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BACKGROUND
On the basis of Article 143 of the Treaty on European
Union, the Commission shall draw up a report each year
on progress in achieving the objectives of Article 136,
including the demographic situation in the Community.
Article 145 states that the Commission shall include
a separate chapter on social developments within the
Community in its annual report to the European Parliament.
Moreover, the Social Policy Agenda calls for policy
analyses and research in order to underpin the implementation
of the social priorities it has defined.
The priority areas set in this Call aim to promote the
development of comparative analysis, the exchange of
views and experiences, the development of evidence and
understanding of the social trends and their policy
implications in relevant policy areas.
In particular, Priority 5 of this Call for proposals
is based on the Council Decision 2001/903/EC of 3 December
2001 establishing the European Year of People with Disabilities
(EYPD) 2003 (OJ L 335, 19.12.2001). The objectives of
the EYPD are stipulated in Article 2 of the decision.
They are focussed on awareness raising, the exchange
of good practice, the encouragement of reflection and
discussion and the reinforcement of cooperation with
regard to the rights of people with disabilities to
protection against discrimination and to full and equal
enjoyment of their rights. Meetings, events, surveys
and studies can be carried out in the framework of the
EYPD (Article 3).
Under this call for proposals, grants will only be awarded
to transnational approaches that make a significant
contribution to improving the Union's knowledge on social
phenomena and their changing patterns.
PRIORITY AREAS FOR
ACTION IN 2003
More detailed information on each item can be found
in the Guidelines
Under this call, measures such as transnational research
projects and organisation of seminars and workshops
can be supported. These activities must concern one
of the following priorities:
1. THE SOCIAL SITUATION IN THE ENLARGED UNION
The aim will be to analyse developments in the social
situation (including demographic trends) and their implications
for social welfare in the enlarged Union. Particular
attention should be paid to the new Member States. The
activities should promote comparative analysis and exchange
of experience on these issues at the EU-25 level. The
areas for analysis should be within the framework of
the European Social Agenda. The projects should explore
the interaction between socioeconomic trends and social
welfare policies. They can focus at specific issues
in living conditions, income distribution, health, mobility
and migration, education and skills (human and social
capital formation), family, gender equality, social
inclusion and anti-discrimination, social protection,
social dialogue and civil society.
2. FAMILY AND CHILDREN ISSUES
Different behavioural patterns in households across
the Union may be determining for economic and social
activities (e.g. work participation, social care for
dependant persons). The aim will be to analyse and promote
the exchange of knowledge and experience on more recent
trends in household and family structures and their
impact on fertility, employment and living conditions,
social participation and social protection. It should
also be required to invest in identifying the key policy
challenges for the future in this area. Particular attention
should be paid to analysis of these issues with regard
to the new Member States.
3. TIME USE AND LIVING CONDITIONS
The reorganisation of time use throughout the (working)
life is increasingly seen as an important element in
order to increase the living conditions and the quality
of life of the EU citizens. This issue also has consequences
in some of the most relevant EU economic and social
policies: pensions, labour market participation and
employability of the workforce, lifelong learning, reconciliation
of work, family and caring tasks, equal opportunities,
etc. By its nature it is a very complex subject, as
the actual use of time is the outcome of combining both
individual and collective pref- EN 26.4.2003 Official
Journal of the European Union C 100/31 erences and constraints.
Therefore priority will be given to projects focusing
time use in relation to relevant EU policies with the
aim of providing policy-support analysis. Projects should
analyse time use from one of the two following perspectives:
the ‘longitudinal’ or life-cycle perspective, i.e. the
analysis of the individual use of time over the life
course; and the ‘cross-sectional’ one, which compares
the use of time of different population categories depending
on age, sex, occupation, education, income, etc.
4. MIGRATION IN THE CONTEXT OF DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS
Over the last 15 years there has been an important change
on migratory movements in the EU as a result of specific
events such as the collapse of Communism in Eastern
Europe and the war in former Yugoslavia. Other more
permanent factors such as the existing north-south gap
and the globalisation process also play an important
role. In addition, over the next decades, demographic
ageing will constitute a pull factor for immigration
growth. Therefore, a successful economic and social
integration of third country nationals is already crucial.
The aim will be to develop a better understanding of
these trends and to develop a prospective view on their
demographic, economic and social implications across
the Union. Particular emphasis should be laid on aspects,
which are relevant for integration. This comprises,
for example, the provision of detailed information about
the skill levels of second generation migrants and information
on how successful receiving EU countries are in transferring
educational and occupational skills into the EU.
5. SITUATION OF PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN RESIDENTIAL
INSTITUTIONS
A considerable number of people with disabilities live
in residential institutions. Disabled people in those
institutions are usually the most ‘invisible’ citizens.
Whereas the residential institutions have been designed
to hosting people with severe or multiple disabilities,
there is great ignorance about their practical conditions
of living and how their needs and rights can be matched
with those conditions. Therefore, in its sitting of
19 December 2002 (budget amendment 0099), the European
Parliament has specifically asked for a study to be
conducted to analyse the situation of people with disabilities
in institutions in Europe, including the candidate countries.
The objective would be taking stock of the situation
of people with disabilities in institutions in the largest
possible number of EU/EEA and Candidate Countries and
understanding how the institutions hosting people with
disabilities operate while elaborating an overview with
regard to institutionalised care in these countries,
including as regards human rights related issues.
