FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
CBC with Bulgaria- Joint Small Project Fund Programme

Ref: CFCU/TR 0305.03

Question 1: What does a grant mean?

Answer 1: A grant is a direct payment of a non-commercial nature by the Contracting Authority to a specific Beneficiary to implement an action intended to help achieve an objective forming part of a European Union policy.

Question 2: What is the Joint Small Project Fund (JSPF) about?

Answer 2: JSPF is an EU initiative for promoting co-operation in the cross-border regions in Europe that was launched in the 1990s. It is a grant scheme that supports joint projects for regional development and improvement of the cross-border cooperation, which are selected in competitive conditions involving the local authorities, the NGOs and all relevant local initiatives. Please see 1.1 and 2.1.1 of the Guidelines.

Question 3: What is the cross-border impact of the project?

Answer 3: It means that the project must have a clear impact on both sides of the border. Please see 2.1.3 of the guidelines (type of activities)

Question 4: What is the starting date and duration of the projects?

Answer 4: Implementation of the project shall begin on the day following that on which the last of the two Parties (Central Finance and Contracts Unit, and the Beneficiary) signs the grant contract . The duration of the projects must be maximum 12 months. However projects should be completed latest by September the 30 th , 2006.

Question 5: What is considered as a complementary or mirror Bulgarian/Turkish project?

Answer 5: Two Applicant organisations (one on each side of the border) can apply to the Joint Small Projects Fund of their country at the same time to obtain financing for a common project consisting of complementary activities taking place on both sides of the border.

For instance, an Applicant organisation in Turkey, and its Bulgarian partner are thinking about a project including similar activities in both side of the border. This project idea can be considered as complementary. The Turkish organisation prepares a project proposal for the activities be held on the Turkish side, and apply for the Turkish part of the JSPF. The Bulgarian organisation participates in this project as a partner. On the other hand, the Bulgarian organisation prepares a project proposal for the activities be held on the Bulgarian side, and applies for the Bulgarian part of the JSPF. The Turkish organisation participates in this project as a partner.

Where Applicants are submitting such projects, a summary and the budget of the “complementary” project by the Bulgarian partner should be annexed to the application. The concept of complementarity excludes the financing of any single activity both out of the Bulgarian and Turkish budget (duplication of funding).

Question 6: How can I find a Bulgarian partner?

Answer 6: In your project proposals, you must have at least one partner from the Bulgarian side of the border, which partnership has to be backed by a partnership statement (See Part III. 2 of the Application form) in order the project to be considered eligible.

The list of the Bulgarian organisations interested in developing and implementing joint projects from the eligible regions - Haskovo, Yambol and Burgas - is published on the following websites to facilitate finding partners:

•  www.dpt.gov.tr/bgyu/cbc3

•  www.kirklareli.gov.tr

•  www.edirne.gov.tr

This list however is not exhaustive and if an eligible applicant could find a partner himself from the other side of the border that is in compliance with the eligibility criteria as stated in Part 2.1.1. of the Guidelines they could develop a joint project proposal.
 

Question 7 : Will the joint projects be financed from the JSPF budgets of both countries?

Answer 7 : Please see the Answer 5.

Question 8: Can the costs of the Bulgarian partners incurred during the implementation of the project be funded from the Turkish JSPF budget?

Answer 8: Yes, the cost of Bulgarian partners incurred as part of the “Turkish” project are eligible and can be funded from the Turkish JSPF budget

Question 9: Can the costs incurred for the preparations of the project proposals be included in the project budget?

Answer 9: The costs incurred for the preparation of applications are not eligible costs, and therefore, will not be covered by the grant and will not be included in the action budget. Only the costs that have actually been incurred by the beneficiaries or their partners during the implementing period are eligible costs. Implementation of the project shall begin on the day following that on which the last of the two Parties (Central Finance and Contracts Unit and, the Beneficiary) sign the contract. Please see 2.1.4. of the guidelines.

Question 10: Can the organizations located outside of the eligible border regions between Bulgaria and Turkey submit project proposals as Applicants or take part in the project as a partner?

Answer 10: No, organisations located outside the eligible border regions can not apply either as an Applicant or participate in the project as a partner. They can only participate in the project proposals as an associate.

The eligible Applicant and partner organizations must be located within an eligible province in the border region between Bulgaria and Turkey , namely the districts of Haskovo, Yambol and Burgas on the Bulgarian side and the provinces of Edirne and Kırklareli on the Turkish side . National organisations with a branch office in these provinces and a clear role in the region are eligible. In this case a document for their foundation is required, proving that the local branch has been registered and it is an independent entity with own set of accounts.

