Framework partnership agreements to support EU level Networks active in the area: “Rights of persons with disabilities”
Programme Category
Programme Name
Programme Description
Funding through CERV programme aims at protecting rights and values enshrined in the EU treaties in order to sustain open, democratic and inclusive societies.
Identifier Code
Call
Summary
This call will support networking at Union level and dialogue with and among relevant stakeholders in the policy area of disability and build up the institutional capacity of these stakeholders to contribute actively to the development and implementation of all relevant policies.
This call aims to set up 3-year framework partnership agreements with EUlevel networks and organisations whose statutory aim is to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities and which will implement among others activities in the areas of:
policy advice, support and analysis, training and capacity building, mutual learning and exchange of good practices, awareness raising, as well as information and dissemination with EU added value.
Objectives:
- Promoting, protecting and monitoring the rights of persons with disabilities by providing financial support to EU-level networks of civil society organisations active in this area at local, regional, national and transnational level.
- It will in particular contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights (EPSR), the European Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 (ESRPD) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD);
- Supporting the Commission in putting the Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities 2021-2030 into practice;
- Delivering on the European Pillar of Social Rights and related initiatives such as the ESRPD is a shared responsibility of the EU institutions, national, regional and local authorities, social partners and civil society. Civil society organisations are expected to:
- support its implementation at EU, national and local level notably by collecting and exchanging data and good practices and cooperating with public authorities in the design and implementation of relevant policies; implementing different mutual learning activities on concrete policies (mutual learning event/peer learning and other similar activities);
- organise communication and engagement activities to raise awareness of the ESRPD and promote the rights of persons with disabilities in Europe. The ultimate goal is to build a stronger social Europe and ensure that people with disabilities can fully enjoy their rights.
Detailed Call Description
This call will support networks at EU level whose activities contribute to the implementation of the above-mentioned objectives, priorities and initiatives.
Networks will implement, among others, activities in the areas of policy advice, support and analysis, training and capacity building, mutual learning and exchange of good practices, awareness raising, as well as information and dissemination with EU added value.
Activities may include:
- contributing to evidence-based regulation, policies and reforms at EU/national/local level and providing the Commission with input for policy design, e.g. by gathering relevant evidence (especially from local levels) and by contributing to ad-hoc public or targeted consultations and to thematic strategic dialogue meetings on policy or programme management related issues;
- promoting concrete pledges for actions supporting the implementation of relevant key EU initiatives;
- contributing to mainstream disability and to the implementation of EU actions;
- raising public awareness and disseminating information on the rights of persons with disabilities and legislation at EU and national levels;
- building capacity of national members to actively engage them in implementing the ESRPD locally;
- implementing different mutual learning initiatives;
- promoting related EU programmes, projects and results – assisting in the transfer and exchange of good practices;
- reinforcing cooperation with other EU level networks (e.g. through joint actions), including across different policy areas; with and between the national social stakeholders; with national, regional and local authorities.
Beneficiaries are expected to maintain a degree of flexibility in their work programmes to be able to adapt to incoming needs and challenges, in line with new EU level initiatives in areas related to social policies.
Activities should also enable the networks to integrate cross-cutting issues (e.g. gender, non-discrimination) in their day-to-day work.
Applicants:
- are encouraged to integrate a gender perspective into work programmes using the resources references in section six and the guidance provided in DG JUST’s online workshop on gender mainstreaming.
- are encouraged to outline in their proposals how they address gender differences in the design of their work programme, how they promote gender equality and how they monitor and evaluate their activities advancing gender equality.
- where applicable, applicants are invited to take also intersectional discrimination into account and explain how it affects the rights of people living with disabilities.
- should optimise the use of online/offline activities depending on the objectives of each activity and taking into account environmental and health considerations. Possibilities offered by online activities to maximise impact should be utilised (e.g. publicly available recorded webinars). The cost-effectiveness, size and frequency of in-person events should be carefully considered and reasonable.
The gender perspective should be interwoven into the work programme, but not shift the focus from the rights of persons with disabilities.
Duration: The foreseen duration of activities under Framework Partnership Agreements is 36 months.
The framework partnership agreements will have a duration of three years (2026 – 2028).
Call Total Budget
Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan
The annual budgets of grants are expected to range indicatively between €100.000 and €1.500.000 per work programme.
Thematic Categories
- Public Administration
- Social Affairs & Human Rights
Eligibility for Participation
- Associations
- Central Government
- Legal Entities
- Local Authorities
- NGOs
- Non Profit Organisations
- Other Beneficiaries
- State-owned Enterprises
Eligibility For Participation Notes
In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) 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 (list of participating countries)
- be non-governmental, non-profit-making, and independent of industry, commercial and business or other conflicting interests;
- have statutory aims falling under the objectives and scope of the priorities of this call for proposals;
- have national member organisations in at least fourteen (14) Member States of the European Union;
- have members that are mainly non-profit organisations;
- be mandated by their members, through a Management Board or other administrative forum, to represent these members at the EU level and to be responsible for the activities of the network;
- be a single applicant: only the network or the organisation appointed as the joint secretariat/officially appointed coordinator may submit an application; the member organisations are not eligible to apply.
- provide a strategic work programme for a period of 3 years starting in 2026.
Consortium composition: Only applications by single applicants are allowed (single beneficiaries). Affiliated entities and other participants are NOT allowed.
Geographic location (target countries): Proposals must relate to activities taking place in the eligible countries (see above).
Call Opening Date
Call Closing Date
National Contact Point(s)
Organisation for European Programmes and Cultural Relations
Nenad Bogdanovic
Head of CERV Contact Point
Email: nb@epcr.org.cy
EU Contact Point
For help related to this call, please contact: EC-CERV-CALLS@ec.europa.eu