Building on existing materials and on the basis of interviews
with key players and stakeholders such as disability
organisations and experts, care providers, health authorities,
local authorities, particular emphasis should be given
to large residential institutions with more than 30
people of which at least 80 % are mentally or physically
disabled persons. Visits to places where de-institutionalisation
solutions articulated around community-based services
and open support systems have been successfully developed
should also be performed. As a result of these researches,
recommendations should be formulated on how the quality
of life of People with Disabilities could be improved
e.g. through alternative community-based forms of care
and support.
AVAILABLE BUDGET
The maximum budget made available for priorities 1 to
4, (Budget heading B3-4102) will be of around EUR 500
000. The Commission expects to fund approximately four
to six projects from this budget-line, depending on
the quality of applications.
For priority 5 (Budget heading B5-806, European Year
of People with Disabilities) around EUR 450 000 will
be available. The Commission expects to fund one project
(a research study including possible seminars) from
this budget-line, depending on the quality and relevance
of applications.
The Community's financial contribution will not exceed
80 % of the total eligible costs. The partnership must
guarantee co-financing of the remaining 20 % in cash.
Contributions in kind are not accepted.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
1. Applications Consideration will be given only
to proposals:
- posted before the 13 June 2003 for the attention of
the Commission in accordance with the procedure described
below,
- submitted in accordance with the requirements mentioned
below and more precisely in the Guidelines.
2. Eligibility of applicants
- applicants must enjoy legally established non-profit
status,
- applicants must be properly constituted and registered
in a Member State. (Organisations from applicant countries
may participate as partners in operations supported
under this budget-line),
- Applicants must certify that they are not in one of
the situations listed in Article 93 of the Financial
Regulation (OJ L 248, 16.9.2002) (more precisely in
the Guidelines).
3. Eligibility of operation
- only applications in which partners from at least
three Member States or applicant countries participate
will be considered,
- it must focus on one of the priorities of the call,
- operations may not have a duration exceeding 12 months
and must start in 2003,
- compliance with the Community co-financing percentage
maximum of 80 %,
- the operation proposed by the applicant must not receive
financing from any other Community funding for the same
activity.
4. Ineligible measures
- proposals consisting essentially of the development
of purely academic research,
- applications or parts thereof relating to funding
for ordinary running costs, costs of statutory meetings
and events, or costs of standard services which are
usually delivered by local, regional or national bodies
or authorities,
- applications or parts thereof relating to funding
for activities taking place outside the territory of
the Union and the applicant countries or exclusively
at local, regional or national level,
- operations that carry a profit.
SELECTION CRITERIA
- applicants must submit evidence of legal and financial
viability and professional integrity, as required in
order to complete the activity for which funding is
requested,
- applicants must be able to co-finance the operation,
- applicants must have the technical and managerial
capacity to complete the operation to be supported.
ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
At the assessment stage, beneficiaries will be selected
on the basis of the intellectual qualities of the proposals
and their consistency with the objectives defined in
sections 1 and 2, in particular according to:
- the contribution of the proposed activities to increasing
the knowledge of the social situation particularly by
addressing the priorities listed above and demonstrating
added value at the European level,
- the quality of the proposed approach, its pertinence
in tackling the relevant policy areas and, in particular,
the clarity of the aims to be pursued and a realistic
timeframe for their achievement,
- the transnational dimension of the operation (example:
partners or countries involved),
- the innovative aspect and transferability of the approach,
- the visibility of the operation and dissemination
of the results,
- the cost-effectiveness of the operation.
ESTIMATED TIME SCHEDULE
AND DURATION OF THE MEASURE
It is envisaged that measure should start as soon as
the Grant Agreement is signed by both parties, which
is estimated to be end July to mid August 2003 (A grant
may be awarded for an action which has already begun
only where the applicant can demostrate the need to
start the action before the agreement is signed. In
such cases, expenditure eligible for financing may not
have been incurred prior to the date of submission of
the grant application.). The period of performance will
be 12 calendar months from the date of effect. The duration
of the agreement may be extended once, by the agreement
in writing of both parties, for a maximum of three calendar
months.
FINAL DATE FOR THE SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
The final date for the submission of proposals is
13 June 2003 (date as per postmark). Applications
not sent by the appropriate deadline will be rejected.
PRACTICAL PROCEDURES
1. Grant application form
Applicants must submit a full dossier in compliance
with the instructions given in the specially produced
forms. The application form (which is made up of four
separate parts) and all documents forming part of the
application (text of the call for proposals and guidelines
for applicants) can be obtained by mail:
European Commission
DG Employment and Social Affairs
Directorate E.1
JII 27 1/122 (Costas Fotakis)
B-1049 Brussels
By e-mail:empl-e1-unite@cec.eu.int
indicating in the ‘subject’ field ‘Request for application
form VP/2003/015’.
Downloaded: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/employment_social/tender_en.htm
The application form is to be sent in duplicate by registered
letter before the stipulated deadline (date as per postmark)
to the above address, bearing the wording ‘Candidature
à l'appel à propositions No VP/2003/015’. In addition,
the application form must also be submitted by electronic
mail, quoting the number of the call for proposals,
the name of the organisation submitting the proposals
and the country of origin to the following address:
empl-e1-unite@cec.eu.int
2. The procedure for the appraisal of applications
1. Receipt and registration by the Commission;
2. Examination and selection by a selection committee.
Only eligible applications will be evaluated against
selection and assessment criteria specified in the Call
and the Guidelines.
3. Adoption of the final decision and communication
of the result to the applicants.
4. The grant agreements will be signed by the end July
– mid August 2003.
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