Contracting Authority: 
Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia
Civil Society Facility Programme 2021 – 2023
Restricted Call for Proposals for Framework Partnership Agreements and associated annual operating grants 
Guidelines for applicants
Budget line: BGUE-B2022-15.020101.01-C1-NEAR DELSRB
Reference:
EuropeAid/176151/DD/FPA/RS
Deadline for submission of the application for the Framework Partnership Agreement:

23/01/2023 at 12:00 (Brussels date and time)
(in order to convert to local time click here)

NOTICE
Please note that the (in)eligibility of taxes, including VAT, duties and charges, depends on the signature of the Financial Framework Partnership Agreement (FFPA) between the European commission and the Republic of Serbia for the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027.
This is a restricted Call for Proposals to establish Framework Partnerships, understood as a long-term cooperation mechanism through Framework Partnership Agreements (FPA) and operating grants to co-finance their implementation. The establishment of a Framework Partnership Agreement does not give the right to the allocation of an operating grant. 
The present Call for Proposals is composed of two phases. In the first phase, only Framework Partnership application forms and strategic plans as well as the estimated budget to implement these plans must be submitted for evaluation. An eligibility check will be performed for each FPA application, which will be based on the supporting documents requested by the Contracting Authority and the signed ‘Declaration by the Applicant’ sent together with the application. Only Framework Partnership Applications from Applicants having passed the eligibility check will be evaluated. Thereafter, applicants who have been selected will sign a Framework Partnership Agreement and be invited to submit a Grant Application for annual operating grants. The successful grant applications will then result in the signature of Specific Grant Agreements. 
Annual operating grants for every calendar year between 2023 and 2026 included may be awarded to organisations having signed an FPA with the EU under the present call. The award procedure for these annual operating grants is specified in the present Guidelines.
To apply to this call for proposals organisations must register in PADOR and submit their application in PROSPECT  (see section 2.2.2 of the guidelines). The aim of PROSPECT is to increase the efficiency of the management of the call for proposals and to offer a better service to civil society organisations through a new panel of functionalities such as the on-line submission and the possibility to follow up online the status of their application.
Preparation: 
-User manuals to help applicants familiarise themselves with the system before the online submission. 
-Online information session will be organised on 13/12/2022 at 11:00.
Should you be interested in this session, please send an email by 12/12/2022 to delegation-serbia-fcs@eeas.europa.eu, indicating: name, surname, nationality and email address of the persons who are going to participate as well as their organisation (max. two participants per organisation). No costs incurred by the applicants for attending this information session are reimbursable. 
All organisations may find more information regarding PROSPECT in the user's manual and the e-learning videos. You may also contact our technical support team via the online support form in PROSPECT.

Table of contents
1.	Framework Partnership Agreements for operational grants
1.1.	Background
1.2.	Objectives of the programme and priority issues
1.3.	Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority
2.	Rules FOR thIS call for proposalS
2.1.	Eligibility criteria
2.1.1.	Eligibility of applicant
2.1.2.	Associates and contractors
2.1.4.	Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included
2.1.5.	Ethics clauses and Code of Conduct
2.2.	How to apply and the procedures to follow
2.2.1.1 Content of the Framework Partnership Agreement Application
2.2.1.2.Where and how to send the application for the Framework Partnership Agreement
2.2.2.	Deadline for submission of Framework Partnership Agreements
2.2.3.	Further information about Framework Partnership Agreements
2.2.4.	PHASE 2 - Grant Application (operating grant)
2.2.5.	Where and how to send application for the operating grant
2.2.6.	Deadline for submission of applications for the operating grant
2.2.7.	Further information about the application for the operating grant
2.3.	EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF FRAMEWORK PARTNERSHIP APPLICATIONS
2.4.	EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF GRANT APPLICATIONS (OPERATING GRANT)
2.4.1.	Indicative timetable
3.	LIST OF annexes

1.	Framework Partnership Agreements for operational grants
1.1.	Background
An empowered civil society is a crucial component of any democratic system and should be recognised and treated as such by all stakeholders including the state institutions. Sustainable and inclusive development needs to encompass strong, reliable and independent civil society to contribute to the policymaking and monitor implementation at all levels of governance throughout the whole geography of the country. It is in the interest of any society to have a strong civil society promoting checks and balances; and demanding transparency, accountability and inclusiveness in the actions of the state and public authorities. By articulating citizens' needs and concerns, civil society fosters pluralism and furthers participatory democracy, increasing the participation and trust of the citizens in the future of their society.
Civil society organisations (CSOs) play a crucial role in advancing democratic participation and governance of reforms of Serbia. While advancing on this path, policy developments and legislations need to be discussed, agreed, implemented and monitored. Through their programmes, advocacy and oversight role, CSOs contribute to an effective monitoring, while holding governments accountable and enhancing inclusiveness of policy-making and dialogue mechanisms. Nevertheless, “further efforts are still needed to ensure systematic cooperation between the government and civil society” as elaborated in detail in the Serbia 2021 Report published by the European Commission.  
According to relevant reports, Serbia is either declining or stagnating in terms of its democracy standards. Indexes such as Freedom House’s Freedom in the World Report classifies Serbia as a partly free country due to the growing erosion of political rights and civil liberties, pressure on independent media, the political opposition, and civil society organizations. At the same time, Freedom House’s Nations in Transit Report 2022 notes that civil society rating in Serbia declined from 5.50 to 5.25, reasons among which include intimidation of civil society organizations, as well as violence against peaceful protesters.
Despite higher capacity of established civil society organisations in Serbia, the need for capacity building and higher CSO contribution in decision-making remains. Many Serbian CSOs still face numerous challenges linked to human resources development, leadership capacity, processes and procedures, PR skills, networking with other organizations both nationally and regionally, and adequate financial resources for these actions. The majority of 3 300 active CSOs referred to in the BIRN report are small entities in terms of budget and staff.  With limited resources, it is hard to retain high quality staff and produce high-impact projects. 

One of the European Commission’s instruments for supporting the development of the civil society in the EU candidate and potential candidate countries is the “Civil Society Facility” (CSF) under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA). It was set up in 2008 and since then has been providing the pre-accession assistance to the civil society in the Western Balkans and Turkey, through National and Multi-beneficiary initiatives. 
In line with European Commission “Guidelines for EU Support to Civil Society in the Enlargement Region 2021-2027” the overall objective of CSF for the period of 2021 – 2027 under IPA III, is to strengthen participatory democracies and the EU approximation and integration process in the enlargement region through an enhanced contribution of civil society.
Experiences from the implementation of previous programmes and evaluations, including the mid-term evaluation of the Civil Society Facility 2014 -2020, have shown that a weakness in the support model to CSOs resides in the lack of strategic relationship and support to the implementation of thematic annual work programmes in forms of operating grants, which are crucial in the longer term financial sustainability of CSOs. Operating grants have proven to be a valuable tool to strengthen and consolidate capacities of CSOs, yet requiring a long-term approach in order to achieve durable impact and results.