Question 11: What are the roles of the associates in the project?

Answer 11: . Associates support voluntarily the implementation of the project. Associates play a real role in the project but may not receive funding from the grant.

Question 12 : What are the roles of the partners in the project?

Answer 12: The partners should participate in the implementation of the project activities in co-operation with the Applicant. The partner and the Applicant are jointly responsible for the implementation of the project. Costs incurred by the Partners for the implementation of action are eligible costs and could be funded from the project budget. Please see Annex II (General Condidtions applicable to European Community financed grant contracts for external actions) Article 1.

Question 13: May a civil servant work and get a salary/fee from a project funded under this Call for proposals?

Answer 13: Involvement of civil servants should respect the local Turkish labour laws and has to be duly justified. Besides the activity for which he is employed with the project should not duplicate his routine activities. The salaries of the civil servants are ineligible costs. Their involvement will be subject to assessment of the Evaluation committee, taking into account possible conflict of interests, function in the project, the Turkish labour laws, etc.

Question 14: May academic staff work and get salary/fee from a project funded by this grant scheme?

Answer 14 : If they are available and with the agreement of their university, academic staff with the required qualifications and experience are eligible to participate as experts in this Call for Proposals. Their project specific costs in terms of fees/trips/per diems are eligible providing they correspond to the “usual paid by the beneficiary” or “the average market rates”. Please note, however, that salaries of government officials working in their official capacity are non-eligible expenses.

Question 15: Is it obligatory to take consultancy from a consultant firm for the preparation of the project proposals?

Answer 15: No. The Guidelines and Application Form give very detailed instructions on costs, activities, preparation of a budget, etc. so that any potential Applicant can be in a position to apply without external assistance. It is your own decision to take consultancy or not. Nevertheless it is advisable that you write the project proposals by yourself, because one of the main objectives of this programme is to improve your capacity to design and implement joint projects with cross-border impact. Furthermore, the projects funded under this Call for Proposals are small-scale projects that do not require specialized assistance.

Question 16: Can I submit more than one project proposals? Furthermore, Can I participate as a partner in more than one project?

Answer 16: An Applicant may submit more than one proposal, but an Applicant may be awarded only one grant under this Call for proposals. In the event of an organisation submitting more than one proposal that are eligible to be awarded funding, funding will be awarded to the project that scores the highest number of points in the evaluation process. The submitted applications with this or other call for proposals (approved or pending) have to be listed in Section 5.2. of the Application Form.

Furthermore, you can participate as a partner in more than one project. However, you should take into consideration your administrative and technical management capacity while participating in more than one project as a partner.

Question 17: Are there any restrictions for the purchase of equipment and services under JSPF?

Answer 17: Supply and Services that are to be procured for the action in total can not exceed 25% of the total project costs. You can purchase (subcontract) any kind of equipment and services that is absolutely essential for the execution of the project considering this limit, except the management of the Action.

Question 18: What should be the total project budget?

Answer 18: There is no restriction concerning the total budget of the project, but the grant amounts awarded to a project is limited. These limits are given in Part 1.3. of the Guidelines - minimum grant amount to an individual project is € 10.000, the maximum grant amount is € 100.000.

Question 19: Some non-profit making legal persons (schools, universities, municipalities, etc.) can not demonstrate that their operations are strictly non-profit making by submitting a copy of Statutes, which prohibits distribution of profit to shareholders. In that case, what type of documents can they submit?

Answer 19: As stated in Section “ 2.1.1. Eligibility of Applicants” of the Guidelines for Applicants: “Alternatively the Applicant should demonstrate with an audit report covering the last three years that profit has never been distributed to the shareholders, and the Board of Directors should declare that profit will not be distributed to shareholders in the future”. These commitments will be inserted into the eventual grant contract.

If the organization is established on the basis of the Turkish law that prohibits the profit-making nature of that type of the organizations, then the related provisions of the respective Turkish law should be attached to the Application package. (Turkish Law on Education, Municipality Law, etc.)

Question 20: What kind of documents should schools or civil society organizations submit to proof their establishment?

Answer 20: As stated in 2.2.1. “Application form and supporting documents” part of the Guidelines, Applicants and Partners should submit their organisation's Statutes or Articles of Association, or Certificate of Legal Status / Registration Act signed and dated. Provided that these documents can not be supplied by Applicants and/or their Partners, the relevant provisions of the Law concerning their establishment should be enclosed with the Application Form. Please see also

Question 21: Can Special Provincial Administrations, as local government structures participate in this Call for Proposals as an Applicant/Partner, and in case of selection, be the Contracting party (the “Beneficiary”)?

