1. EuropeAid Co-operation Office Brussels TACIS CBC SPF TACIS Cross-Border Co-operation Small Project Facility BSR Partner Search Forum, Gdansk (Poland) 16-17/06/2003 Catherine BODSON

2. Tacis CBC SPF Programme n Cross-border co-operation is one of the multi-country programmes of the Tacis Programme n Small Project Facility: The support is provided by means of grants (max. 200.000€) n Tacis CBC SPF has this year a budget of 6,7 m€ (budget year 2002) n Indicative budget next Call for Proposals (December 2003): 9,2 M€

3. Wider Europe Communication: (03/2003) 1.“…the EU should aim to develop a zone of prosperity and a friendly neighbourhood…with whom the EU enjoys close, peaceful and co-operative relations” The Tacis CBC Small Project Facility

4. Wider Europe Communication 2. “Promote regional and subregional co-operation and integration that are the preconditions for political stability, economic development and the reduction of poverty and social division in our shared environment.”

5. Overall Objectives Tacis CBC SPF n Have an impact on living standards in the border regions of Russia, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine n Have a cross-border impact: to foster co-operation between regions and local authorities in the NIS, EU and CEC n To support projects addressing a common CBC problem or developing the partners competencies on both sides of the borders

6. Focuses on: n The cross-border dimension of projects and the local/regional dimension n The common challenges n The partnerships n The sustainability of co-operation n The co-ordination with other funding sources

7. Budget and duration n SPF projects: min. 100.000 € max. 200.000 € n MPF (Micro Project Facility): min. 10.000 € max. 50.000 € n Partners’ co-financing: min 20% n Max. duration: 18 months SPF 6 months MPF ! Guidelines revised in September 2003

8. Spheres of Co-operation Just one please! n Local Economic development n Environment and Energy Efficiency n Administrative Reforms n Social Affairs

9. Spheres of co-operation Administrative Reforms Management of local and regional self- government Decision-making procedures in local and regional authorities Local & regional democracy - Participative approach Finance and budgeting Decision-making procedures in local and regional authorities Relations with the public (e.g. information provision) Local Economic Development SME support and development Economic planning and industrial conversion Economic development with sectoral focus Development and tourism strategies Strategies for tackling unemployment Rural diversification Social Affairs Urban and social health policy Integration of national minorities and disabled people Youth policy Education Fight and prevention of trafficking in human beings Environment & Energy Efficiency Environmental protection and improvement of standards Waste management/ treatment strategies Transport and traffic management Efficient energy supply and monitoring of energy use Use of alternative sources of energy

10. Eligible Partners (1) Core partners n Local or Regional Authorities in the eligible regions n Association of Local and Regional Authorities n Entity closely linked to the local or regional authority (Regional Development Agency) and mainly owned by the authority n Min 2 core partners NIS/EU or NIS/Phare

11. Partnership ? (2) Additional partners n Role of the eventual EU partner n Local or Regional Authorities in the eligible regions n NGOs n Public Utilities n Locally or Regionally based education centres n Subcontractors for a limited and specific part of the project (may even be commercial enterprises)

12. Examples of Eligible Activities n Training of personnel n Study visits n Establishment of best practice and procedures n System analysis and transfer of knowledge n Establishment of advisory and development functions n Sectoral and regional studies n Environmental management n Human and institutional capacity building measures

13. Types of non-eligible projects n Individual sponsorships n Individual scholarships n One-off conferences n Projects exceeding 18 months n Projects submitted by other than local/regional authorities or associations of local/regional authorities n Singular cultural events

14. Project Selection Cycle n The PSC starts as from publication of the Call for Proposals n 3 months to prepare a project and send it to the EC, where tha application is registered n Evaluation Committee on Administrative compliance and Eligibility n Evaluation by experts and inter- service consultation n Second Evaluation Committee for final decision n Approval of decision by hierarchy

15. Evaluation and Selection Criteria n Administrative Compliance n Eligibility of applicants, partners and project n Evaluation of the quality of the proposal n Financial Evaluation of project n Evaluation grid

16. Grounds for rejection of a proposal n Application received after the closing date n Application is incomplete n The applicant or partners are ineligible n The project is ineligible n The project is not relevant n The relevance and quality of the proposal is lower than that of the selected proposals n Financial quality is insufficient n After consultation with other services, project is rejected (overlap, bad experience, etc)