Priority sectors 

Rule of Law 
The EU’s founding values include the rule of law and respect for human rights. Dating back to “fundamentals first” approach, together with the clustering of negotiation chapters, the Commission has increased its focus on the rule of law in the acceding countries in the Western Balkans. International stakeholders, member States, think tanks and CSOs share the same principles. 
In February 2018, the Commission adopted a strategy for 'A credible enlargement perspective for and enhanced EU engagement with the Western Balkans'. The strategy spells out the priorities and specific annual work programmes that the EU will take over the next years to support the transformation efforts of the Western Balkans in areas of mutual interest. Strengthened support to the rule of law is among the six flagship initiatives. 
As stated in the EC Annual report, the overall pace of Serbia’s negotiations with the EU will continue to depend in particular on the pace of reforms in the field of rule of law, meaning fulfilment of the interim benchmarks under Chapter 23 and Chapter 24. Still, Serbia has made only limited progress over the years in this field. Therefore, strengthening and assisting those CSOs engaged in rule of law priority areas is of an utmost importance.
However, as pointed in the European Court of Auditor’s (ECA) Special report on EU support for the rule of law in the Western Balkans from January 2022, EU in-country support for civil society action on the rule of law is insufficient in meeting the needs of the sector. Specifically, Recommendation 2 laid down in the Report highlights the need for intensifying the support for civil society engaged in rule of law reforms and media independence. Among ways of achieving this, the Auditors point to providing long-term financial support for CSOs and independent media organisations not exclusively based on project funding. 
Considering the horizontal nature of Rule of Law encompassing and influencing a wide range of sectors, for the purpose of this Call for Proposals, these guidelines identify the following two priority sectors. 
Priority sector I – Anti-discrimination, diversity and social inclusion
For the purpose of this call for proposals, this priority sector includes the following areas:
•	LGBTIQ rights;
•	Gender equality;
•	Cultural diversity; 
•	Social inclusion and Child protection.
Priority sector II – Justice
For the purpose of this call for proposals, this priority sector includes the following areas:
•	Transitional Justice;
•	Corruption;
•	Probation support and post-penal care;
•	Victims of Crime Support.
Priority sector III - Environment, Climate Action (Green Agenda)
The European Union supports the Western Balkan countries in building a modern, climate-neutral and resource-efficient economy. The ecological transition for Europe can only be fully effective if the EU’s immediate neighbourhood also takes effective action. Part of European Green Deal is the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, endorsed by Serbia in November 2020 and closely linked to Serbia’s Economic Reform Programme and the Commission’s Economic and Investment Plan.
Within the framework of Serbia’s accession negotiations with the EU, in December 2021, Serbia opened Cluster 4 on the Green Agenda and Sustainable Connectivity together with the Chapter 27: Environment and climate change. Given the limited progress Serbia has made regarding these issues, a strong climate action, sustainable development and protection of the environment further need to be developed to fight climate change, water and air pollution, soil degradation, preserve biodiversity, and to improve the efficiency of resources by introducing the concept of circular economy.
Long-term support in the field of environment and climate action should be coupled with a stronger involvement of the civil society in environmental policy-making and monitoring, raise awareness of problems and shortcomings in the field of environmental protection in Serbia and include all interested citizens in environmental decision-making. The role of civil society as a link between citizens and institutions is vital for transparent and participative policy developments towards accelerating Serbia’s energy and green transition.
Priority sector IV - Foreign, security and defence policy
The objectives of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) is to maintain peace and strengthen international security, to promote international cooperation with third countries and to advance and consolidate democracy and the rule of law, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. The EU maintains partnerships and political dialogues, based on mutual interests and benefits with those countries with which the EU has a strategic partnership. After the opening of the accession negotiations, cooperation in this area became a part of the official obligations for Serbia, regulated within Chapter 31: Foreign, security and defence policy.
Considering the increasing relevance of foreign and security policy in the EU, it becomes also increasingly important to promote public debate on foreign policy and security issues in Serbia, as an acceding country and future Member State. Only evidence-based research and analysis can be the basis for an informed discussion and a constructive dialogue between policy makers and the civil society, beyond the expert community. This can also contribute to debunking false narratives and highlight the importance of aligning with the CFSP. 
Serbia has a very experienced, active and knowledgeable civil sector working on the foreign, security and defence policy issues, whose activities have been contributing to the promotion of EU agenda and values in a complex and often-polarised environment. Supporting the long-term sustainability is an important investment into Serbia’s future.
Priority sector V - Good Governance
Good governance is key for achieving economic growth, competitiveness, social well-being and better quality of life. Both democratic governance and the rule of law require capable, accountable and effective public administrations to implement sound policies and deliver services effectively to the citizens. Good governance is therefore the basis and ultimate objective of institutional capacity building.
New enlargement methodology of the European Commission reaffirmed public administration reform (PAR) as an area of fundamental reform within the EU accession process. It is one of the main pillars of the reform and constitutes the foundation for the overall assessment of progress of aspiring candidate countries. Main goal of PAR is to ensure a well-functioning public administration system that designs and implements sound public policies, provides good quality services on national, regional and local levels, creating good conditions for democratic development, economic growth and social development. As SIGMA Monitoring Report from 2021 outlines, “prioritising the implementation of PAR is important for Serbia to meet the expectations of citizens and businesses and to advance in the EU negotiation process.” Civil society organisations play an important role in scrutinizing these developments, demanding accountability on reform progress and results, monitoring decision-making and advocating for better solutions as well as in keeping the EU and Serbian public informed about policy developments on the PAR agenda.
Economic governance is the system by which government institutions, including independent actors like the central bank, regulate and steer the economy. The fundamentals first approach to EU enlargement requires aspiring members to prioritize economic reforms under the Copenhagen criteria which ensure macroeconomic stability, a welcoming business environment, a level playing field for economic actors,  functioning labour and financial markets, good levels and quality of education, infrastructure, innovation and economic integration with the EU and the world. Within this framework, as of 2015, all candidate countries and potential candidates submit annual Economic Reform Programmes (ERP) to the European Commission, which contain a structural reform agenda, medium-term macroeconomic projections and budgetary plans for the next three years. Participation of CSOs in the drafting, monitoring and implementation of all structural reforms aimed at improving economic governance is key to ensuring broad-based, inclusive and sustainable economic development through effective governance.

Framework Partnership Agreements
Framework Partnership Agreements (FPAs) will constitute the basis for a medium term cooperation framework between the EU Delegation to Serbia and specific beneficiaries. Amongst selected framework partners, which are engaged in key sectors/areas for Serbia’s reform process in line with the country’s European perspective, the EU Delegation intends to award specific operating grants. The signing of the FPAs and operating grants will allow for strengthening the roles of CSOs contributing to policy making as well as strengthening their connections to their constituencies in the Republic of Serbia. FPAs and related strategic plans will serve as basis for awarding annual operating grants in line with organisations' missions, long-term strategies and concrete objectives. Annual operating grants finance the usual operating expenditure of CSOs in reaching their fundamental objectives. 
As pointed in the mid-term evaluation of CSF from 2017, the relevance of operating grants is high in terms of responding to the needs of CSOs, which are highly dependent on assistance to ensure their operability. Operating grants contribute to the functioning of the CSOs allowing them to focus on their policy priorities and related strategies as well as strengthening their networks and ties with their constituencies. Operating grants also empower them to pursue specific activities with measurable deliverables. As such, operating support allows organisations to be more responsive and effective in addressing their objectives, provides for further development of their capacities, accountability practices, communication strategy, constituency building and a systematic organisational self-monitoring, evaluation and learning.
The FPAs make a significant contribution towards a more enabling environment for civil society by providing resources towards CSOs’ financial viability. This is especially important in light of the new challenges brought by COVID-19 further weakening the financial capacity of CSOs. 
In such context, FPAs will support CSOs working in the listed priority sectors in Serbia with possibility for medium-term operating funding that will enable them in pursuing their core mission and countering democratic relapse. 
A mid-term review of the FPAs will be organised by the Contracting Authority towards the end of the first two years of implementation.
1.2.	Objectives of the programme and priority issues 
Framework partners will be selected in order to, jointly with the EU, increase the role of civil society’s contributions in the Republic of Serbia.
The global objective of this call for proposals is to strengthen the capacities of civil society organisations in the Republic of Serbia, advancing their role as competent, transparent, accountable and effective civil society actors.
The specific objective of this call for proposals is to support long-term capacity and commitment of civil society actors in advocacy, monitoring and lobbying for structural reforms relevant to the accession process while giving their constituencies a voice and influencing policies through evidence based programmes, analysis, monitoring and concrete advocacy initiatives.
The current Call for Proposals seeks to establish framework partnerships with CSOs working in the following five priority sectors in the relevant areas defined solely for the purpose of this Call for Proposals:
•	Priority sector I - Anti-discrimination, diversity and social inclusion, in following areas:
o	LGBTIQ rights;
o	Gender equality;
o	Cultural diversity; 
o	Social inclusion and Child protection.
•	Priority sector II – Justice, in following areas:
o	Transitional Justice;
o	Corruption;
o	Probation support and post-penal care;
o	Victims of Crime Support.
•	Priority sector III - Environment and Climate Action (Green Agenda), in following area:
o	Monitoring of air/water/soil pollution and biodiversity threats in combination with related advocacy and visibility activities.
•	Priority sector IV - Foreign, security and defence policy, in the following area:
o	Analysing of and providing platforms for debate of Serbia’s foreign, defence and security policies.
•	Priority sector V - Good governance, in following areas:
o	Public Administration Reform;
o	Economic Governance.
Lots, which are used in this procedure, reflect the sectors above. 
Within this call for proposals, the EU is aiming at:
•	Establishing a pool of framework partners that share EU’s policies and priorities on specific sectors (at least one CSO per sector) across the Republic of Serbia and establishing a framework of enhanced cooperation based on mutual interest and common general objectives.
•	Awarding specific operating grants to a number of those framework partners, in order to increase capacities of CSOs and reinforce their role within the structural reform process of the Republic of Serbia. 
Within the context of the current call for proposals, the application procedure consist of two phases i.e. first phase comprising of a Framework Partnership application and second phase comprising of a Specific Grant application by the invited applicants who have signed a Framework Partnership in the first phase.    
1.3.	Financial allocation provided by the contracting authority
The overall indicative maximum amount made available under this call for proposals is EUR 500,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds. This amount is available for the first year of the operating grants. The additional total amount available during the following 3 years will be a maximum total of EUR 1 500 000.
The successful applicants of the first phase of this call for proposals will sign a Framework Partnership Agreement with the EU.
The Contracting Authority will invite the beneficiaries of the FPAs to submit grant applications (see section 2.4. Evaluation and selection of the grant application (operating grant)). Signature of an FPA does not automatically give the right to the beneficiary to be awarded a grant. 
The financial allocations, as well as the size of grants, relate exclusively to the second phase of the selection process: i.e. the annual operating grants.
The purpose of an operating grant is to cover the running costs of the beneficiary based on an approved work programme, including its general administrative costs.
This call for proposals includes 5 (five) lots built on the priority sectors defined in the section “1.1. Background”. The FPAs will be signed based on the rules explained in section “2. Rules for this call for proposals” of these Guidelines for grant applicants. 
The indicative annual allocation of funds for the operating grants to be signed with successful Framework Partners by lot are as follows:
If the allocation indicated for a specific lot cannot be used due to insufficient quality or number of proposals received, the contracting authority reserves the right to reallocate the remaining funds to (an)other lot(s).
Lot 1: Anti-discrimination, diversity and social inclusion
Indicative amount of funds available for operating grants at every cycle under this lot: EUR 140,000.
Size of the annual operating grants
Any operating grant requested under this call for proposals for this lot must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
•	minimum amount: EUR 50,000.
•	maximum amount: EUR 80,000.

