EUROPEAN COMMISSION
EMPLOYMENT AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS DG
Social Protection and Social Integration
Integration of People with Disabilities










1. POLITICAL CONTEXT

The European Year of People with Disabilities (2003) was established by the Council Decision 2001/903/EC of 3 December 2001 (Official Journal L 335 of 19.12.2001. http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/disability/year_en.html). The Year is about making a move forward in disability policies, about equal rights, empowerment and the full citizenship of people with disabilities. Across Europe attention will be focused on the many areas of European society and economy where barriers and discrimination still exist for the one in ten Europeans with a disability.

The European Year of People with Disabilities (EYPD) is a historic opportunity to improve the situation of disabled people throughout Europe.

The Council Decision establishing the Year sets out 8 key priority areas for action during the European Year:

(a) to raise awareness of the rights of people with disabilities to protection against discrimination and to full and equal enjoyment of their rights;

(b) to encourage reflection on and discussion of the measures needed to promote equal opportunities for people with disabilities in Europe;

(c) to promote the exchange of experience of good practice and effective strategies devised at local, national and European level;

(d) to reinforce the co-operation between all parties concerned, namely government, the social partners, NGOs, the social services, the private sector, communities, voluntary sector groups, people with disabilities and their families;
(e) to improve communication regarding disability and promote a positive image of people with disabilities;
(f) to raise awareness of the heterogeneity of people with disabilities and of the various kinds of disability;

(g) to raise awareness of the multiple discrimination facing people with disabilities;

(h) to pay special attention to awareness of the right of children and young people with disabilities to equality in education, so as to encourage and support their full integration in society and to promote the development of European co-operation between those professionally involved in the education of children and young people with disabilities, in order to improve the integration of pupils and students with special needs in ordinary or specialised establishments and in national and European exchange programmes.

The EYPD is being organised by the European Commission in close co-operation with disability organisations and the representatives of the EU 15 Member States. Norway and Iceland also participate in the European Year.

Thousands of activities and events will take place during the Year in the different participating countries. They will be linked through a specially designed European Year bus accompanying the March of European disabled persons, which started in January 2003 in Athens, and will travel through the 15 EU Member States. The disability community in each country will organise events around the bus's presence in different cities, towns and villages throughout the EU.

More information on the EYPD is available on the website: www.eypd2003.org

General policy of the European Union in the area of disability

Democracy is a fundamental value of the European Union, Member States and EEA countries. Its mil realisation requires the contribution of all citizens alike to participate and be represented in political, economic, civil, social and cultural life. Hence of people with disabilities themselves.

The EU has a long-standing commitment to promoting equality of opportunity for people with disabilities and endorsed the international move towards a human rights approach in the disability policy field. Accordingly, the Commission adopted a communication in 30 July 1996 setting out a new Community Disability Strategy (COM(96) 406 final of 30.07.1996). followed by the adoption by the Council of the resolution 97/C 12/01 on equality of opportunity for people with disabilities (OJ C 12 of l3.1.1997.). The resolution calls notably the Member States to mainstream the disability perspective into all relevant sectors of policy formulation and invites the Commission to take account, where appropriate, and within the provisions of the Treaty, of the principles set out in the resolution in any relevant proposal it submits on Community legislation, programmes or initiatives.

On 12 May 2000, the Commission adopted a communication "Towards a barrier free Europe for people with disabilities" whereby it commits itself to develop and support a comprehensive and Integrated strategy to tackle social, architectural and design barriers that unnecessarily limit access for people with disabilities to social and economic opportunities. The EU commitment to equal rights for people with disabilities has also gradually being given appropriate legal embodiment at EU level in the form of enforceable anti-discrimination legislation on employment and occupation based on Article 13 of the Amsterdam Treaty.

Against this background, the adoption by the Council of Decision 2001/903/EC establishing 2003 as the European Year of People with Disabilities is an opportunity to induce a real change in attitudes towards people with disabilities and their rights by raising awareness of decision-makers, professionals and general public by means of a more active involvement of European organisations, national governments, social partners, media, and various NGOs and advocacy groups across Europe.

Even if considerable progress has been made at EU and national level, equality for people with disabilities in day-to day life is still undermined by the fact that disabled persons do not enjoy equal rights in practice, despite individual successes and improvements. People with disabilities are citizens as all others, with the same rights and obligations. However the barriers that still exist in society and the insufficient support provided to disabled persons hinder their full and equal enjoyment of human rights. That is why disability must be seen as a human rights issue.

