The European Commission will fund with 600,000 €, European associations which are active at EU level in the field of education and training. This funding opportunity is based in a Call for Proposals under the Jean Monnet Lifelong sub-programme, which has been published in the OJEU on October 31st.

The general purpose of Call for proposals EACEA/29/08, is to support the activities of European associations in the field of education and training or which pursue an objective which is part of an EU policy, by financing one-year operating grants for 2009 applied to certain operational and administrative expenditure of the selected European Associations.

The action programme in the field of lifelong learning, and more specifically its “Jean Monnet sub-programme” are the legal basis for this Call.

In the implementation of key activity 3 of the Jean Monnet programme, the objectives of this call for proposals are:

• To support the existence of high-quality European Associations active in the field of education and training.
• To support European Associations contributing to the implementation of the Education and Training 2010 work programme.
• To support European Associations contributing to increasing knowledge and awareness on the European integration process through education and training.

In order to be eligible for this grants, applicants should satisfy the following requirements:

• Being a  non-profit making organisation.
• Being located and has legal personality and seat for more than two years (on 23 December 2008) in one of the eligible countries (the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Turkey).
• Undertaking the majority of its activities in the Member States of the European Union, in countries
• belonging to the European Economic Area and/or in the candidate countries.
• Existing as a body pursuing an aim of general European interest as defined in Article 162 of the implementing rules for the Financial Regulation laid down by Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) Nº 2342/2002, most recently modified by Regulation (EC) No 478/2007.
• Operating in the field of education and training at European level and pursues clear and well-defined objectives laid down in the articles its official statutes.
• Conducting activities that are compatible with the priorities of the ‘Education and training 2010’ work programme and/or contributes to increasing knowledge and awareness on the European integration process through education and training.
• Including member-associations having their seat in at least 12 different EU Member States (1). Such member-associations should have ‘full member’ status (associate members and observers are not counted as ‘full members’) at transnational, national, regional or local level.

Eligible applications will be assessed on the basis of the quality of a detailed 12 months work programme for 2009.

A detailed description of information to be provided by the applicant for each award criteria is available at Education, Audiovisual and Culture Agency (EACEA) website.

Budget and Applications Deadline

The total indicative Community budget for the co-financing of European Associations under this call is 600,000 €. The maximum operating grant per association for an annual work programme of 12 months (corresponding to one budget year) will not exceed 100,000 €.

Applicant organisations can choose between two systems of co-financing:

1. Budget based financing: the traditional eligible costs financing for which the Community financial support may not exceed 75 % of the total eligible costs set out in the budget for the association's work programme.
2. Flat rate financing: flat rate based financing for which the Community financial support may not exceed 75 % of the summary of provisional expenditure and income statement for the relevant year.

Applications must by submitted by December 23rd, 2008 (date as postmark) and sent to the following address:

Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency
Lifelong Learning: Erasmus, Jean Monnet
Call for proposal — EACEA/29/08
Mr Ralf RAHDERS
Office: BOUR 2/61
Avenue du Bourget 1
B-1140 Brussels