Lot 2: Justice
Indicative amount of funds available for operating grants at every cycle under this lot: EUR 140,000.
Size of the annual operating grants
Any operating grant requested under this call for proposals for this lot must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
•	minimum amount: EUR 50,000.
•	maximum amount: EUR 80,000.

Lot 3: Environment, Climate Action (Green Agenda)
Indicative amount of funds available for operating grants at every cycle under this lot: EUR 80,000.
Size of the annual operating grants
Any operating grant requested under this call for proposals for this lot must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
•	minimum amount: EUR 50,000.
•	maximum amount: EUR 80,000.

Lot 4: Foreign, security and defence policy
Indicative amount of funds available for operating grants at every cycle under this lot: EUR 60,000.
Size of the annual operating grants
Any operating grant requested under this call for proposals for this lot must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
•	minimum amount: EUR 45,000.
•	maximum amount: EUR 60,000.

Lot 5: Good Governance
Indicative amount of funds available for operating grants at every cycle under this lot: EUR 80,000.
Size of the annual operating grants
Any operating grant requested under this call for proposals for this lot must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
•	minimum amount: EUR 50,000.
•	maximum amount: EUR 80,000.

For all lots:
Any grant requested under this call for proposals and under each lot must fall between the following minimum and maximum percentages of total eligible costs of the annual work programme (see also section 2.1.4):
•	Minimum percentage: 60 % of the total eligible costs of the annual work programme.
•	Maximum percentage: 95 % of the total eligible costs of the annual work programme The balance (i.e. the difference between the total cost of the annual work programme and the amount requested from the contracting authority) must be financed from sources other than the general budget of the Union
In order to demonstrate the measurable impact of the operating grants on the increase of fundraising capacity of the recipients, the percentage of the EU co-financing of the annual work programme will be gradually decreased if an operating grant is renewed (indicatively up to 5 percentage points decrease in comparison with the previous year).
The balance (i.e. the difference between the total cost of the action and the amount requested from the contracting authority) must be financed from sources other than the general budget of the Union or the European Development Fund. 

2.	Rules FOR thIS call for proposalS
These guidelines set out the rules for the submission, selection and implementation of the Framework Partnership Agreements and the annual work programmes financed under this call, in conformity with the practical guide, which is applicable to the present call (available on the internet at this address https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/display/ExactExternalWiki/ePRAG ).

PHASE 1:
During the first phase, strategic partners will be selected on the basis of their applications (annex A.1 - the application form), and their partnership with the EU will be formalised through a Framework Partnership Agreement (FPA). The target group for such partnerships in various sectors are organisations with significant experience in minimum one of the specific areas defined within the relevant five priority sectors set in section 1.2. 
FPAs will take into account the following aspects: 
•	Mutual interest and common general objectives shared by the EU and partner CSOs in pursuing the structural reform process; 
•	Relevance, quality and sustainability of the strategic plan regarding its contribution to advancing the role of civil society as an actor in policymaking, informing decisions, sharing best practices and engaging stakeholders.

The Contracting Authority will base the evaluation on the criteria specified in section 2.3. “Evaluation and selection of Framework Partnership Applications” using the strategic plan  relevant to the applied lot topic of this call for proposals submitted. For evaluation the competences, experience, expertise and capacity of the organisation as well as the relevance, coherence, quality, effectiveness and potential impact of their strategic plan will be considered. 

The successful applicants of the first phase of this call for proposals will establish a Framework Partnership Agreement with the EU.

The applications will be ranked within each lot according to their overall scores. 
The Contracting Authority will sign FPAs in each lot with the highest scored applications as follows:
Lot 1 and lot 2: maximum four (4) FPAs in each lot
Lot 3 and lot 5: maximum three (3) FPAs in each lot
Lot 4: maximum two (2) FPAs
The signature of an FPA does not give the right to the beneficiary to be awarded an operating grant.

The financial allocations (section 1.3), including the size of grants, relate exclusively to the second phase of the selection process: the specific operating grants.
PHASE 2:
During the second phase, beneficiaries of specific operating grants will be selected among the awarded partners of the first phase, on the basis of their grant applications (annex A.2 - the grant application form). These grant agreements will provide financial support to the functioning of the CSOs in line with the objectives and terms of the framework partnership, instrumental to reaching political priorities and objectives. 

The evaluation criteria for this second phase are explained in section 2.4. “Evaluation and selection of grant applications”. The quality of the application, including the proposed budget, will be evaluated on the relevance and design of the work programme as well as its implementation approach, sustainability and budget-cost-effectiveness relation.

The applicant needs to apply with its work programme, which is relevant to the lot of the call, in case the organisation is active in multiple sectors. 
The activities foreseen in the work programme should correspond to the pursuit of the organisation's statutory objectives, which must clearly indicate at least one of the specific areas defined within the five priority sectors set in section 1.2. 
The proposed annual work programmes should achieve results as listed below in line with objectives set out in section 1.2 in the respective thematic areas:
•	Strengthened capacities of civil society in promoting a competent, accountable, transparent and effective civil society sector;
•	Increased initiatives for broader civic engagement leading to a more participatory decision making and finally improvement of quality of lives of citizens;
•	Strengthened watchdog, policy monitoring and public advocacy of the civil society organisations for the Government implementation of sectorial policies and legislation, with a particular focus on those related to the EU key reforms;
•	CSOs accountability to target groups: (i) strengthening link between CSOs (including local action groups) and their constituencies/target groups, (ii) awareness-raising activities of civil society work, (iii) accountability implementation mechanisms (i.e. reporting, consultations, focus groups, promotion of volunteerism).

The Contracting Authority may award operating grants on an annual basis consecutively for up to 4 (four) years through new selection procedures among the successful FPA signatories. 
The grant may not finance the entire operating expenditure incurred by the beneficiary body.
The Contracting Authority may award only one operating grant per beneficiary per financial year from the budget of the European Union. An operating grant can’t be awarded for expenditures incurred in the previous budgetary year. The contract for an operating grant must be awarded within 4 months from the start of the beneficiary’s financial year. 

2.1.	Eligibility criteria
There are three sets of eligibility criteria, relating to:
(1)	the actors:
•	The ‘applicant’, i.e. the entity submitting the application form (2.1.1);
(2)	the Strategic Plan and the related work programmes:
•	Areas of intervention of the Strategic Plan (2.1.3); 
•	Annual work programmes for which an operating grant may be awarded (2.1.2); 
(3)	the costs (2.1.4.):
•	types of cost that may be taken into account in setting the amount of the operating grant.
2.1.1.	Eligibility of applicant

(1)	In order to be eligible for a grant, the applicant must:
•	be a legal person and 
•	be non-profit-making and
•	be a civil society organisation and
•	be established in the Republic of Serbia and
•	be an organisation whose aims and objectives declared in its statute or other official document establishing the organisation are focussed in one of the relevant priority sectors for this call and
•	be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the annual work programme. 

(2)	Potential applicants may not participate in calls for proposals or be awarded neither the framework partnership agreement nor any grants if they are in any of the situations listed in Section 2.6.10.1 of the practical guide;

The applicant and, in case of legal entities, persons who have powers of representation, decision-making or control over the applicant are informed that, should they be in one of the situations of early detection or exclusion according to Section 2.6.10.1 of the practical guide, personal details (name, given name if natural person, address, legal form and name and given name of the persons with powers of representation, decision-making or control, if legal person) may be registered in the early detection and exclusion system, and communicated to the persons and entities concerned in relation to the award or the execution of a grant contract.
In this respect, applicants are obliged to declare that they are not in one of the exclusion situations through a signed declaration on honour (PRAG Annex A14b).

In section 2 of annex A.1 – application form and in section 5 of annex A.2 – grant application form (‘declaration(s) by the applicant’), the applicant must declare that the applicant is not in any of these situations.
(3)	In addition, please note that contracts cannot be awarded to or signed with applicants included in the lists of EU restrictive measures (see Section 2.4. of the PRAG). 

Co-applicant(s)
No co-applicants are possible for this call for proposals for the Framework Partnership Agreement and the operating grants.

Affiliated entities
No affiliated entities are possible for the purpose of the Framework Partnership Agreements and the operating grants.
2.1.2.	Associates and contractors
No associates are allowed to financially benefit from this Call.

2.1.3.	Eligibility of Strategic Plans and related work programmes for which an application may be made
Definition 
•	Strategic plan: It is a long-term plan based on organisation's mission and objectives determining main programmes and activities over a minimum of 4 years leading to the achievement of results in the relevant area of the priority sectors of the Call for Proposals.   
•	Annual work programme: It is composed of a set of activities to be implemented during one financial year (from 01/January until 31/ December).

