "black and white only" pdf document, including all technical forms (i.e. A, B and C forms) and all financial forms (F forms). These forms should be scanned and submitted as a single pdf file of the original, printed, completed and signed (where applicable) A4 size paper forms. The paper forms should be retained by the applicants. Applicants should ensure that the corresponding pdf file is of a readable quality (at a maximum resolution of 300 dpi - applicants must avoid sending files scanned at a higher resolution in order to keep file sizes manageable). 

The proposal must be printable on a black-and-white printer, and in an A4 format. Where proposal forms are signed, beneficiaries are strongly advised to check whether the signatures are still identifiable on a printout of the form. 

Note that applicants should retain the original, signed Word and Excel files containing all of these forms, for possible use in preparation of the final grant agreements

Additional documents/annexes, other than those required, submitted by applicants (e.g. brochures, CVs, additional information etc) will not be evaluated and therefore applicants must not include any such material in the electronic format. 

Very important: Please note that the e-mail address specified by the applicant as the contact person's e-mail address in form A2 will be used by the Commission as the single contact point for all correspondence with the applicant during the evaluation procedure. It should therefore correspond to an e-mail account which is valid, active and checked on a daily basis throughout the duration of the evaluation procedure. 

1.5 Administrative and financial information to be provided 

Beneficiaries may include: (1) public bodies, (2) private commercial organisations and (3) private non-commercial organisations (including NGOs). 

The term "public bodies" is defined as referring to national public authorities, regardless of their form of organisation – central, regional or local structure – and the various bodies, including public institutions, under their control, provided these operate on behalf of and under the responsibility of the national public authority concerned. In the case of entities registered as private law bodies wishing to be considered for the purpose of this call as equivalent to "public law bodies", they should provide evidence proving that they comply with all criteria applying to bodies governed by public law and in the event the entity stops its activities, its rights and obligations, liability and debts will be transferred to a public body. For a complete definition, please refer to form A3b ("Public body declaration"). All beneficiaries which want to be considered and treated as a public body must complete form A3b. 

All coordinating beneficiaries which do not want to be treated as a public body must complete the simplified financial statement, which is provided in a separate excel file in the application package. 

All applicants and associated beneficiaries must show their legal status (by completing application forms A2 or A5), and provide full information on the Member State in which they are registered. In addition all beneficiaries must declare that they are not in any of the situations foreseen under art. 106(1) and 107 of the EU Financial Regulation4 (by signing the application form A3 or A4 – instructions for this are given in section 3 of these Guidelines). 

4 Regulation (EU, EURATOM) No 966/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union and repealing Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002, OJEU L 298 of 26.10.2012, p.1. 

Please refer to section 4.6 of this document for full details regarding the compulsory administrative documents which are required with the proposal depending on the legal status of the coordinating beneficiary. 

1.6 How will LIFE Preparatory projects be selected? 

The European Commission is responsible for the evaluation procedure. 

The project selection procedure will be organised as follows: 

 Evaluation of proposals : The Commission will verify the compliance of each proposal with the eligibility and selection criteria, and will evaluate them against the award criteria. Proposals will be ranked on the basis of the score obtained in relation to the award criteria. 

 After a review phase, successful projects will be proposed for funding, within the available budget. 

 Signature of the grant agreement: This is expected to occur before August 2017. 

 

Details of the evaluation procedure are described in section 4 of this document. 

1.7 General Guidance to Applicants 

The current chapter replies to some frequently asked questions on how to conceive a LIFE project proposal. 

1.7.1 In which language may the proposal be submitted? 

LIFE proposals may be submitted in any of the official EU languages, except Irish or Maltese. The Commission nevertheless strongly recommends that applicants fill in the technical part of the proposal in clear English. 

Form B1 ("Summary description of the project") must always be submitted in English. It may in addition also be submitted in the language of the proposal. 

1.7.2 Who may submit a proposal for a Preparatory Project? 

A proposal may be submitted by any legal person registered in the European Union. 

