Funding through CERV programme aims at protecting rights and values enshrined in the EU treaties in order to sustain open, democratic and inclusive societies.

The CERV programme helps to promote intercultural dialogue by bringing people of different nationalities and different languages together and giving them the opportunity to participate in common activities. In this context, Town-Twinning projects will raise awareness of the richness of Europe’s cultural and linguistic environment and promote mutual understanding and respect, contributing to the development of a respectful, dynamic and multifaceted European identity and the respect of common values, equality, democracy and fundamental rights.

Lump sum grant — funding rate is not applicable.

Indicative funding amount per project: €8.455 – €50.745.

• Culture
• Migration and Citizenship
• Public Administration
• Social Affairs & Human Rights

• Associations
• Legal Entities
• Legal Entities under Public Law
• Local Authorities
• Non Profit Organisations

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries) must:

• be legal entities (public or private bodies)
• be established in one of the eligible countries, i.e.:
  • EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs))
  • non-EU countries:
    • countries associated to the CERV Programme or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature (list of participating countries).
• other eligibility conditions:
  • Lead applicant and its associated partner(s) must be a public body or a non-profit organisation with legal personality formally established in one of the eligible countries.
  • They must be towns/municipalities and/or other levels of local authorities or their twinning committees or other non-profit organisations representing local authorities.
  • The project must be transnational and must involve municipalities from at least two eligible countries of which at least one is an EU Member State.
  • Activities must take place in any of the eligible countries participating in the project.
  • Events must involve a minimum of 50 direct participants, of which a minimum of 25 participants are “invited international participants”.

Proposals must involve municipalities from at least 2 eligible countries of which at least one is an EU Member State.

Applicants that are non-profit organisations representing municipalities will be required to clearly explain in the proposal the role and involvement of municipalities in the project thus proving their participation and commitment.

Natural persons — Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of selfemployed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).

International organisations — International organisations are eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.

Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.

EU bodies — EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.

Programme Contact Points — Are eligible as coordinator or beneficiary in this call, if they have procedures to segregate the project management and the information provision functions and if they are able to demonstrate cost separation (i.e. that their project grants do not cover any costs which are covered by their other grant). This requires the following:

• use of analytical accounting which allows for a cost accounting management with cost allocation keys and cost accounting codes AND application of these keys and codes to identify and separate the costs (i.e. to allocate them to either one of the two grants)
• recording of all real costs incurred for the activities that are covered by the two grants (including the indirect costs)
• allocation of the costs in a way that leads to a fair, objective and realistic result.

Associations and interest groupings — Entities composed of members may participate as ‘sole beneficiaries’ or ‘beneficiaries without legal personality’. Please note that if the action will be implemented by the members, they should also participate (either as beneficiaries or as affiliated entities, otherwise their costs will NOT be eligible).

Countries currently negotiating association agreements — Beneficiaries from countries with ongoing negotiations for participation in the programme may participate in the call and can sign grants if the negotiations are concluded before grant signature and if the association covers the call (i.e. is retroactive and covers both the part of the programme and the year when the call was launched).

Organisation for European Programmes and Cultural Relations

Nenad Bogdanovic
Head of CERV Contact Point
Email: nb@epcr.org.cy

EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu

• Funding & Tenders
• Call document