In order to be eligible the strategic plan and work programme need to comply with the following criteria:
Duration
The duration of Framework Partnership will be four years from the date of signature of the Framework Partnership Agreement. Strategic plans submitted with Framework Partnership applications shall have a minimum duration of four years starting from 2023. Work programmes for financial support (operating grants) should cover one (the first) financial year in 2023.
Location
The strategic plan and annual work programmes must be implemented in the Republic of Serbia.
Sectors or themes
Proposed strategic plans should focus on delivering results in line with the objectives set out in section 1.2 and the respective five priority areas, which are divided into lots as follows: 
•	Lot 1 - Anti-discrimination, diversity and social inclusion, in following areas:
o	LGBTIQ rights;
o	Gender equality;
o	Cultural diversity; 
o	Social inclusion and Child protection.
•	Lot 2 – Justice, in following areas:
o	Transitional Justice;
o	Corruption;
o	Probation support and post-penal care;
o	Victims of Crime Support.
•	Lot 3 - Environment and Climate Action (Green Agenda), in following area:
o	Monitoring of air/water/soil pollution and biodiversity threats in combination with related advocacy and visibility activities.
•	Lot 4 - Serbia’s foreign, defence and security policies, in following area:
o	Analysing of and providing platforms for debate of Serbia’s foreign, defence and security policies.
•	Lot 5 - Good governance in following areas:
o	Public Administration Reform;
o	Economic Governance.

Types of annual programmes for which an application for an operating grant may be made (non-exhaustive list):
The annual work programme for which an operating grant is requested should be directly linked to the strategic plan foreseen in the FPA, and should be coherent with the objectives of the strategic plan. The proposed annual work programmes need to be linked to the relevant objectives and priority areas listed under point 1.2.
•	Programmes to increase visibility, transparency, outreach and contribution to dialogue processes;  
•	Programmes to advance and promote active citizenship, participation and volunteering;
•	Programmes to keep institutions accountable, monitor enforcement of relevant legislation, advocate for rights and standards in line with the EU requirements, reforms and best practices;
•	Programmes promoting education, awareness raising and activism to advance reforms;
•	Programmes  to enhance citizens' engagement, participation and representation;
•	Programmes including operations for improved partnership dialogue among civil society organisations, the EU counterparts and the public authorities, and provide possibilities for further synergies and complementarities with other initiatives.

The following types of work programmes are ineligible:
•	work programmes concerned only or mainly with individual sponsorships for participation in workshops, seminars, conferences and congresses;
•	work programmes concerned only or mainly with individual scholarships for studies or training courses;
•	work programmes supporting specific parties or candidates elections;
•	retrospective financing for work programmes already in implementation or completed;
•	work programmes for the exclusive benefit of individuals or exclusive restricted groups of individuals;
•	work programmes supporting individual political parties;
•	humanitarian activities;
•	(re)construction works.
Types of activity (non-exhaustive list)
The activities covered by the operating grant (annual programme) should be directly linked to the strategic plan foreseen in the FPA, and should be coherent with the objectives of this plan. Activities covered need to be part of the functioning of the CSO. The following list of activities may be financed under this call:
•	monitoring sectors, institutions, policies as well as international commitments in the context of the European Union perspective of Serbia; 
•	activities for strengthening of existing and creating civil society platforms, networks and coalitions, including systems for information sharing and transfer of know-how mechanisms;
•	capacity building for sector lobbying with particular attention to wider outreach of CSOs, including small and grass-root CSOs;
•	provision of sector/policy related reports, studies, needs assessments and researches;
•	research, analysis and advocacy work and recommendations for the enforcement/revision/adoption of legislation and policies; 
•	preparation and delivery of action plans - joint activities with public institutions; 
•	dialogue initiatives with groups of parliamentarians or other legislative bodies; 
•	awareness raising events, advocacy campaigns, public communication activities;
•	facilitating dialogue, consultation and discussion between civil society and other different stakeholders, involving decision makers, political actors, business community, etc.

The list is indicative only; i.e. not exhaustive repository of activities that the work programme may contain.
All activities supported under this work programme shall be designed and implemented in accordance with principles of good governance and human rights, gender equality, cultural diversity and environmental sustainability and the inclusion of socially or economically deprived groups.
Annual work programmes should foresee activities and costs for: 
•	planning, 
•	human resources, 
•	capacity building, 
•	monitoring of the proposed activities, 
•	evaluation after the end of the financial year 2023, 
•	development of the annual work programme for the following financial year. 

Financial support to third parties 
Applicants may not propose financial support to third parties.

Visibility
The applicants must take all necessary steps to publicise the fact that the European Union has financed or co-financed the action. Unless the European Commission agrees otherwise, actions that are wholly or partially funded by the European Union must ensure the visibility of EU financing by displaying the EU emblem in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Operational guidelines for recipients of EU funding, published by the European Commission.  If applicable, communication activities may be undertaken to raise the awareness of specific or general audiences of the reasons for the action and the EU support for the action in the country or region concerned, as well as the results and the impact of this support. 
All measures and activities relating to visibility and, if applicable, communication, must comply with the latest Communication and Visibility Requirements for EU-funded external action, laid down and published by the European Commission  Communication and Visibility Requirements for EU External Actions | International Partnerships (europa.eu).

Number of applications and grants per applicants 
The applicant may not submit more than one application under this call for proposals.
Should more than one application be received from an applicant all applications where this applicant was involved will be rejected on this sole basis.
The applicant may not be awarded more than one Framework Partnership Agreement under this call for proposals. 
The applicant may not be awarded more than one operating grant (one per year for a maximum of 4 years) per financial year. 
2.1.4.	Eligibility of costs: costs that can be included 

Only ‘eligible costs’ can be covered by a grant. The categories of costs that are eligible and non-eligible are indicated below. The budget is both a cost estimate and an overall ceiling for ‘eligible costs’. 
Reimbursement of eligible costs may be based on any or a combination of the following forms:
(i) actual costs incurred by the beneficiary
(ii) one or more simplified cost options (see below). 
Simplified cost options may take the form of:
•	unit costs: covering all or certain specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in advance by reference to an amount per unit.
•	lump sums: covering in global terms all or certain specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in advance.
•	flat-rate financing: covering specific categories of eligible costs which are clearly identified in advance by applying a percentage fixed ex ante.

Simplified costs options (SCOs) which can be proposed are the following :
"output or result based SCOs": they include costs linked to outputs, results, activities, deliverables in the framework of a specific project (for example the determination of a lump sum for the organization of a conference, or for the realisation of a determined output/activity). Where possible and appropriate, lump sums or unit costs shall be determined in such a way to allow their payment upon achievement of concrete outputs and/or results. This type of SCO can be proposed by the beneficiary (no threshold is applicable) at proposal's stage (in Annex A.2 – Grant application form – Full application). In case the evaluation committee is not satisfied with the quality of the justification provided reimbursement on the basis of actually incurred costs is always possible.
Refer to Annex K for the details of the procedure to be followed depending on the type and amount of the costs to be declared as SCO.
Applicants proposing this form of reimbursement, must clearly indicate in worksheet no.1 of Annex B, each heading/item  of eligible costs concerned by this type of financing, i.e. add the reference in capital letters to ‘UNIT COST’, ‘LUMPSUM’ in the Unit column (see example in Annex K). 
Additionally in Annex B, in the second column of worksheet no.2, ‘Justification of the estimated costs’ per each of the corresponding budget item or heading applicants must:
•	describe the information and methods used to establish the amounts of unit costs and/or lump sums, to which costs they refer, etc for output or result based SCO;
•	clearly explain the formulas for calculation of the final eligible amount for output or result based SCO.
In case of output or result based SCOs the evaluation committee decides whether to accept the proposed amounts or rates on the basis of the provisional budget submitted by the applicants, by analysing factual data of grants carried out by the applicants or of similar actions. In case the evaluation committee is not satisfied with the quality of the justification provided reimbursement on the basis of actually incurred costs is always possible.
No threshold is set ex-ante for the total amount of financing that can be authorised by the contracting authority on the basis of simplified cost options. 
Recommendations to award a grant are always subject to the condition that the checks preceding the signing of the grant contract do not reveal problems requiring changes to the budget (such as arithmetical errors, inaccuracies, unrealistic costs and ineligible costs). The checks may give rise to requests for clarification and may lead the contracting authority to impose modifications or reductions to address such mistakes or inaccuracies. It is not possible to increase the grant or the percentage of EU co-financing as a result of these corrections.
It is therefore in the applicants' interest to provide a realistic and cost-effective budget.

The grant may take the form of a single lump-sum covering the entire eligible costs of an action or a work programme.
Single lump sums may be determined on the basis of the estimated budget, which should comply with the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness. Compliance with these principles shall be verified ex ante at the time of evaluation of the grant application.
When authorising single lump sums the authorising officer responsible shall comply with the conditions applicable to output or result based SCOs. 
When using this form of financing, the description of the action shall include detailed information on the essential conditions triggering the payment, including, where applicable, the achievement of outputs and/or results. 	