Answer 21: As Section 2.1.1. “Eligibility of Applicants: who may apply” of the Guidelines stipulates, Special Provincial Administrations are eligible applicants/partners and can participate in this Call for Proposals since they are local authorities structures.

Question 22: There are already some common structures and working groups between the Bulgarian and Turkish provincial authorities for developing cross-border cooperation across the border. Therefore, for the project to be proposed is there a still need for the submission of a partnership statement?

Answer 22: Yes. In order to show cooperation and mutual agreement between the partners, for each project proposal, the template Partnership Statements from the Application form (Part III.2) must be submitted and individually signed by the legally authorised representatives of the Applicant and all the partners. Existing documents proving the established partnerships could be attached as additional annex but do not replace the requested Partnership statements in the Application form, explained above.

Question 23: Whether a Special Provincial Administrations can use its permanent staff in the project they submit?

Answer 23: Special Provincial Administrations can use their own staff for the project provided that they have the specific expertise for the particular activity proposed.. They could participate and play the role of project coordinator, trainer, financial officer, etc. However, we have to once again stress (as explained in Answer 13) public officials cannot be paid salaries from EU grants.

Question 24: Whether a consultancy company can support the Special Provincial Administrations with services such as researches, studies, etc. which are required to meet the objectives of the project and if yes, what should be the volume of the service provided by the company ?

Answer 24: As the Section 2.1.1. “Eligibility of Applicants: who may apply” of the Guidelines stipulates, Profit-making organisations/companies are not eligible applicants/partners under this Call for proposals, they can only participate as associates or subcontractors..

Where a private company will be subcontracted to provide services or supplies which are required to meet the objectives of the project, the procurement of these supplies/services should follow the procedure described in Annex E- the Standard Grant Contract- to the Guidelines. (Please see Annex E-IV Contract Award Procedures).

Question 25: Within the context of a project, could different type of research activities be subcontracted to one and the same company, provided that the cost of each research activity does not exceed EUR 5,000?

Answer 25: Studies/researches are eligible actions and costs for this Call for Proposals as long as they constitute inseparable and necessary part of the rest of activities of a project. Pure academic studies and research are not eligible. As already explained in Answer 24, the procurement of services, including research, is subject to the provisions of Annex E-IV of the Standard Grant Contract. It is strictly prohibited to split such services into smaller ones (up to EUR 5000) in order to evade the procurement rules related to the original lot or to benefit one provider/company from the divided lot by using a direct agreement.

Question 26: Could Istanbul Technical University participate as an Applicant or a Partner under this grant scheme? If not, whether the costs for salaries, per diems and travel of the academic staff will be financed out of the project budget if they participate as an associate in the project?

Answer 26: Please see 2.1.1-2.1.4. of the guidelines.

Question 27: Is there any regulation to reduce the costs of the supplies and services subcontracted through exemption from income tax and VAT?

Answer 27 : All costs in the budget should be stated exclusive of VAT, since EC financed contracts are exempt from VAT as stipulated in Annex 1.1. of the MEDA convention between Turkey and the EC, signed in 1999 and adtopted into law the Turkish Parliament (no. 4590) in September 2000 and published in the Official Gazette of Turkey on 7 July 2000.

Question 28: If a provincial government establishes in the Special Provincial Administrations a research office for a project aiming to create the preconditions for a joint planning with the aim to commonly define development priorities and if it subcontracts the services to determine the context of the research studies and to manage these studies to a company, whether these procurement costs are eligible?

Answer 28: Both the provincial government (since it is not a local authority) and the research office (if it is not a separate eligible legal entity) within the Special Provincial Administrations are not eligible Applicants.

Question 29: Whether the travel costs of the project staff and of the staff working for subcontractors in Bulgaria are eligible?

Answer 29: The travel costs of the project staff working in Bulgaria, if deemed necessary for the implementation of the project, are eligible. Please see also Answer 24 on subcontractors..

Question 30: Is it obligatory to recruit a Bulgarian expert in the project?

Answer 30: It is not obligatory, but recommendable if a complementary or mirror project is developed with a Bulgarian partner. As Section 2.1.1. “Eligibility of Applicants: who may apply” of the Guidelines stipulates, each Turkish Applicant should have at least one partner from the other side of the border.

Question 31: Although in the Guidelines it is stipulated that the costs of purchasing buildings and lands are not eligible, are costs for the construction of a building, which will be a common cultural and tourism centre aiming to develop tourism and cultural cooperation between the borders, eligible or not? If yes, what is the maximum budget that can be used for subcontracting the construction of the building to a company?