People with disabilities form a very diverse group of people, faced with very different barriers to their mil inclusion in society. Exclusion from society is unacceptable and has a huge financial cost for society and the economy. Disabled persons want to be workers, consumers and taxpayers. They want to be independent and to contribute actively to their societies. Their potential should not be wasted.

Disability is not the problem only of disabled persons. All stakeholders in society can and should contribute to the full inclusion of people with disabilities.

Therefore, it is necessary to increase society's understanding of the rights, needs and potential of persons with disabilities, and a joint effort by all the different partners (governments, regional and local authorities, NGOs, the social partners, people with disability and their families, voluntary sector groups, the social services, the private sector) is required to develop and promote a flow of information and an exchange of good practice.

More information about the Community disability strategy can be found on the website of the Commission's Directorate-General for Employment and Social Affairs (http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/disability/index_en.html).

2. AIMS OF THIS OPEN CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Building Europe, and developing appropriate solutions to common European problems, means co-operating with people, organisations and institutions in other Member States, learning from each other and together developing new activities, practices and systems. Accordingly, this call for proposals aims at strengthening the European dimension of the activities of the European Year of People with Disabilities by supporting the transnational exchange of information, good practices and mutual learning in order to promote the rights of people with disabilities and their full integration into the society and the economy.

Therefore, the proposals must involve a range of players from at least five Member States of the European Union or countries from the European Economic Area (Only Norway and Iceland).

Tran nationality is therefore an essential element of this call for proposals for promoting the transfer of know-how and good practice between the partners and Member States. Transnational co-operation is expected to provide real value-added for policy development at the national and European levels.

Really effective and productive transnational co-operation is far from easy to achieve. It takes time and effort, commitment, resources, trust and goodwill, a willingness to be open and to learn from others and a clear view of what you are trying to achieve. But, despite the difficulties and challenges, the rewards make it worthwhile. m order to obtain best results, it is highly recommended to applicant/promoter organisations to pay. due attention to the choice of partners and to set out realistic and achievable goals, which will bring real added-value to what already exists.

The European Year of People with Disabilities is the start of a Europe-wide programme for change. Setting long-term goals for an accessible and inclusive Europe for people with disabilities. It is therefore expected that the transnational proposals co-funded under this call for proposals will produce effects well beyond the European Year.

The EYPD budget line B5-806 (EP budget amendment 0099 - sitting of 19.12.2002) provides funding for this call for proposals.

3. WHO CAN APPLY?

This call for proposals is open to public and/or private bodies, and institutions involved in the promotion of the rights of people with disabilities. These can include national, regional or local authorities; bodies responsible for the promotion of the rights of people with disabilities; social partners (at EU and national levels); social service providers, non-governmental organisations or equivalent; universities and research institutes; bodies responsible for standardisation and norms, the media and private companies.

A proposal is presented by a PROJECT (Project = proposal) CO-ORDINATOR who takes legal and financial responsibility for the proposal and is the contracting partner with the Commission. Project co-ordinators generally form PARTNERSHIPS in the presentation of a proposal. Accordingly, each proposal must be submitted to the Commission by a single, co-ordinating organisation within a transnational partnership.

Project co-ordinators must be:

1. existing networks with members in at least five or more European Union or EEA
countries
or
2. organisations having constituted ad hoc partnerships for the present proposal involving, in the first instance, partners based in a least rive or more European Union or EEA countries (Norway and Iceland).
.

In addition, the project co-ordinator must have a legal identity and its own administrative and financial management structure. Accordingly, organisations that have not a legal identity can not submit a proposal as project co-ordinators. Nevertheless, the organisations that have not a legal identity can participate in a proposal as partners.

Proof of participation from partners must be provided in the form of signed commitment letters from the partner organisations. Partners must clearly indicate, in their letters of commitment, their agreement and commitment to the joint implementation of the proposal.

Please note mat this call for proposals is not open to individuals, either as those submitting the proposals or as a member of a transnational partnership.

The Commission is particularly keen to receive proposals which involve actors from several different sectors and which combine partners who are both involved in policy making at national, regional and local level with those who have direct experience of promoting the rights of people with disabilities on the ground. In addition, the principle

"Nothing about people with disabilities without people with disabilities" will apply. It means for this purpose that, in order to be eligible for funding, the project co-ordinators must include at least in their proposals one organisation representative of people with disabilities.