Eligible direct costs
To be eligible under this call for proposals, costs must comply with the provisions of Article 14 of the general conditions to the standard grant contract (see Annex G of the guidelines) as applicable to the work programme.
The applicants agree that the expenditure verification(s) referred to in Article 15.7 of the general conditions to the standard grant contract (see Annex G of the guidelines) will be carried out by the contracting authority or any external body authorised by the contracting authority, EU Delegation to the Republic of Serbia.
Indirect costs are not eligible for this operating grant.
Contributions in kind
Contributions in kind mean the provision of goods or services to beneficiaries free of charge by a third party. As contributions in kind do not involve any expenditure for beneficiaries, they are not eligible costs.
Contributions in kind may not be treated as co-financing.
However, if the description of the work programme as proposed includes contributions in kind, the contributions have to be made.
Other co-financing shall be based on estimates provided by the applicant.
Ineligible costs
The following costs are not eligible:
•	debts and debt service charges (interest);
•	provisions for losses or potential future liabilities;
•	costs declared by the beneficiary(ies) and financed by another action or work programme receiving a European Union (including through EDF) grant;
•	purchases of land or buildings, except where necessary for the direct implementation of the work programme, in which case ownership must be transferred in accordance with Article 7.5 of the general conditions of the standard grant contract, at the latest at the end of the work programme;
•	currency exchange losses;
•	in kind contributions;
•	bonuses included in costs of staff; 
•	negative interest charged by banks or other financial institutions;
•	credit to third parties;
•	salary costs of the personnel of national administrations. 

2.1.5.	Ethics clauses and Code of Conduct 
a) Absence of conflict of interest
The applicant must not be affected by any conflict of interest and must have no equivalent relation in that respect with other applicants or parties involved in the actions. Any attempt by an applicant to obtain confidential information, enter into unlawful agreements with competitors or influence the evaluation committee or the contracting authority during the process of examining, clarifying, evaluating and comparing applications will lead to the rejection of its application and may result in administrative penalties according to the Financial Regulation in force. 
b) Respect for human rights as well as environmental legislation and core labour standards 
The applicant and its staff must comply with human rights. In particular and in accordance with the applicable act, applicants who have been awarded contracts must comply with the environmental legislation including multilateral environmental agreements, and with the core labour standards as applicable and as defined in the relevant International Labour Organisation conventions (such as the conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining; elimination of forced and compulsory labour; abolition of child labour).
Zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment:
The European Commission applies a policy of 'zero tolerance' in relation to all wrongful conduct which has an impact on the professional credibility of the applicant.  
Physical abuse or punishment, or threats of physical abuse, sexual abuse or exploitation, harassment and verbal abuse, as well as other forms of intimidation shall be prohibited. 
Applicants (and affiliated entities) other than (i) natural persons (ii) pillar-assessed entities and (iii) governments and other public bodies whose application has been pre-selected or placed in a reserve list, shall assess their internal policy against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEA-H) through a self-evaluation questionnaire (Annex L). For grants of EUR 60 000 or less no self-evaluation is required. Such self-evaluation questionnaire is not part of the evaluation of the full application by the contracting authority, but is an administrative requirement. See section 2.5.6 of the PRAG.
c) Anti-corruption and anti-bribery 
The applicant shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations and codes relating to anti-bribery and anti-corruption. The contracting authority reserves the right to suspend or cancel project financing if corrupt practices of any kind are discovered at any stage of the award process or during the execution of a contract and if the contracting authority fails to take all appropriate measures to remedy the situation. For the purposes of this provision, ‘corrupt practices’ are the offer of a bribe, gift, gratuity or commission to any person as an inducement or reward for performing or refraining from any act relating to the award of a contract or execution of a contract already concluded with the contracting authority.
      d)  Unusual commercial expenses 
Applications will be rejected or contracts terminated if it emerges that the award or execution of a contract has given rise to unusual commercial expenses. Such unusual commercial expenses are commissions not mentioned in the main contract or not stemming from a properly concluded contract referring to the main contract, commissions not paid in return for any actual and legitimate service, commissions remitted to a tax haven, commissions paid to a payee who is not clearly identified or commissions paid to a company which has every appearance of being a front company.
Grant beneficiaries found to have paid unusual commercial expenses on projects funded by the European Union are liable, depending on the seriousness of the facts observed, to have their contracts terminated or to be permanently excluded from receiving EU/EDF funds.
e) Breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud
The contracting authority reserves the right to suspend or cancel the procedure, where the award procedure proves to have been subject to substantial breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud. If substantial breach of obligations, irregularities or fraud are discovered after the award of the contract, the contracting authority may refrain from concluding the contract.
2.2.	How to apply and the procedures to follow
Please note that online submission via PROSPECT is obligatory for both phases of this call.
To apply for this call for proposals the applicants are obliged to register and update their profiles in PADOR:
I.	Phase 1 – Framework Partnership Application: 
Provide information about the organisation involved in the strategic plan and documents listed under section 2.2.1 Framework Partnership Application. Please note that the registration of this data in PADOR is obligatory for this call for proposals:
PADOR is an on-line database in which organisations register and update information concerning their entity. Organisations registered in PADOR get a unique ID (EuropeAid ID) which they must mention in their application. PADOR is accessible via the website: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/pador  
If it is impossible to register online in PADOR for technical reasons, applicants must complete the ‘PADOR registration form attached to these guidelines. This form must be sent together with the application, by the submission deadline (see section  2.2.2). 
It is strongly recommended to register in PADOR well in advance and not to wait until the last minute before the deadline to submit your application in PROSPECT. 
Before starting using PADOR and PROSPECT, please read the user guides available on the website. All technical questions related the use of these systems should be addressed to the IT helpdesk at INTPA-SUPPORT-SERVICES@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in PROSPECT.
II.	Phase 2 – Grant application (operating grant): Applicants must make sure that their PADOR profile is up to date. 
Provide information about the annual work programme in the documents listed under sections and 2.2.5 grant application (operating grant) 

2.2.1.1	PHASE 1 – Application for Framework Partnership Agreement

Applications must be submitted in accordance with “Instructions for drafting the Framework Partnership” which are included in the Application Form – Framework Partnership Agreement annexed to these Guidelines (Annex A1). Instructions provided in the Application Form are not part of the application. Please delete them before submitting the application. 
Applicants must apply in English. Handwritten applications are not allowed.
Please note that the following documents shall be uploaded in PADOR by the grant application deadline to allow to assess the eligibility of the applicant:
1.	The statutes or articles of association of the applicant.
2.	Applicant's activity reports of the last 2 years (2020 and 2021).
3.	A copy of the applicant’s latest accounts (the profit and loss account and the balance sheet for last 3 financial years for which the accounts have been closed) for an operating grant below EUR100 000 and a self-declaration signed by its authorised representative certifying the validity of these accounts.  
4.	Legal entity form (see Annex D to these guidelines) duly completed and signed by the applicant accompanied by the justifying documents requested there.
5.	A financial identification form of the applicant conforming to the model attached as Annex E to these guidelines, certified by the bank to which the payments will be made. This bank should be located in the country where the applicant is established. If the applicant has already submitted a financial identification form in the past for a contract where the European Commission was in charge of the payments and intends to use the same bank account, a copy of the previous financial identification form may be provided instead. 
6.	Declaration on honour: the shall fill in and sign the declaration on honour certifying that they are not in one of the exclusion situations (see section 2.6.10.1 of the PRAG, annex A14b)) where the amount of the grant exceeds EUR 15 000. Please note that the declaration on honour should be submitted via PROSPECT.

7.	Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H: the applicant shall fill in the self-evaluation questionnaire assessing the organisation’s internal policy and procedure against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEA-H) (Annex L) where the amount of grant exceeds EUR 60 000 (see section 2.5.6 of the PRAG).  

The requested supporting documents (uploaded in PADOR or sent together with the PADOR offline form) must be supplied in the form of originals, photocopies or scanned versions (i.e. showing legible stamps, signatures and dates) of the said originals. Originals should be kept on file for controls.
Applicants have to take into consideration the time necessary to obtain official documents from national competent authorities and to translate such documents in the authorised languages while registering their data in PADOR.
If the abovementioned supporting documents are not provided before the deadline indicated in the request for supporting documents sent to the applicant by the contracting authority, the application may be rejected.
Clarifications will only be requested when information provided is not sufficient to conduct an objective assessment. 
2.2.1.1 Content of the Framework Partnership Agreement Application

In the application form, the applicant must clearly identify which parts of the strategic plan it considers relevant for a partnership with the European Union, which should be based on common political objectives shared with the EU. 

In the Framework Partnership Application, applicants must provide an estimate of the budget foreseen to implement the entire strategic plan (Annex B – spread sheet 01, only) and Logical framework for strategic plan (Annex C). 

Only the applicants invited to submit an application for an operating grant in the second phase will be required to present a detailed budget for the specific grant agreement.

Any error or major discrepancy of the information provided in the application form (A.1) for the Framework Partnership Agreement may lead to the rejection of the application. 

Clarifications will only be requested when information provided is not sufficient to conduct an objective assessment. 

Please note that only the Framework Partnership Application will be evaluated in the first phase. It is therefore of utmost importance that this document contains ALL relevant information.