LIFE is open to public or private bodies, actors or institutions registered in the European Union. Project proposals can either be submitted by a single applicant or by a partnership which includes a coordinating beneficiary (the applicant) and one or several associated beneficiaries. 

Applicants may fall into three types of beneficiaries: (1) public bodies, (2) private commercial organisations and (3) private non-commercial organisations (including NGOs). 

The term "public bodies" is defined in section 1.5 of this document. The applicant must show its legal status (by completing application form A2) confirming legal registration in the EU. 

Once a proposal has been accepted for co-funding, the applicant will become the coordinating beneficiary legally and financially responsible for the implementation of the project. The coordinating beneficiary will be the single point of contact for the Commission and will be the only beneficiary to report directly to the Commission on the project's technical and financial progress. 

The coordinating beneficiary receives the EU financial contribution from the Commission and ensures its distribution as specified in the partnership agreements established with the associated beneficiaries (if any). The coordinating beneficiary must be directly involved in the technical implementation of the project and in the dissemination of the project results. 

Section 1.5 also provides more details regarding the compulsory administrative documents which are required with the proposal depending on the legal status of the coordinating beneficiary. 

1.7.3 Who may participate in a project? 

In addition to the coordinating beneficiary, a LIFE proposal may also involve one or more associated beneficiaries and/or one or more project co-financers. 

An associated beneficiary has to be legally registered in the European Union. An associated beneficiary must always contribute technically to the proposal and hence be responsible for the implementation of one or several project actions. An associated beneficiary must also contribute financially to the project. It must provide the beneficiary with all the necessary documents required for the fulfilment of its reporting obligations to the Commission. 

There is no obligation to involve associated beneficiaries in a LIFE proposal. A proposal that is submitted without any other participant other than the coordinating beneficiary itself is perfectly eligible. On the other hand, a beneficiary should not hesitate to associate other beneficiaries if this would bring an added value to the project. A meaningful collaboration can be expected, for instance, when the partnership strengthens the European added value of the project and/or the transferability of its results and lessons learnt. 

Each beneficiary (coordinating or associated) must bear part of the project costs and must thus contribute financially to the project budget. (The contribution may exceed the foreseen costs in case a beneficiary also want to act as co-financer.) It cannot therefore be reimbursed for 100% of the project costs that it incurs. Furthermore no beneficiary may act, in the context of the project, as a sub-contractor to another beneficiary. 

The costs of an affiliated entity to a private beneficiary may also be eligible project costs, but only if the role of the affiliated entity is clearly described in the project application. 

Costs of an affiliated entity to a public beneficiary are not eligible; the affiliated entity should become an associated beneficiary in order to participate in the project. Thus, public undertakings whose capital is publicly owned and that are considered an instrument or a technical service of a public administration, and are subject to the administration control, but are in effect separate legal entities, must become beneficiaries if a public administration intends to entrust the implementation of certain project actions to the undertaking. This is the case for example in Spain for "empresas públicas" such as TRAGSA, or EGMASA and in Greece for regional development agencies. 

A project co-financer only contributes to the project with financial resources, has no technical responsibilities, and cannot benefit from the EU financial contribution. Furthermore, it cannot act, in the context of the project, as a sub-contractor to any of the project's beneficiaries. 

However, project proposals involving business-sector co-financing will be favourably considered during the evaluation process where this co-financing contributes to the probable sustainability of the project results. 

For specific tasks of a fixed duration, a proposal may also foresee the use of subcontractors. Subcontractors cannot act as beneficiaries or vice-versa. Subcontractors provide external services to the project beneficiaries who fully pay for the services provided. Sub-contractors should not be identified by name in the proposal unless they are considered an affiliated entity to a project beneficiary. (Note that affiliated entities to public beneficiaries MUST become associated beneficiaries to the project.) 

For a more detailed description of the respective rules related to the coordinating beneficiary, associated beneficiaries and subcontractors, please refer to articles II.1, II.2, II.9 and II.10 of the General Conditions of the LIFE Model Grant Agreement. 

1.7.4 What is the optimal budget for a Preparatory project? 

There is no fixed minimum size for project budgets. For LIFE Preparatory Projects, maximum budget envelopes are established for each specific need. See section 2.1 for details. 

