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budget authority has fixed the amount allocated to heading
B3-4003 for 2003 at EUR 7 million.
This appropriation covers in particular funding of measures
aimed at strengthening transnational cooperation between
worker and employer representatives in respect of information,
consultation and participation within undertakings operating
in more than one Member State with priority assistance
going to undertakings which are not subject to Directives
94/45/EC and 97/74/EC. It may also be used to fund training
for representatives in transnational information, consultation
and participation bodies, particularly with a view to
increasing the presence of women, and for innovative
measures concerning the prevention and resolution of
conflicts in multinational undertakings particularly
those relating to restructuring.
Measures involving the participation of social partners'
representatives from the candidate countries are covered
by the appropriation.
In connection with all measures funded under this heading,
disabled persons must be afforded unrestricted access.
I. THE AIMS
The comment under the budget heading clearly states
the purpose of the funded operations, which is to ensure,
in a pragmatic manner, the conditions for fostering
the development of information and consultation in undertakings,
by promoting Directives 94/45/EC and 97/74/EC, Council
Directive 2001/86/EC on employee involvement in a European
company and Directive 2002/14/EC of the European Parliament
and the Council establishing a general framework for
informing and consulting employees in the European Community.
A number of priority objectives have been established
for the 2003 financial year:
- exchange of information and experience with a view
to preparing for information, consultation and participation
of employees in the European Company and the European
Cooperative Society,
- cooperation between worker and employer representatives
to ensure correct information and consultation of employees
at, and between, all levels (national and European)
in an undertaking or group of undertakings,
- measures aimed at promoting equal opportunities and
a better balance between men and women in the context
of transnational representational forums,
- strengthening of transnational cooperation in the
field of information and consultation between workers'
representatives, between employers, and between worker
and employer representatives in undertakings operating
in more than one Member State and in the applicant countries,
- innovative measures relating to the management of
information, consultation and participation (including
financial participation), the anticipation of change
and to the prevention and resolution of disputes within
multinational companies in the context of the development
and competitiveness strategies of the various sectors
of activity and company restructuring, mergers, takeovers
and relocation,
- aid for the establishing of information and consultation
bodies and adoption of best practices in Community-scale
undertakings and Community-scale groups of undertakings,
- production of reports on experience regarding the
establishment of European Works Councils and the functioning
and effectiveness of information and consultation within
them.
II.
ELIGIBILITY AND SELECTION CRITERIA
Eligible measures
The budget heading is intended to finance specific measures.
Therefore grants are not intended to finance the normal
operation or meetings of bodies representing management
or labour (the social partners); they are intended only
to cover additional expenditure linked directly to projects.
Eligible types of action are:
1. practices, exchange of information and reports
on experience in the field of information, consultation
and participation within undertakings or groups of undertakings.
The relationship between these information and consultation
methods within the undertaking and the European sectoral
dimension;
2. measures to prepare for employee involvement in the
European company or European Cooperative Society;
3. innovative measures concerning the dissemination
of information consultation and participation rights,
the anticipation of change and the prevention and resolution
of disputes particularly in connection with company
restructuring, mergers, takeovers and relocation.
Priority will be given to innovative measures and/or
measures concerning new subjects in relation to information,
consultation and participation of undertakings' representatives.
Promoters wishing to submit several projects under the
heading are asked to provide the Commission with an
overview of all the measures for which they would like
to obtain funding during the current financial year.
Eligible promoters
Promoters must in general be representatives of workers
or employers. Thus
- for workers: promoters may be works councils or similar
bodies ensuring the general representation of workers;
regional, national, European, sectoral or multisectoral
trade unions,
- for employers: applications may come from the management
of the undertaking or group of undertakings concerned
or from organisations representing employers at regional,
national, European, multisectoral or sectoral level,
Applications from technical bodies such as non-profit
training or advisory bodies will be considered only
where such promoters are expressly mandated by one or
more of the above parties. Joint worker/employer measures
will be particularly encouraged.
Joint projects should be submitted by one of the parties
who will fulfil the contractual commitments vis-ā-vis
the Commission and the other party must indicate in
writing its agreement to the joint implementation of
the contract. Unless there are exceptional circumstances,
projects involving only one information and consultation
body must be submitted as joint projects.
A project promoter cannot be an individual. In the case
of legal entities, the applicant must be properly constituted
and registered. The applicant's legal status and VAT
number should be stated. A copy of the applicant's articles
of association or statutes and registration certificate,
where applicable, must be submitted with the application.
Grants may be awarded to commercial undertakings only
if the immediate objective of the project is non-commercial
and certainly not to make a profit.
The applicant must be able to demonstrate the financial
and operational capacity to complete the activity for
which funding is requested. Thus the applicant must
have access to solid and adequate funding to maintain
activities for the period of the project and to help
finance it as necessary and must have the operational
resources (technical, management) needed to successfully
complete the activity.