2.2.1.2.	  Where and how to send the application for the Framework Partnership Agreement
The Framework Partnership Application (including the budget and the logframe) together with the declaration by the applicant (Annex A.1 section 2) must be submitted online via PROSPECT https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/prospect  following the instructions given in the PROSPECT user manual.
Upon submission of a Framework Partnership Application online, the applicant will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt in its PROSPECT profile. 
 
Please note that incomplete applications may be rejected. Applicants are advised to verify that their application is complete by using the checklist for Framework Partnership Applications (Annex A.1, point 4 Instructions).
2.2.2.	Deadline for submission of Framework Partnership Agreements
The deadline for the submission of the applications for the Framework Partnership Agreement is 23/01/2023 at 12:00 (Brussels date and time). In order to convert this deadline to local time you can use any online time converter tool that takes into account time zones and winter/summer time changes (example available here)  
The applicant is strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit its concept note, since heavy Internet traffic or a fault with the Internet connection (including electricity failure, etc.) could lead to difficulties in submission. The contracting authority cannot be held responsible for any delay due to such afore-mentioned difficulties. 
Any application for the Framework Partnership Agreement submitted after the deadline will be rejected.
2.2.3.	Further information about Framework Partnership Agreements
An online information session on this call for proposals will be held on 06/12/2022 at 11:00 (Brussels date and time). The information on the meeting link will be published on the https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/online-services/index.cfm?do=publi.welcome
Questions may be sent by e-mail no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of framework partnership application to the address below, indicating clearly the reference of the call for proposals:
E-mail address: delegation-serbia-fcs@eeas.europa.eu  
 The contracting authority has no obligation to provide clarifications to questions received after this date.
Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline for submission of concept notes. 
To ensure equal treatment of applicants, the contracting authority cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of applicants an annual work programme or specific activities.
No individual replies will be given to questions. All questions and answers as well as other important notices to applicants during the course of the evaluation procedure will be published on the website where the call was published: website of DG International Partnerships https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/home_en as the need arises. It is therefore advisable to consult the abovementioned website(s) regularly in order to be informed of the questions and answers published.
All questions related to registration in PADOR or the online submission via PROSPECT should be addressed to the IT helpdesk at INTPA-SUPPORT-SERVICES@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in PROSPECT: Please note that the working languages of the IT support are English French and Spanish. Therefore users are invited to send their questions in English, French or Spanish should they wish to benefit from an optimum response time.
Please note that the contracting authority may decide to cancel the call for proposals procedure at any stage according to the conditions set out in Section 6.5.9 of the PRAG.
2.2.4.	PHASE 2 - Grant Application (operating grant)

Applicants, which are invited to submit an application for operating grant, following the signature of their FPAs, must do so by using the “Grant application form – Annual work programme under Framework Partnership Agreement” annexed to these guidelines (Annex A2).
The operating grant supports the applicant's annual work programme, which is directly linked to and coherent with the objectives of the strategic plans of their FPAs. The logical framework (Annex C), should refer to results, indicators and targets of both strategic plans and annual work programs.

Applicants should strictly keep the format of the grant application form and fill in all the paragraphs in order to allow the assessment. “Instructions for drafting the grant application” are provided with the “Grant application form A.2.
Applicants must submit their grant applications in the same language as their FPAs, in English.
Any error related to the points listed in the “checklist for self-guidance” (point 4 of the “Instruction for drafting the grant application “ of application form A.2) or any major inconsistency in the grant application (e.g. if the amounts in the budget worksheets are inconsistent) may lead to the rejection of the application.
Clarifications will only be requested when information provided is unclear and thus prevents the contracting authority from conducting an objective assessment.
Hand-written applications will not be accepted.
Please note that only the grant application form and the published annexes which have to be filled in (budget, logical framework) will be transmitted to the evaluators (and assessors, if used). It is therefore of utmost importance that these documents contain ALL the relevant information concerning the annual work programme.
Where these documents are in a language other than English, it is strongly recommended, in order to facilitate the evaluation, to provide a translation of the relevant parts of the documents, proving the eligibility, into English. If the supporting documents are not written in one of the official languages of the European Union or (if applicable) of the country of implementation of the action, a translation into English, the language of the call for proposals of the relevant excerpts of these documents showing proof of the applicants' eligibility may be requested for the purposes of interpreting the proposal.
Applicants have to take into consideration the time necessary to obtain official documents from national competent authorities and to translate such documents in the authorised languages while updating their data in PADOR. 
If the abovementioned supporting documents are not provided by the deadline for the submission of the full application, the application may be rejected.
2.2.5.	Where and how to send application for the operating grant
Grant application forms together with the updated PADOR registration form, the budget, the logical framework, and the declaration by the applicant must be submitted online via PROSPECT https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/prospect following the instructions given in the PROSPECT users’ manual.
Upon submission of the Grant application online, the applicants will receive an automatic confirmation of receipt in their PROSPECT profile. 
Please note that incomplete applications may be rejected. Applicants are advised to verify that their application is complete using the “checklist for self-guidance” provided in point 4 of the “Instructions for drafting the grant application” of application form A.2).
2.2.6.	Deadline for submission of applications for the operating grant
The deadline for the submission of applications will be indicated in the letter of invitation sent to the applicants who signed the Framework Partnership Agreement.
Applicants are strongly advised not to wait until the last day to submit their grant applications, because heavy Internet traffic or a problems with the Internet connection (including electricity failure, etc.) could lead to difficulties in the submission. The Contacting Authority cannot be held responsible for any delay due to such afore-mentioned difficulties. 
Any application submitted after the deadline will be rejected. 
2.2.7.	Further information about the application for the operating grant

An online information session will be held, which date will be communicated to the successful FPA signatories with the invitation letter for proposals. 
Questions may be sent by e-mail no later than 21 days before the deadline for the submission of full applications to the addresses listed below, indicating clearly the reference of the call for proposals:
E-mail address: delegation-serbia-fcs@eeas.europa.eu

The contracting authority has no obligation to provide clarifications to questions received after this date.
Replies will be given no later than 11 days before the deadline for the submission of full applications. 
To ensure equal treatment of applicants, the contracting authority cannot give a prior opinion on the eligibility of applicants or an annual work programme.
No individual replies will be given to questions. All questions and answers as well as other important notices to applicants during the course of the evaluation procedure, will be communicated to Framework partners who were invited to submit a grant application.
All questions related to registration in PADOR or the online submission via PROSPECT should be addressed to the IT helpdesk at INTPA-SUPPORT-SERVICES@ec.europa.eu via the online support form in PROSPECT. Please note that the working languages of the IT support are English French and Spanish. Therefore users are invited to send their questions in English, French or Spanish should they wish to benefit from an optimum response time.
2.3.	EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF FRAMEWORK PARTNERSHIP APPLICATIONS
Framework Partnership Applications will be examined and evaluated by the contracting authority with the possible assistance of assessors. All applications will be assessed according to the following steps and criteria.
If the examination of the application reveals that the proposed strategic plan does not meet the eligibility criteria stated in Section 2.1, the application will be rejected on this sole basis.

(1)	STEP 1:	ADMINISTRATIVE CHECKS  
During the administrative check the following will be assessed:
•	If the deadline has been met. Otherwise, the application will be automatically rejected.
•	If the application for the Framework Partnership Agreement satisfies all the criteria specified in point 4 “Checklist for self-guidance” of the “Instructions for drafting the application for the Framework Partnership” of application form A.1.
•	eligibility of the strategic plan in terms of duration and aiming results within relevant set priority areas of the Call for Proposals.
If any of the requested information is missing or is incorrect, the application may be rejected on that sole basis and the application will not be evaluated further.
Applications that pass this check will be evaluated for their eligibility as described in STEP 2 below. 

(2)	STEP 2: VERIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY OF THE APPLICANTS 
The eligibility verification will be performed on the basis of the supporting documents requested by the contracting authority (see Section 2.4). 
The “declaration by the applicant” (Section 2 of Annex A1 to the Framework Partnership application form) will be cross-checked with the supporting documents provided by the applicant. Any missing supporting document or any incoherence between the declaration by the applicant and the supporting documents may lead to the rejection of the application on that sole basis. 
•	The eligibility of applicants will be verified according to the criteria set out in:
1.	Section 2.1.1 Eligibility of applicants
2.	Section 2.1.3 Eligibility of strategic plans and work programmes
3.	Section 2.2.1.1 PHASE 1 – Application for Framework Partnership Agreement.

The requested supporting documents (uploaded in PADOR or sent together with the PADOR offline form) must be supplied in the form of originals, photocopies or scanned versions (i.e. showing legible stamps, signatures and dates) of the said originals.
Where such documents are not in English or one of the official languages of the European Union, a translation into English of the relevant parts of these documents proving the applicant's eligibility, must be attached for the purpose of analysing the application.
Where these documents are in an official language of the European Union other than English, it is strongly recommended, in order to facilitate the evaluation, to provide a translation of the relevant parts of the documents, proving the applicant's eligibility, into English language.
If the abovementioned supporting documents are not provided before the deadline indicated in the request for supporting documents sent to the applicant by the contracting authority, the application may be rejected.
After having verified the supporting documents for the eligibility of the applicant, the evaluation committee will further assess the financial and operational capacity as well as the strategic plan in step 3. 