1.7.5 What is the maximum rate of EU co-financing under LIFE? 

The maximum EU co-financing rate for LIFE Preparatory projects is 60% of the eligible project costs. However the reimbursement of the individual support for volunteers and their travel costs will be co-financed with a rate of up to 75% and will be based on unit cost rates. These unit costs have been established in Commission Decision C(2013)8550 for funding of volunteers under the "Eramsus+" Programme. The unit costs include already a non-EU co-funding of minimum 20 %. As a result, unit costs co-financed by 75 % will respect the maximum 60 % co-financing rate foreseen by the LIFE regulation. The use of unit-costs will ensure the respect of the principle of equal treatment for all participants of the Solidarity Corps across different EU programmes. Travel and support ceilings can be found in section 'Forms F7'. 

1.7.6 How much should project beneficiaries contribute to the project budget? 

The coordinating beneficiary and each associated beneficiary is expected to provide a reasonable financial contribution to the project budget. A beneficiary's financial contribution is considered as a proof of its commitment to the implementation of the project objectives – a very low financial contribution may therefore be considered as an absence or lack of commitment. A proposal may not be submitted if the financial contribution of any of the beneficiaries to the proposal budget is 0 Euro. 

Moreover, where public bodies are involved as coordinating and/or associated beneficiaries in a project, the sum of their financial contributions to the project budget must exceed (by at least 2%) the sum of the salary costs charged to the project for personnel who are not considered 'additional'. For details, please refer to the General Conditions of the LIFE Model Grant Agreement. 

1.7.7 What is the optimal starting date and duration for a project? 

The earliest possible starting date for projects is 1 May 2017. Any costs incurred before the project's starting date will not be considered eligible and cannot be included in the project budget. 

The activities of each volunteer should last between 2 (min. 42 working days) and 12 months depending on volunteers' individual preferences. 

The project duration must correspond to what is necessary to complete all of the project's actions and to reach all its objectives. The maximum duration of the project must not exceed 24 months. 

1.7.8 Where can a LIFE Preparatory project take place? 

LIFE projects shall take place in the territory of the European Union Member States. The activities of the volunteer will target mainly Natura 2000 sites. 

1.7.9 Who should be in charge of the project management? 

It is expected that the project management is carried out by the staff of the coordinating beneficiary. However, on the basis of an appropriate justification it may be carried out by a sub-contractor under the direct control of the coordinating beneficiary. Any other arrangements for the project management would have to be adequately explained and justified. It is also strongly advised that each project has a full-time project manager. 

While there is no obligation to include in the proposal budget any costs related to the project management, the proposal should nevertheless clearly describe who will be in charge of the project management, how much personnel and time will be devoted to this task and how and by whom decisions on the project will be made during the project period (i.e. how and by whom the project management will be controlled). 

1.7.10 To which extent are salary costs of public staff eligible for LIFE co-funding? 

Please refer to section 3.2 'Form F1 – Direct personnel costs'. 

1.7.11 How much outsourcing of project activities is allowed? 

The beneficiaries should have the financial and operational capacity and competency to carry out the proposed project activities. It is therefore expected that the share of the project budget allocated to external assistance should remain below 35%. Higher shares may only be accepted if an adequate justification for this is provided in the project proposal. 

 

If a beneficiary is a public body, any outsourcing must be awarded in accordance with the applicable rules on public tendering and in conformity with EU Directives on public tendering procedures. 

For amounts exceeding 130,000 Euro, private beneficiaries must invite competitive tenders from potential subcontractors and award the contract to the bid offering best value for money; in doing so they shall observe the principles of transparency and equal treatment and shall take care to avoid any conflicts of interest. 

Furthermore, it should be recalled that all expenditure in LIFE projects must respect the principle of sound financial management. 

Green procurement: all beneficiaries (public and private) are strongly invited to carefully consider the possibility to "green" their procurement activities. The European Commission has established a toolkit for this purpose. More information can be found at http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/toolkit_en.htm 

1.7.12 Can ongoing activities be included in the project? 

Actions already ongoing before the start of the project are in principal not eligible. 