17. Other Sources of Funding n INTERREG: Finnish / Russian border + BSR n Phare CBC on CEEC / NIS borders

18. Co-ordination with the other Programmes n Exchange of information with Delegation, INTERREG Secretariats and other services of the Commission n Developing common procedures with INTERREG and Phare in view of the future guidelines n Priority to support projects with a clear link to an INTERREG or a Phare project (projects, which could not be implemented without both fundings)

19. What happens after signature of the contract? n Project partners: - Transparency between partners - Communication with project partners and with Project Manager - Role of partners - Activities of each partner n Tacis financing covers: - The activities for the benefit of the Tacis partner - The input of the different experts of the project + travel expenses/per diems - The equipment purchases of the Tacis partner

20. The internal organisation of your project The Project Team  The key implementing instrument - Project Co-ordinator - Financial Co-ordinator - Partners contact persons

21. The Project Team (1/3) Duties of the Project Co-ordinator n Co-ordination of the projects (making things happen) n Liaison with Project Managers of the EC n Liaison with Financial Co-ordinator n Compilation the reports n Publication and communication on project results n Identification of a substitute...

22. The Project Team (2/3) Duties of the Financial Co-ordinator n Belongs to the lead authority n Prepares the project ’s financial reporting systems (incl. Bookkeeping) n Close communication with the other project partners n Keeps track on budget and expenditure n Liases with the auditor n Compiles the financial reports to the Project Manager AND the EC

23. The Project Team (3/3) Partners Each partner identifies a contact person who is: n Actively involved at all stages and communicates with other partners n Responsible for the participation of the partner in the project n Ensures adequate bookkeeping n Prepares the partner’s contribution to the reports

24. Co-financing n 20% of the total amount of the project n No in-kind contribution allowed n Types of financial contribution: - Cash - Fees of civil servants (daily rates on the market) - All other expenses made by the partners for the project

25. Before designing a project proposal n Identify the needs/problems of the beneficiary country n Identify if these needs/problems are met by potential partners in the border regions n Identify the solutions adopted by other countries / border regions / partners n Identify possible partnership with border regions and eventual EU countries

26. When designing a project proposal n Be clear ! n Be consistent n Transparency with the project partners n Communication with the partners n Budget / Expenses for the benefit of the Tacis partner Staff Equipment Travel expenses and per diems n Sustainability of the project

27. Joint Projects n Definition: Joint projects are prepared by the project partners on both sides of the border and are implemented jointly on each side of the border n Financing: The Tacis funding covers the activities for the benefit of the Tacis partner, while INTERREG/Phare cover the activities of the EU/Phare partners n Link between applications In theory, a true joint project can only be successful if both sides of the border receive the funding...

28. Joint Projects n Information Sheets until 2004 n Exchange of information with the Secretariats until 2004 n Neighbourhood Instrument for the 2004-2006 period: single application, single evaluation, allocation per border (INTERREG model)

29. Post Enlargement n No real changes except new INTERREG Programmes n Eligible areas: the same border n Priorities of Tacis CBC SPF remain unchanged

30. Assistance to Applicants n Russia u Kaliningrad and Southwestern Russia: Catherine BODSON (EU Commission) u Leningrad Oblast and Northwestern Russia: Mia-Fatima DUBOIS- BOUSSAID (EU Commission) u St Petersburg Liaison Office n Belarus u Martin EISENBEIS (EU Commission) u National Co-ordinating Unit (NCU) u EC Delegation in Minsk (Tacis Branch Office)

31. Assistance to Applicants n Moldova u Martin Eisenbeis (EU Commission) u NCU u EC Delegation in Chisinau (Tacis Branch Office) n Ukraine u Corinne DELEU (EU Commission) u NCU u Delegation of the EU in Minsk

32. The Tacis CBC SPF Team in Brussels n Bodil PERSSON Programme Manager n Catherine BODSON Programme Co-ordinator, Project Manager, Kaliningrad and SW Russia n Mia-Fatima DUBOIS-BOUSSAID Project Manager, NW Russia - Leningrad Oblast n Martin EISENBEIS Project manager, Belarus and Moldova n Corinne DELEU Project Manager, Ukraine

33. Contact details Tacis CBC SPF Website: http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/tacis_cbc_spf/ index_en.htm The European Commission 1049 Brussels - Belgium Tel: 00 32 2 296 79 51 Fax: 00 32 2 295 74 82 e-mail: firstname.lastname@cec.eu.int