STEP 3: EVALUATION OF THE APPLICATION FOR A FRAMEWORK PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
The Framework Partnership Application will receive an overall score out of 100 using the breakdown in the evaluation grid below. The evaluation committee will also assess the compliance with the “Instructions for drafting the application for the Framework Partnership Agreement”, as provided in “A.1 – Application form”.
The quality of the Framework Partnership applications, including the estimated budget, the capacity of the applicants will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria in the evaluation grid below.
There are two types of evaluation criteria: selection and award criteria
a)	The selection criteria help evaluate the applicant's operational capacity and the applicant's financial capacity and to ensure that it: 
•	has stable and sufficient sources of finance to maintain its activity throughout the proposed strategic plan and, where appropriate, to participate in its funding; 
•	has the management capacity, professional competencies and qualifications required to successfully complete the proposed strategic plan. 

b)	The award criteria help evaluate the quality of the applications in relation to
•	the compliance with objectives and priorities, and
•	the relevance of the strategic plan and its consistency with the objectives of the call for proposals, quality, expected impact, sustainability and cost-effectiveness. 

The evaluation criteria are divided into headings and subheadings. Each subheading will be given a score between 1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.

Evaluation Grid
Section	Maximum Score	
1. Financial and operational capacity	20	
1.1. Does the applicant have sufficient in-house experience of project management?	5	
1.2. Does the applicant have sufficient technical in-house expertise (especially knowledge of the issues to be addressed)?	5	
1.3. Does the applicant have sufficient management in-house capacity (including staff, equipment and ability to handle the budget for the annual work programme)?	5	
1.4. Does the applicant have stable and sufficient sources of finance?	5	
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2. Relevance of the strategic plan	30	
2.1. How relevant is the proposed strategic plan to the objectives and priorities of the Call for Proposals and to the specific themes/sectors/areas or any other specific requirement stated in the guidelines for applicants?	5x2** 	
2.2. How relevant is the contribution to national or regional policy making and dialogue mechanisms including those mentioned under point 1.1 Bacground?	5x2** 	
2.3. How relevant is the applicant organisation's representativeness (including number of members, supporters, target groups as well as presence in local, national and regional networks) in relation to its/their mandate/s and to the services provided to their members? 	5	
2.4. How does the strategic plan integrate specific added-value elements, such as the promotion and respect of non-discrimination, human rights, the rule of law, good governance, gender equality and women’s empowerment, as well as the other additional elements indicated under 1.2. of the guidelines for applicants. 	5	
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3. Quality of the strategic plan (Logical Framework)	30	
3.1. How coherent and clear is the Logical Framework? Does it indicate the expected results to be achieved? Are the activities proposed appropriate, practical, and consistent with the envisaged outputs and outcome(s)? Does it realisticly consider the different problems involved, and the capacities of the relevant stakeholders?	5x2**	
3.2. Does the proposal/Logical Framework include credible baseline, targets and sources of verification? If not, is a baseline study foreseen (and is the study budgeted appropriately in the proposal)?	5x2**	
3.3. Is the Strategic Plan indicative budget realistic and consistent with the organisation’s administrative and financial capacity? 	5x2**	
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4. Sustainability of the strategic plan	20	
5.1. Is the strategic plan likely to have a tangible impact on one or more the priority areas listed under under 1.2. of the guidelines for applicants?	5x2**	
5.2. Is the strategic plan likely to have multiplier effects, including scope for replication, extension capitalisation on experience and knowledge sharing?	5	
5.3. Are the expected results of the proposed plan  sustainable?- Financially (e.g. financing of follow-up activities, sources of revenue for covering all future operating and maintenance costs)- Institutionally (will structures allow the results of the strategic plan to be sustained at the end of the strategic plan? Will there be local ‘ownership’ of the results of the strategic plan?)- At policy level (where applicable) (what will be the structural impact of the strategic plan — e.g. improved legislation, codes of conduct, methods) - Environmentally (if applicable) (will the strategic plan have a negative/positive environmental impact?)	5	
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MAXIMUM TOTAL SCORE	100	

**: this score is multiplied by 2 because of its importance

Requirements of SCORES to be achieved:

Section 1 “Financial and operational capacity”:
•	Minimum score to be achieved in this section is 12. If the score for section 1 is less than 12 points, the application will be rejected.
•	Minimum score to be achieved in each sub-section is 2.If the score for at least one of the subsections under section 1 is 1, the application will also be rejected. 

Section 2 “Relevance of the Strategic Plan”:
Minimum score to be achieved in this section 16. If the total score for section 2 is less than 16 points, the application will be rejected. 

Section 1 “Financial and operational capacity”: The score of section 1 will be transferred to Phase 2 (evaluation of the operating grant) only for the grant application for the first financial year.

Once all Framework Partnership applications have been assessed, a list will be drawn up including the proposed Strategic Plans ranked according to their total score. 
STEP 4: AWARD OF FRAMEWORK PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT
Following the recommendations of the evaluation committee the Contracting Authority takes the decision to award the Framework Partnership Agreements in line with the rules set in section “2. Rules for this call for proposals”. 

STEP 5: NOTIFICATION OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY’S DECISION 

The applicants will be informed in writing of the Contracting Authority’s decision concerning their application and, if rejected, the reasons for the negative decision. This letter will be sent by e-mail and will appear online automatically in the PROSPECT profile of the user who submitted the application

An applicant believing that it has been adversely affected by an error or irregularity allegedly committed as part of a selection may lodge a complaint. See further section 2.12.1 of the Practical Guide.
Applicants and, if they are legal entities, persons who have powers of representation, decision-making or control over them, are informed that, should they be in one of the situations of early detection or exclusion, their personal details (name, given name if natural person, address, legal form and name and given name of the persons with powers of representation, decision-making or control, if legal person) may be registered in the early detection and exclusion system, and communicated to the persons and entities concerned in relation to the award or the execution of a grant contract. For more information, you may consult the privacy statement available on http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm 
STEP 6: SIGNATURE OF FRAMEWORK PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT AND INFO SESSION

Following the decision to award a Framework Partnership Agreement, the beneficiaries will be offered a contract based on the standard Framework Partnership Agreement (see Annex M to these Guidelines) and be invited to submit an application for an annual operating grant.. By signing the application form for an FPA (Annex A.1 to these Guidelines), the applicants agree, if awarded a Framework Partnership Agreement, to accept the contractual conditions of the standard Framework Partnership Agreement.

Information session:

Following the signature, an information session for Framework Partners will be held to provide information regarding the second phase of this call for proposals i.e. application for annual operating grants. The evaluation and selection of grant applications will follow the procedures as indicated in section 2.4 below.
The date of the information session will be given in the letter of invitation.

Subsequent operating grants for the following years:

Within the duration of FPAs (four years) the Contracting Authority may invite Framework Partners to submit applications for annual operating grants for subsequent financial years. The selection will follow the same procedure as indicated in section 2.4 below. The evaluation of applications covering subsequent financial years will include also the financial and operational capacity of the applicant (see section 1 of the below grid).

2.4.	EVALUATION AND SELECTION OF GRANT APPLICATIONS (OPERATING GRANT) 
STEP 1: ADMINISTRATIVE CHECK

The following will be assessed during this step: 

•	Compliance with the submission deadline. If the deadline has not been met, the application will automatically be rejected. 
•	The grant application satisfies all the criteria specified in point 4 “Checklist for self-guidance” of the “Instructions for drafting the grant application” in the grant application form A.2. If any of the requested information is missing or is incorrect, the application may be rejected on that sole basis and the application will not be evaluated further. 

STEP 2: EVALUATION OF THE APPLICATION FOR THE OPERATING GRANT

The operating grant will receive an overall score out of 100 using the breakdown in the evaluation grid below. The evaluation committee will also assess the compliance with the “Instructions for drafting the grant application”, as provided in “A.2 – Grant application form”.

The quality of the operating grant application, including the detailed budget and the logical framework, will be evaluated using the evaluation criteria in the evaluation grid below.
There are two types of evaluation criteria: selection and award criteria. 
a)	The selection criteria help evaluate the applicant's operational capacity and the applicant's financial capacity and to ensure that it: 
•	has stable and sufficient sources of finance to maintain its activity throughout the proposed strategic plan and, where appropriate, to participate in its funding; 
•	has the management capacity, professional competencies and qualifications required to successfully complete the proposed strategic plan. 
For the first financial year the score will be transferred from phase 1, the evaluation of the Framework Partnership Agreement.
b)	The award criteria help evaluate the quality of the work programme in relation to
•	the compliance with objectives and priorities of the call for proposals (relevance of the work programme), and
•	the coherency with the objectives of the call for proposals (design of the work programme)
•	the feasibility of the implementation of the work programme, including a monitoring system
•	the expected results, impact and multiplier effect (sustainability of the work programme)
•	The budget - cost-effectiveness of the work programme

The evaluation criteria are divided into headings and subheadings. Each subheading will be given a score between 1 and 5 as follows: 1 = very poor; 2 = poor; 3 = adequate; 4 = good; 5 = very good.