Where actions to be undertaken in the project are significantly different from previous or ongoing activities in terms of frequency or intensity they are not considered ongoing. 

Exceptionally, in case of actions that were undertaken and completed in the past and that are proposed to be repeated at a similar frequency or intensity during the project, the applicant must provide evidence that such actions would not have been carried out in the absence of the LIFE project. 

1.7.13 What are the requirements related to long-term sustainability of the project and its actions? 

LIFE projects represent a considerable investment, and the European Union attaches great importance to the long term sustainability of these investments Throughout the duration of the project, the beneficiaries should consider how these investments will be secured, maintained, developed and made use of or replicated after the end of the project. This should be built into the proposal. 

1.7.14 What are the relationships between LIFE funding and other EU funding programmes? 

According to Article 8 of the LIFE Regulation, support from the LIFE Programme should be "complementary to other financial instruments of the Union" and overlap between the LIFE Programme and other Union policies and funding programmes should be avoided. These include, amongst others, the European Social Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, the Competitiveness and Innovation Framework Programme, the European Fisheries Fund and the Horizon 2020 Programme and Erasmus+. 

 

The beneficiaries must inform the Commission about any related funding they have received from the EU budget, as well as any related ongoing applications for funding from the EU budget. The beneficiaries must also check that they are not receiving on-going operating grants from LIFE (or other EU programmes) which would lead to double financing. 

Research activities 

Whereas EU funding for research activities is provided under Horizon 2020 – the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014–2020)5, limited research aimed to improve and enhance the knowledge data underpinning the project may be carried out within a LIFE project. Research must be strictly limited and intrinsically related to the project's objectives and the applicant shall explain in detail how the proper implementation of the project relies on these research activities, showing that the existing scientific basis is insufficient, and how the additional knowledge will be used to implement the project actions. In such a case, scientific publications are considered important deliverables of the project. 

5 Regulation (EU) No 1290/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 laying down the rules for participation and dissemination in "Horizon 2020 - the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2014-2020)" and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1906/2006 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 81). 

1.7.15 Do I need to worry about the project's "carbon footprint"? 

You should aim to keep the "carbon footprint" of your project as low as is reasonably possible. Details of efforts to be made to reduce CO2 emissions during a project's life shall be included in the description of the project. However, you should be aware that project expenses for offsetting greenhouse gas emissions will not be considered as eligible costs. 

1.8 Personal Data Protection Clause 

The personal data supplied with your proposal, notably the name, address and other contact information of the beneficiaries will be transferred to a database called Butler, which will be made available to the EU Institutions and agencies and to an external monitoring team under contract to the Commission, who are bound by a confidentiality agreement. Butler is used exclusively to manage LIFE projects. 

A summary of each project, including the name and contact information of the coordinating beneficiary, will be placed on the LIFE website and made available to the general public. At a certain point the coordinating beneficiary will be invited to check the accuracy of this summary. 

The Commission, or its contractors may also use the personal data of unsuccessful applicants for follow up actions in connection with future applications. 

Throughout this process, Regulation (EC) n° 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2000 "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" will be respected by the Commission and its contractors. You will notably have the right to access data concerning you in our possession and to request corrections. 15 

 

Submission of a proposal implies that you accept that the personal data contained in your proposal is made available as described above. It will not be used in any other way or for any other purposes than those described above. 

1.9 Useful links 

LIFE Regulation: Regulation (EU) No 1293/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 December 2013 published in the Official Journal L 347/185 OF 20 December 2013: 

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=uriserv:OJ.L_.2013.347.01.0185.01.ENG 

LIFE Multi-annual Workprogramme 2014-2017: 

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ:JOL_2014_116_R_0001 

Financial Regulation: 

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32012R0966 

 

2. Guidance concerning this call 

2.1 Description of the activities 

Under this call, proposals may be submitted only for actions aimed at concretely exploring the potential of using volunteer work for environmental protection activities, mainly targeted to Natura 2000 sites and ongoing LIFE projects. 