The applicant must enclose:
- the annual balance sheet for the most recent financial
year, or auditor's report,
- the CV of the person responsible for the project and,
where applicable, of the persons who will perform the
tasks associated with the action for which funding is
requested,
and must sign the declaration of honour provided with
the application form certifying that:
- the applicant has the financial and operational capacity
to complete the proposed action, and
- the applicant is not in one of the situations listed
in Article 93 of the Financial Regulation concerning
social security, taxes, bankruptcy, misconduct, fraud,
corruption or any other illegal activity, and that he/she
has not failed to comply with his/her contractual obligations
to the Communities in other grant award or contract
procedures.
Persons concerned
Those involved in projects should, in general, be representatives
of workers or employers, thus: members or future members
of information, consultation and participation fora;
management of undertakings or groups or members of employers
associations; officials of workers organisations/ trade
union representatives; experts nominated by the abovementioned
social partners.
Scope
Applicants must have their registered offices in a Member
State of the European Union. Actions involving participation
of social partner representatives from the candidate
countries are encouraged. The actions must be fully
carried out within the Member States or in one of the
13 candidate countries. Nationals of third countries
may participate in actions under this budget heading
but it is not possible to reimburse any expenses of
such third country participants for travel, accommodation
or subsistence.
III. PRACTICAL PROCEDURES
Only projects starting in 2003 will be considered. The
normal maximum duration of an operation is 12 months.
The final deadline for submission of applications is
12 September, 2003 but applications will be examined
on three occasions as indicated at point 3 below.
1.
Application form and explanatory notes
The mandatory application form together with explanatory
notes for its completion and full details of all documents
to be attached are available to promoters: on the website:
http://forum.europa.eu.int/Public/irc/european_works_council/library,
by electronic mail: EMPL-B3-4003@cec.eu.int
by mail from the following address:
European Commission
DG EMPL/D.3 J37-4/20
Budget heading B3-4003
B-1049 Brussels
2.
Submission of applications
The application form and attachments must provide as
much detail as possible. They must be sent in duplicate,
by mail, to the following address (the postmark will
constitute proof of posting):
European Commission
DG EMPL/D.3 J37-4/20
Budget heading B3-4003
B-1049 Brussels
In addition applications must also be sent by electronic
mail to the following address:
EMPL-B3-4003@cec.eu.int
Receipt of applications will be confirmed within two
weeks. A reference number (AC: VP/2003/002/. . .) will
be allocated to each application and must be quoted
in any correspondence concerning it.
An application will be regarded as incomplete if:
- it is not signed and dated,
- it does not contain replies to all the questions in
the form,
- it is not accompanied by a balanced budget (income
and expenditure),
- it does not contain all the required attachments:
adequate description, letters of support, articles of
association, declaration of honour, etc. (see explanatory
notes and check list).
3.
Examination of applications and award criteria
Applications will be examined and selected taking
account of the comment in the budget, the stipulated
selection and award criteria, the priorities set out
above and the principle of balanced funding- by a selection
committee. The selection committee will meet, within
25 working days after each deadline, to consider completed
applications received by the following deadlines:
- 21 March 2003 for first selection committee,
- 23 May 2003 for second selection committee,
- 12 September 2003 for third selection committee.
Incomplete applications will not be considered by the
selection committee.
In evaluating the quality of projects regard will be
given to the following award criteria aimed at maximising
the overall effectiveness of expenditure under the budget
heading:
- extent to which the proposed action accords with the
objectives and priorities of the budget heading,
- degree to which the expected results add value in
terms of the aims and priorities of the budget heading,
- extent to which the project concerns innovative measures
or measures concerning new subjects in relation to information,
consultation and participation,
- the level of participation of representatives of both
employers and workers,
- the degree of transnationality (where appropriate),
- the level of participation of social partner representatives
from the candidate countries,
- the cost effectiveness of the operation,
- the arrangements to guarantee the visibility of the
Community financing.
Unsuccessful applicants will be notified by letter.
A project rejected by the selection committee may be
resubmitted with amendments but will only be considered
at a subsequent meeting if a new complete application
file (including all supporting documents) is submitted
by the deadline for such subsequent meeting.
4. Agreement governing the grant
Successful applicants will receive a letter together
with two copies of an agreement for their acceptance
and signature. The Commission will then return one of
the signed copies to the applicant.
The project may not commence before the date of submission
of the grant application. Any expenditure incurred before
receipt of an agreement is at the promoter's risk.
A request for an extension of the implementation period
specified in the agreement will be accepted only in
exceptional circumstances and only if the request is
received no later than two months before the end of
the specified period.
The grant will not cover the full cost of the project.
The Commission reserves the right to refuse and/or limit
the funding of specific elements in the budget estimate.
The project promoter is required to contribute at least
20 % of the total cost of the operation. Contributions
in kind are acceptable only in duly justified exceptional
cases. The payment arrangements will be set out in the
agreement.
5.
Evaluation and monitoring
A report and budgetary implementation details must be
provided in accordance with the conditions laid down
in the agreement. They must include expenditure and
income presented in the same format as the budget estimate,
reports on completed operations with the evaluation
form duly completed and the products prepared, either
for the project itself or as part of the follow-up,
in the languages foreseen in the project proposal. Failure
to supply any of these will result in non-payment of
the grant. Supporting documents must be available for
inspection on location.
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