Participation of candidate countries

The participation of organisations from candidate countries is encouraged. Nevertheless, any expenditure related to their participation or to activities taking place in the candidate countries are not eligible for Community funding under this call for proposals.

Number of proposals to be funded
The Commission estimates that it can co-fund a maximum of6 proposals.

4. TYPES OF ACTION WHICH WILL BE SUPPORTED

Transnational actions involving a range of players from at least five Member States of the European Union and/or countries from EEA area (Norway and Iceland) consisting notably in the transfer of information, lessons learned and good practice in order to promote the rights of people with disabilities and their full integration into the society.

These actions may include the comparison of the effectiveness of processes, methods and tools related to the chosen themes; mutual transfer and application of good practice; joint development of products; strategy and methodology; adaptation to different contexts of methods, tools and processes identified as good practice; and/or dissemination of results; profile-raising materials; events, etc. Therefore, the proposals are expected to produce concrete outputs such as seminars/conferences/good practice guides/tool-kits/short studies, etc., whose results will have to be widely disseminated in the context of the proposal.

Priority areas of activity:

Priority for funding will be given to proposals addressing at least one of the following areas (Other topics or themes will be considered depending on the availability of budget.):
1. Promotion of equal opportunities for people with disabilities by local and regional authorities in their capacity as decision-makers, as employers, as service providers, etc.
2. Promotion of the "disability business case" (Exclusion from the workplace has a negative impact on individuals; places a financial cost on society; a taxation burden on businesses and affects profitability and competitiveness. Disability, therefore, is a strategic issue, risk and opportunity for every business.F) to employers and producers of goods and services.
3. Promotion of the participation of people with disabilities in decision-making positions at national, regional and local levels (Measures could include awareness raising; information campaigns, positive action plans for people with disabilities; specific tools, etc.) and in democratic structures at national and European level including in social partner's organisations.

4. Promotion of policies to support and empower families of persons with disabilities of all ages.
5. Improvement of accessibility of people with disabilities to the physical environment (Studies on this theme are not a priority. In fact, the Commission is already conducting a study on this area. Nevertheless, the promotion/exchange of good transferable practices notably related to the design for all concept are welcome). (housing, buildings, public transport services and other means of transportation, streets and other outdoor environments).
6. Improve the portrayal of people with disabilities in and by the media.

Examples of types of co-operation and exchange actions

Providing that they contribute to the overall objective of transferring information and good practice between Member States, exchanges and co-operation may take different forms. These may include, inter alia:
- Workshops/seminars/conferences on benchmarks or on policies and practices.
- Joint development of tools for mainstreaming disability across all policy areas and relevant sectors.
- Common methodologies for disability impact assessments across policy areas.
- The development of indicators and instruments for analysis which will underpin equal opportunities for people with disabilities policies and programmes at local, regional and national levels.
- Joint conduct of policy analysis and research.
- Joint development of strategies and tools to promote the rights and integration of people with disabilities notably into the priority areas defined above.
- Common collection and/or dissemination of information and best practices.

Additional requirements:
- Project co-ordinators and partners are asked to take into account the needs of people with disabilities in terms of accessibility of activities they will be undertaking and results they will be disseminating when developing their proposal.
- Project co-ordinators should ensure that their proposals cannot be appropriately funded by other Community instruments/programmes, such as the Structural Funds, the Community initiative EQUAL, the programme Leonardo, Socrates, Youth, Research, Anti-discrimination, Gender equality, the programme to combat social exclusion, Daphne, etc. Proposals that can be funded by the above-mentioned instruments/programmes or other existing programmes cannot be funded under this call for proposals.

- Project co-ordinators and partners should take into account the information already available at EU level, especially the work carried out under the former Helios programme, the programme anti-discrimination, EQUAL, Leonardo, etc.
- Support for infrastructure proposals are not eligible for funding under this call for proposals.
- Projects with charitable aims are excluded under this call for proposals.
- Commission grants under this call for proposals are not intended to finance the normal management or the running costs of the project co-ordinators/partners organisations. Accordingly, the running costs of the organisations must not appear on the financing plan.

5. GENDER EQUALITY

The European Community has the task to promote equality between women and men and shall aim in all its activities to eliminate gender inequalities (article 2 and article 3, par.2, of the EC Treaty). Therefore, project co-ordinators and partners are requested to make sure that they pay close attention to mainstreaming gender equality at all stages of the work they are proposing (project designing, project implementation, project evaluation).

6. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Applications, which do not comply with the following requirements, are not eligible and will be rejected without further consideration.
1. Eligibility of the project co-ordinator organisation
Project co-ordinators organisations shall be excluded from participation if:
- They have not a legal identity.
- They are not amongst the organisations referred to under section 3 above (Who can apply).
- They are bankrupt or being wound up, are having their affairs administered by the courts, have entered into an arrangement with creditors, have suspended business activities, are the subject of proceedings concerning those matters, or are in any analogous situation arising from a similar procedure provided for in national legislation or regulations;
- They have been convicted of an offence concerning their professional conduct by a judgement which has the force of res judicata;
- They have been guilty of grave professional misconduct proven by any means which the contracting authority can justify;
- They have not fulfilled obligations relating to the payment of social security contributions or the payment of taxes in accordance with the legal provisions of the country in which they are established or with those of the country where the contract is to be performed;

- They have been the subject of judgement which has the force of res judicata for fraud, corruption, involvement m a criminal organisation or any other illegal activity detrimental to the Communities' financial interests;
- Following another procurement procedure or grant award procedure financed by the Community budget, they have been declared to be in serious breach of contract for failure to comply with their contractual obligations.

Project co-ordinators organisations must certify that they are not in one of the situations listed above (Project co-ordinators must sign the declaration/statement attached to their application form (part III).).
2. Eligibility of the proposal
Proposals will be excluded if:
- They do not involve actions connected to the objectives of the European Year of People with Disabilities as set out in the Council Decision.
- They do not meet the transnationality requirements (i.e. involve organisations representing at least five different Member States and/or European Economic Area countries (Norway and Iceland.)).
- They do not include at least one organisation representing people with disabilities.
- The Community grant requested is less than €80.000 and more man €120.000.

3. Obligatory supporting documents

Project co-ordinators that do not attach to their applications the following documents will be excluded:
- A signed official letter from the project co-ordinator organisation asking for funding.
- The electronic version of the application form (parts I, n and BI) by 13 June 2003 or earlier and presented according to the required models.
- The application form (part I, II and III) on paper, duly completed, signed by the responsible person, dispatched by 13 June 2003 (the date of postmark or express courier receipt serving as a proof) or earlier and presented according to the required model.
- A balanced budget (This means: total expenditure = total income.) (estimated in EURO) showing the eligible costs (This means that the budget must be detailed.) for the project.

- A copy of the project co-ordinator's articles of association (constitution) or equivalent and of the official registration or legal status or equivalent (In accordance with domestic legislation of the country concerned).
. These documents are not necessary for public bodies.
- A copy of the latest activity report of the project co-ordinator's organisation. This document is not necessary for public bodies.
- A copy of the project co-ordinator's profit and loss accounts and the balance sheet for the last financial year for which the accounts have been closed. This document is not necessary for public bodies.
- The budget of the project co-ordinator's organisation for the year 2003. This document is not necessary for public bodies.
- The signed letters of commitment confirming an own financial (cash) contribution equivalent to at least 20% of the project's eligible costs. If the contribution is composed of contributions from partners or other sources, the project co-ordinator must include in the application the signed letters of commitment from these contributors too.
- The signed letters of commitment from transnational partners in the project confirming their participation and, where appropriate, stating the amount of their financial (cash) contributions.
- The curriculum vitae of the Head of project and of the key persons who will perform the main tasks associated with the activities for which funding is requested.

7. SELECTION CRITERIA
- The project co-ordinator must have the financial capacity (Public bodies don't have to proof their financial capacity) to complete the proposed action and have access to adequate funding sources, so as to be able to maintain activities for the period of the project and to help finance the project.
- The project co-ordinator must have the operational resources (technical, management) needed to complete the project for which funding is requested.

8. AWARD CRITERIA (quality assessment)

All proposals meeting the above eligibility and selection criteria will men be checked by a Committee set up by the Commission against the following award criteria:

Quality assessment of the proposal:
- relevance to one or more of the objectives of the European Year of People with Disabilities and degree to which the proposal meets the aims of this call notably the priority themes;

- clarity and feasibility of the work programme, including timetable, and methodology;
- quality of the proposed partnership (relevance, degree of involvement of the partners in the project and strength of the partnership) and of transnationality;
- added value at European level;
- scope and effectiveness of the dissemination mechanisms proposed;
- quality of the mechanisms for on-going monitoring and final evaluation.

Financial elements of the proposal (budget assessment):
- coherence of the budget with the proposed activities and quality/quantity of budget details;
- a sound cost-efficiency ratio (Applicants are invited to read carefully the financial information given in the guidelines for applicants.).