Stretching over 18 % of the EU’s land area and almost 6 % of its marine territory, Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world. It offers a haven to Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats. 

The aim of the network is to ensure the long-term survival of Europe's most valuable and threatened species and habitats, listed under both the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. 

The Commission, in close cooperation with Member States and stakeholders, has published guidance documents with regard to the management of Natura 2000 sites and is continuously gathering information on a large variety of approaches and best practices. 

LIFE is the EU’s financial instrument supporting environmental, nature conservation and climate action projects throughout the EU. Since 1992, LIFE has co-financed some 4306 projects. For the 2014-2020 funding period, LIFE will contribute approximately €3.4 billion to the protection of the environment and climate. 

This call for proposals is aimed at selecting 5-7 organisations in Europe which will materialise concrete opportunities for in-country volunteering in environment protection activities, mainly targeted to Natura 2000 sites, in line with the European Solidarity Corps objectives. 

Each volunteer will have to undertake activities of an overall duration between 2 and 12 months6. The activities could be discontinuous (i.e. during the week ends and the summer holidays) if needed according to the will of the volunteer and the needs on the ground. 

6 A month is equal to 21 working days. 

The selected organisations could involve the volunteers directly for environmental protection activities they organise or act indirectly through partner organisations. In both cases they will be considered responsible for the respect of the minimum conditions applicable to volunteer work. 

As soon as the Grant Agreement is signed, the beneficiary will receive the information necessary to obtain access to European Solidarity Corps portal and to the database of available volunteers. Before getting access to the portal and database, the beneficiary has to agree with the rules of European Solidarity Corps charter (see Annex IV) and the rules of data protection of volunteers' personal data. 

Each organisation will have to organise placement for at least 300 volunteers in countries of their residence (in-country volunteering) on activities focused on environmental protection, 

 

nature conservation and restoration of natural areas and ecosystems (primarily Natura 2000 sites) at all levels. 

Each organisation will have to: 

a. after having been awarded with the grant, register in the European Solidarity Corps portal (See Annex II for Accreditations requirements and obligation) 

b. assess the needs and opportunities for volunteer tasks and define the basic features of each placement in close collaboration with the organisation involved in the management of the Natura 2000 sites as well as the organizations that identify the priorities and the conservation measures for the site; 

c. select the volunteers only among the ones registered in the database of the European Solidarity Corps having expressed their wish to volunteer for the kind of activities the organisation is looking for; 

 

The participation in an activity must be free of charge for volunteers. The essential costs for volunteers' participation in the activity are covered by the LIFE grant or through other means afforded by the participating organisations. 

The following activities are not considered as a European Solidarity Corps activities suitable under this call: occasional and unstructured volunteering; a work placement in an enterprise; a paid job; a recreation or tourist activity; a language course; exploitation of a cheap workforce; a period of study or vocational training. 

d. discuss the scope and the features of the assignment with the volunteer and sign a contract (see the contract in Annex I) specifying each aspect of the assignment (duration, timetable, individual support, travel costs, accommodation arrangements (if needed), payment schedule, etc..); 

e. provide each volunteer with a minimum package which must include: 

 the individual support/allowance in its entirety as defined in form F7 , 

 the travel costs, as defined in form F7 (if necessary) 

 accommodation (if necessary), 

 insurance, 

 

The insurance must cover: life, 3rd party liability. 

Regarding the coverage period: 

- The coverage is throughout the volunteer services 

- It includes travel to/from place of residence and in-country travel(s) linked to the assignment. 

 

The insurance must complement the coverage by the European Health Insurance Card7 and/or national social security systems. 

7 The European Health Insurance Card is a free, individual card which gives access to state-provided health case in the EU (+ IS, LI, NO and CH). 

 on site mentoring services, 

 tasks and activities for volunteers that respect the qualitative principles of the European Solidarity corps, as described in the ESC Charter (see Annex III and Annex IV), 

 on-going task-related, personal and administrative support throughout the duration of the activity, with the help of a mentor for the participants, involving – where suitable - the Associated Partner(s). 