Answer 31: Costs for construction of buildings are not eligible under this Call for proposals that foresee primarily soft projects from the type “people to people”.

Question 32: Are the procedures of the Turkish Procurement Law applicable for procurement of supplies, services and works within the context of a project under this Call for proposals?

Answer 32 . As stipulated above, procurement of supplies, services and works within the context of a project under this Call for proposals is subject to the provisions of Annex E-IV of the Standard Grant Contract, attached for information to the Guidelines.

Question 33: Should the proposal be submitted in Turkish language? Please, clarify if the documents requested to be submitted in English include the following: Project summary; Project action plan; Logframe and Project budget?

Answer 33: The Application with all the Annexes should be submitted either in Turkish or in English. However a certified translation in English (if application is submitted in Turkish) and vice versa is requested for the following documents:

•  Project summary (Annex “Summary” to the Application form);

•  Project action plan (Part 1.9 of the Application form)

•  Logframe matrix (Annex C to the Application form);

•  Project Budget (Annex B1-3 to the Application form).

Question 34: We are planning to organize seminars both in Bulgaria and Turkey. Please clarify the following questions:

Answer 34 : Related to this:

All these costs have to be duly substantiated in Budget B-2 – Justification of costs. The rates should not exceed those normally borne by the beneficiary or those generally accepted on the market in question..

Please note that per diems for project staff is to be included under budget heading Human resources, 1.3. Per diems

Question 35: A cooperative wants to establish a wine production unit. The costs of the equipment, necessary for the establishment of such a unit are estimated to EUR 160,000. The Guidelines stipulate that Equipment/Supply could not exceed 25% of the total project costs. If the cooperative meets 75% of EUR 160,000, how the cooperative can survive? Whether it is possible to increase 25% to 75-80% for the procurement of supplies?

Answer 35 : No.

Question 36: How many years should the partnership continue to ensure sustainability?

Answer 36: Sustainability of the project, as stated in the Technical and Financial evaluation grid included in the Guidelines, relates to tangible impact of the project on target groups; multiplier effects; financial, institutional and at policy level sustainability. The duration of partnership is a matter of a partnership agreement.

Question 37: Whether health centres or hospitals dependent on provincial directorates can apply to this grant scheme?  

Answer 37: Part 2.1.1. of the Guidelines states the eligibility criteria for applicants. Governmental bodies and their affiliated structures are not eligible under this call for proposals.  

Question 38: Whether doctors or health personnel working in the health centres or hospitals can participate in the project? If doctors work part-time in the project, whether their salaries are eligible?

Answer 38: Please see 2.1.4 and 2.1.5. of the guidelines.

Question 39: We will submit a project with a Bulgarian partner. Is there a need for a specific agreement or protocol between Turkish Applicant and Bulgarian partner to finance the costs of the Bulgarian partner from the project budget? Do you recommend this?

Answer 39: Please see Answer 22.

Question 40: We will organize two seminars within the context of a project. Although we will use our own project staff for the organization of these seminars, we should find a place and procure equipments through subcontracting. In the Item 5.7. of the Budget-Costs of Conferences/Seminars, it is stated that only when the conferences/seminars are fully subcontracted, the costs of them should be put under the 5.7. Since we do not subcontract the organization of seminars fully, where we should put the costs of seminars in the Budget?

Answer 40: Procurement of equipment for the organisation of a seminar/conference should be budgeted under heading “Other costs and services, 5.7. Costs of Conference/Seminars”. All the other costs for the organisation of event have to be stated under the relevant budget headings.
 

Question 41: While calculating the costs of each item in the budget whether the amounts in the Column named “Costs” and the amounts in the Column named “Total Costs” should be same?

Answer 41: Yes. The amounts in the Column named “Costs” and the amounts in the Column named “Total Costs” should be same.

Question 42: We, as a Chamber, will participate in a project to be submitted to the Bulgarian side as a partner. They are requesting from us the English translation of our establishment law. We do not have English translation of our establishment law. Is it obligatory to submit?

Answer 42 . you should address this question to the Contraction Authority of the Bulgarian call for proposals.

Question 43: Is it obligatory to make photocopies of the supporting documents such as Articles of Association, recent annual report and accounts, etc. certified as true by an authorised independent body?

Answer 43 . As stated in Part 2.2.1. of the Guidelines supporting documents have to be either originals or certified photocopies. Please make sure that the documents of your Bulgarian partners are certified translations either in Turkish or English. The complete application pack should include one original and three copies of the Application form, Annexes and all supporting documents. Before submitting it please carefully check with the Checklist which is attached at the end of the Application form.