Section	Maximum Score	
1. Financial and operational capacity (this score will be transferred from Phase 1 only for the evaluation of grant applications submitted for the first financial year)	20	
1.1. Does the applicant have sufficient in-house experience of project management?	5	
1.2. Does the applicant have sufficient technical in-house expertise (especially knowledge of the issues to be addressed)?	5	
1.3. Does the applicant have sufficient management in-house capacity (including staff, equipment and ability to handle the budget for the work programme)?	5	
1.4. Does the applicant have stable and sufficient sources of finance?	5	
		
2. Relevance of the annual work program 	20	
2.1. How relevant is the proposal to the objectives and priorities of the call for proposals and to the specific themes/sectors/areas or any other specific requirement stated in the guidelines for applicants? Are the expected results of the annual work programme aligned with the priorities defined in the guidelines for applicants (section 1.2)?	5	
2.2. How relevant is the annual work program to the particular needs and constraints of the target country, its region(s) and/or relevant sectors (including synergy with other development initiatives and avoidance of duplication)?	5	
2.3. How clearly defined and strategically chosen are those involved (final beneficiaries, target groups)? Have their needs (as rights holders and/or duty bearers) and constraints been clearly defined and does the proposal address them appropriately?	5	
2.4. Does the proposal contain particular added-value elements (e.g. innovation, best practices) ? [and the other additional elements indicated under 1.2. of the guidelines for applicants]	5	
		
3. Design of the annual work programme	20	
3.1. How coherent is the design of the annual work programme? Does the proposal indicate the expected results to be achieved by the annual work programme? Does the intervention logic explain the rationale to achieve the expected results? Are the activities proposed appropriate, practical, and consistent with the envisaged outputs and outcome(s)?	5x2**	
3.2. Does the proposal/Logical Framework include credible baseline, targets and sources of verification? If not, is a baseline study foreseen (and is the study budgeted appropriately in the proposal)?	5	
3.3. Does the design reflect a robust analysis of the problems involved, and the capacities of the relevant stakeholders?	5	

4. Implementation approach	10	
4.1. Is the annual work programme plan for implementing clear and feasible? Is the timeline realistic?	5	
4.2. Does the proposal include an effective and efficient monitoring system? Is there an evaluation planned (previous, during or/and at the end of the implementation)?	5	

5. Sustainability of the work programme	15	
5.1. Is the annual work programme likely to have a tangible impact on its target groups?	5	
5.2. Is the annual work programme likely to have multiplier effects, including scope for replication, extension capitalisation on experience and knowledge sharing?	5	
5.3. Are the expected results of the proposed annual work programme sustainable?- Financially (e.g. financing of follow-up activities, sources of revenue for covering all future operating and maintenance costs)- Institutionally (will structures allow the results of the annual work programme to be sustained at the end of the annual work programme? Will there be local ‘ownership’ of the results of the work programme?)- At policy level (where applicable) (what will be the structural impact of the annual work programme — e.g. improved legislation, codes of conduct, methods) - Environmentally (if applicable) (will the annual work programme have a negative/positive environmental impact?)	5	

6. Budget and cost-effectiveness of the annual work programme	15	
6.1. Are the activities appropriately reflected in the budget?	5	
6.2. Is the ratio between the estimated costs and the expected results satisfactory?	5x2**	
		
MAXIMUM TOTAL SCORE	100	

**: this score is multiplied by 2 because of its importance
After the evaluation, a table will be drawn up listing the applications ranked according to their score and within the limits of the funds available.
STEP 3: AWARD OF THE OPERATING GRANT
Following the recommendations of the evaluation committee the Contracting Authority takes the decision to award the operating grant.
The signing of the Framework Partnership Agreement does not give the right that an operating grant is awarded.

STEP 4: NOTIFICATION OF THE CONTRACTING AUTHORITY’S DECISION
The Applicants will be informed in writing of the Contracting Authority’s decision concerning their application and, if rejected, the reasons for the negative decision. This letter will be sent by e-mail and will appear online automatically in the PROSPECT profile of the user who submitted the application. Therefore, please consult regularly your PROSPECT profile, taking into account the indicative timetable below.
An applicant believing that it has been adversely affected by an error or irregularity during the award process may lodge a complaint. See further Section 2.12.1 of the practical guide. 
Applicants and, if they are legal entities, persons who have powers of representation, decision-making or control over them, are informed that, should they be in one of the situations of early detection or exclusion, their personal details (name, given name if natural person, address, legal form and name and given name of the persons with powers of representation, decision-making or control, if legal person) may be registered in the early detection and exclusion system, and communicated to the persons and entities concerned in relation to the award or the execution of a grant contract.
For more information, you may consult the privacy statement available on http://ec.europa.eu/budget/explained/management/protecting/protect_en.cfm

STEP 5: SIGNATURE OF AN OPERATING GRANT
Following the decision to award an operating grant, the beneficiaries will be offered a contract based on the standard grant contract (see Annex G of these guidelines). By signing the application form (Annex A.2 of these guidelines), the applicants agree, if awarded a grant, to accept the contractual conditions of the standard grant contract.
Implementation contracts
Where implementation of the annual work programme requires the beneficiary to award procurement contracts, those contracts must be awarded in accordance with Annex IV to the standard grant contract.
In this context, a distinction should be made between awarding implementation contracts and subcontracting parts of the annual work programme described in the proposal, i.e. the description of the annual work programme annexed to the grant contract, such subcontracting being subject to additional restrictions (see the general terms and conditions in the model grant contract).
Awarding implementation contracts: implementation contracts relate to the acquisition by beneficiaries of routine services and/or necessary goods and equipment as part of their project management; they do not cover any outsourcing of tasks forming part of the annual work programme that are described in the proposal, i.e. in the description of the annual work programme annexed to the grant contract. 
Subcontracting: Subcontracting is the implementation, by a third party with which one or more beneficiaries have concluded a procurement contract, of specific tasks forming part of the annual work programme as described in annex to the grant contract (see also the general terms and conditions in the model grant contract). 
2.4.1.	Indicative timetable 

	DATE	TIME	
1.	Information meeting 	
13 December 2022	
11:00 hrs	
2.	Deadline for requesting any clarifications from the contracting authority	02 January2023	17 :00 hrs	
3.	Last date on which clarifications are issued by the contracting authority	12 January 2023	-	
4.	Deadline for submission of applications for Framework Partnership	23 January 2023	12:00 hrs	
5.	Information to Applicants on opening, administrative checks and Framework Partnership evaluation  	January 2023	-	
6. Signature of Framework Partnership Agreements	February 2023		
7. Invitations to submit applications for annual operating grants and relevant info session	February 2023	-	
8. Deadline for submission of applications for annual operating grants	March 2023		
9.	Information to Applicants on the evaluation of the applications for annual operating grants	April 2023	-	
10. Notification of award and contract signature 	April 2023	-	
 All times are in the time zone of the country of the contracting authority.
This indicative timetable refers to provisional dates (except for dates 2, 3, and 4) and may be updated by the contracting authority during the procedure. In such cases, the updated timetable will be published on the web site where the call was published: website of DG International Partnerships	 https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/home_en  .

3.	
LIST OF annexes
Documents to be completed
Annex A1:	Application form - Framework Partnership Agreement - Phase 1
Annex A2: Application form - Grant application form (Annual work programme under Framework Partnership Agreement) – Phase 2
Annex B1:	Budget (Excel format) – Phase 1  
Annex B2:	Budget (Excel format) – Phase 2 (spread sheet 1, 2 and 3)
Annex C:	Logical framework (Excel format)
Annex D:	Legal entity sheet
Annex E:	Financial identification form
Annex F: 	PADOR registration form (in case on-line registration is NOT possible)
Annex H:	Declaration on Honour
Annex L:	Self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H

DOCUMENTS FOR INFORMATION
Annex M: Framework partnership agreement 
Annex G: Standard grant contract
-	Annex II:	general conditions
	Annex III: 	model specific grant agreement 
-	Annex IV:	contract award rules
-	Annex V:	standard request for payment
-	Annex VI:	model narrative and financial report
-Annex VII:	model report of factual findings and terms of reference for an expenditure verification of an EU financed grant contract for external action

Annex I:	Daily allowance rates (per diem), available at the following address: https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/system/files/per_diem_rates_20191218.pdf  (as all necessary information is available via the link the publication of the annex is optional)
Annex J:	Information on the tax regime applicable to grant contracts signed under the call.
Annex K:	Guidelines for assessing simplified cost options.

Useful links:
Project Cycle Management Guidelines 
https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/funding/managing-project_en 
The implementation of grant contracts
A Users' Guide
https://wikis.ec.europa.eu/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=48169235 
Financial Toolkit	
https://ec.europa.eu/international-partnerships/financial-management-toolkit_en 
Please note: the toolkit is not part of the grant contract and has no legal value. It merely provides general guidance and may in some details differ from the signed grant contract. In order to ensure compliance with their contractual obligations beneficiaries should not exclusively rely on the toolkit but always consult their individual contract documents.
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