9. DURATION OF PROJECTS

Project activities should start in October 2003. The project implementation period shall not exceed 12 calendar months, starting on the date of signature of the agreement by the Commission, and shall end by October 2004 at the latest. In principle, no extension of the period set out in the contract will be permitted.

10. TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF FUNDING
· The selection of proposals eligible for funding will be based on the eligibility, selection and award criteria set out above and on the availability of the annual budget provided by the Community Budgetary Authority.
· Estimated budget available for funding: +- 600.000€. The Commission expects to fund 6 projects from this call.
· Priority for funding will be given to selected proposals dealing with the priority themes proposed.
· The Community's financial contribution will not exceed 80 % of the total eligible costs of the proposal between a minimum grant of 80.000€ and a maximum grant of 120.000€. The costs must be necessary to carry out the actions.
· The project co-ordinator and/or its partners and/or other sources is required to secure co-financing for the remaining 20 % of the total eligible costs of the project in cash. Project co-ordinators that do not present signed proof of secured co-financing cannot be taken into consideration.
· The project must be non-profit-making.

· The subsidised project may not benefit from any other Community funding for the same activity.
· Project co-ordinators cannot include in their budget expenditure before or after the period during which the project is carried out.
· The Commission reserves the right to reduce the Community grant if costs in the provisional budget are either ineligible, or are eligible but too high.
· The Commission will not award a grant to organisations mat:
· At the time of the grant award procedure, are subject to a conflict of interest.
· At the time of the grant award procedure, are guilty of misrepresentation in supplying the information required as a condition of participation in the procedure or fail to supply this information.

Detailed information on eligible and ineligible costs and other administrative and financial provisions is provided in the guidelines for applicants.

11. NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE
· Receipt of applications will be confirmed within three weeks. A reference number will be allocated to each application and must be quoted in any correspondence concerning it.
· All applications received will be registered. Only eligible applications, which are in conformity with the eligibility and selection criteria, will be evaluated by a Committee set up by the Commission against award criteria.
· The Commission will inform all applicants of the decisions taken concerning their application in writing (probably in September/October 2003).
· No information will be released until the Commission's decision has been made public. The decision of the Commission is final.
· Should the Commission award a grant, a standard contract setting out the conditions and the amount in EUROS will be established with the beneficiaries (project co-ordinators organisations).
· The results of the call for proposals will be published in the Commission DG Employment and Social Affairs website.

12. SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS
· The application forms and all documents forming part of the application must be sent in paper form by mail in four copies. (1 original plus 3 copies (Please note that the copies must also be signed)) duly completed and signed by the responsible person by 13 June 2003, at the latest (the date of the postmark or express courier receipt serving as proof) to the address below. The number of the call for proposals must be indicated on the envelope.

· In addition, electronic versions of the application form (parts I, II and III), filled in using the prescribed templates must also be submitted via electronic mail to the following address by 13 June 2003, at the latest, quoting the number of the call for proposals, the name of the organisation submitting the proposal and the country of origin:· Only applications submitted in the prescribed forms and formats, both paper and electronic, will be considered.
· Incomplete or unsigned forms, hand-written forms and those sent by fax, will not be taken into consideration.
· Complementary documents sent by fax will not be taken in consideration, nor will additional documents sent by post or e-mail.
· Any document dispatched after the deadline will not be accepted.
· All correspondence concerning the application will be in English, French or German as indicated by the applicant on the application form.
· The application form is made up of three separate parts (part I: general information on the applicant; part II: budget; part m: detailed description of the project).
· All the information concerning the detailed conditions of the call (text of the call for proposals, administrative and financial guidelines for applicants, application forms) can be obtained in paper and/or electronic version by writing to:
· European Commission, DG Employment and Social Affairs, Unit "Integration of people with disabilities", Rue Joseph II, 27 - 1049 Brussels - Belgium, fax 0032-2-299 80 78, e-mail: empl-eypd@cec.eu.int.
· These documents can also be downloaded from the web pages of DG Employment and Social Affairs: http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/tender_en.htm
· The above-mentioned documents are available in English, French and German, except the administrative and financial guidelines, which are only available in English and French.
· Questions related to the call for proposals may be sent to the following e-mail address: empl-eypd@cec.eu.int or to the fax: 0032-2-299 80 78. The subject of the message and the reference of the call for proposals must be mentioned. You can also contact by phone: Fátima Ribeiro, tel. 32-2-295 88 05.