 

Complementary services foreseen may include: carrying out dissemination and information activities, awareness raising, coaching etc. 

f. provide each volunteer with all other services considered suitable in view to ensure the successful accomplishment of the tasks devoted to the volunteer (such as for example training, tools, etc.); 

g. monitor all the work conditions and provide each volunteer with a certificate mentioning the tasks accomplished, an evaluation sheet to be filled in by the volunteer etc. on the basis of the model provided by the European Commission; 

h. report directly to the Commission after one year from the project start on the number and timing of the volunteer mobilised to date, the activities undertaken by the organisation, the results obtained in terms of contribution of the volunteers to the environmental protection, the level of satisfaction of the volunteers and of the organisation involved in the management of the Natura 2000 sites as well as in the definition of the priorities and the conservation measures for the related sites, the lessons learned and a detailed plan for next year activities. 

 

With this call the European Commission and DG Environment expect to achieve the following results: 

 Approximately 2500 European Solidarity Corps volunteers deployed to projects focusing on environmental protection, nature conservation and restoration of natural areas and ecosystems (primarily Natura 2000 sites); 

 Involvement of 5 to 7 large umbrella organisations participating in the projects and engaging min. 300 European Solidarity Corps volunteers each; 

 Assessment of the potential impact of volunteers in environment protection activities; 

 Raising awareness about the opportunities offered by the European Solidarity Corps among the organisations managing Natura 2000 sites; 

 Raising awareness and ownership of Natura 2000 sites as a common resource for maintaining and restoring biodiversity across Europe; 

 Building capacity and supporting ongoing LIFE projects 

 Raising awareness, promoting cooperation and exchanging experience at Union level in the context of rural development support to environmental protection, nature conservation and restoration of natural areas and ecosystems (including Natura 2000); 

 Offering opportunities for volunteers to gain valuable learning experience and develop their potential. 

 

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects under this call for proposals is estimated at EUR €3.300.000, out of which 2.000.000 EUR are financed by the LIFE programme and 1.300.000 EUR from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). 

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

2.2 How to conceive a LIFE Preparatory project proposal? 

A proposal for a LIFE Preparatory project must be designed to respond to the specific needs described in the previous section. Actions must be clearly related to the objective(s) of the project, and be completed within the duration of the project. Furthermore, the long-term sustainability of the investments should be guaranteed. As a general principle, all actions 19 

 

included in the project should be new and additional to the work undertaken by the applicant prior to the projects. 

Activities supported under this call must include: 

Engaging in-country volunteers to assist on tasks related to environmental protection, nature conservation and restoration of natural areas and ecosystems (in particular within Natura 2000 network). This includes selection, recruitment, preparation and monitoring of volunteers and communication activities. The volunteer can be engaged to conduct activities connected to communication, promotion, awareness rising, research etc.. 

When preparing your proposal, the following main types of actions must be covered and clearly distinguished: 

A. Implementation actions (obligatory), 

B. Communication and awareness raising (obligatory), 

C. Project management, monitoring and reporting(obligatory). 

 

Activities to support the implementation of the main action may include: 

 Awareness campaign to attract volunteers including on EU level environmental and rural development policy (EAFRD) 

 Capacity building of hosting organisations and existing LIFE projects 

 Training courses for volunteers 

 Activities to reinforce and foster partnership building 

 

Activities within communication and awareness rising may include: 

 Seminars and workshops 

 Twinning arrangements and exchange of staff 

 Exchange of good practice 

 Study visits 

 

Activities within project management and monitoring may include: 

 Coordination of volunteers and cooperation activities with the participating organisations 

 

The call brings together three EU level policy tools in order to achieve the innovative objective of exploring the potential of using volunteer work for environmental protection activities. Based on the common environmental protection objectives as regards Natura 2000 sites, LIFE and the EAFRD provide financial resources, while LIFE and the European Solidarity Corps provide the delivery mechanisms. Consequently, all communication, awareness raising, project monitoring and reporting on results activities should refer to all of these three EU policy tools. 

2.2.1 Implementation actions (A actions - obligatory) 

These are the core actions of the proposals. They may not include preparatory actions that have been completed prior to the start of the project. 20 

 

All actions should: 

 be clearly related to the objective(s) of the project; 

 not be research actions, unless they fall under the exceptions described in point 1.7.16 of this Guide, 

 

The impact of these actions must be monitored and reported during the project. 

2.2.2 Communication and awareness rising (B actions - obligatory) 

Note that certain communication actions are obligatory for preparatory projects and should therefore be explicitly foreseen in the proposal as separate actions. These include advertising and use of the LIFE logo, Natura 2000 logo and European Solidarity Corps logo and mentioning of the rural development policy (EAFRD). 

In addition projects will typically include: 

 information activities to the general public and stakeholders aimed at facilitating the implementation of the project; 

 public awareness and dissemination actions aimed at publicising the project and its results both to the general public and to other stakeholders that could usefully benefit from the project's experience; 

 

The range of possible actions for both types of communication actions is large (media work, organisation of events for the local community, didactic work with local schools, seminars, workshops, brochures, leaflets, newsletters, DVDs, technical publications, …), and those proposed should form a coherent package. Each communication and dissemination action must clearly define and justify its target audience, and should be expected to have a significant impact. To be effective, these actions should in general begin early on in the project. The organisation of large and costly scientific meetings or the financing of large-scale visitor infrastructures is not eligible. 

Each proposal must assess the range of related projects and include an action entitled "Networking with other LIFE and/or non-LIFE projects". Where there are related projects that have been financed under LIFE, this action must include visits, meetings, exchange of information, and/or other such networking activities with an appropriate number of other relevant LIFE projects (ongoing or completed). It may also include similar exchanges with other non-LIFE projects and/or participation in information platforms related to the project objectives (including at international level where justified). The project shall also disseminate relevant descriptive information, implementation updates and results to the rural development networks such as National Rural Networks (NRNs) and the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD) 

See articles II.7 and II.8 of the General Conditions of the LIFE Model grant agreement for full details of communication and dissemination requirements. The LIFE website http://ec.europa.eu/environment/life/toolkit/comtools/index.htm also contains detailed advice on communication and dissemination actions, in particular LIFE Nature: Communicating with stakeholders and the general public – Best practices examples for Natura 2000 and the guidelines on how to design a LIFE web-site. 

2.2.3 Project management and monitoring of project progress (C actions - obligatory) 

Every project proposal must contain an appropriate amount of these actions, which typically involve: 

 Project management, activities undertaken by the beneficiaries for the management of the project (administrative, technical and financial aspects) and for meeting the LIFE reporting obligations. The technical project management may be partially outsourced. Outsourcing of project management is possible, provided the coordinating beneficiary retains full and day to day control of the project. The proposal should clearly describe how this control will be guaranteed. The project management structure must be clearly presented (including an organigramme and details of the responsibilities of each person and organisation involved). It is strongly recommended that the project management staff has previous experience in project management. If a coordinator or project manager also directly contributes to the implementation of certain actions, an appropriate part of his/her salary costs should be attributed to the estimated costs of those actions. 

 Specific training relevant to the project, workshops and meetings for the beneficiaries' staff, where these are required for the achievement of the project objectives. 

 In addition, if relevant to the specific need targeted, each proposal must include an action aimed to assess the socio-economic impact of the project actions on the local economy and population. This can take the form of a study consolidating the data and results over the project lifetime, to be delivered with the Final Report. Projects should aim to increase social awareness and acceptance of the benefits of protecting the environment or climate. Examples of positive effects of the project are: direct or indirect employment growth, enhancement of other activities (e.g. ecotourism) aimed to develop supplementary income sources, offsetting social and economic isolation. 

 

After-LIFE PlanThe coordinating beneficiary should produce an “After-LIFE Plan” as a separate chapter of the final report. This plan shall set out how the actions initiated in your LIFE project will continue and develop in the years that follow the end of the project. It should give details regarding what actions will be carried out, when, by whom, and using what sources of finance. A separate C-action for this plan should be added to the proposal and the plan must be added to the list of deliverables. 



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