10.6.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 141/19

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CALL FOR PROPOSALS (No VIII-2006/01)

Budget line 4020 ‘Contributions to European political parties’

(2005/C 141/10)

1.   OBJECTIVES

1.1.   Background

Article 191 of the Treaty establishing the European Community says the political parties at European level are important factor for integration within the Union. They contribute to forming a European awareness and expressing the political will of the citizens of the Union. In this context, Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 (1) lays down the regulations governing political parties at European level and the rules regarding their funding. The Regulation provides, in particular, for an annual grant from the European Parliament, in the form of an operating subsidy, to political parties which apply and which satisfy the conditions laid down in the Regulation.

1.2.   Objective of the call for proposals

Under Article 2 of the European Parliament Bureau Rules of 29 March 2004 laying down the procedures for implementing Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 (2), ‘The European Parliament shall publish each year, before the end of the first half of the year, a call for proposals with a view to the awarding of grants to fund political parties at European level.’ This call for proposals relates to grant applications for the financial year 2006 and covering the period of activity from 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2006.

2.   CRITERIA AND SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

2.1.   Admissibility

Proposals will not be admissible unless they are submitted in writing on the grant application form in Annex 1 of the above EP Bureau Rules of 29 March 2004, sent to the President of the European Parliament by the closing date and meet the conditions for the submission of applications set out below.

2.2.   Eligibility

In order to be eligible for a grant, a political party at European level must satisfy the conditions laid down in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 on the regulations governing political parties at European level and the rules regarding their funding, i.e.:

(a)	it must have legal personality in the Member State in which its seat is located;

(b)

it must be represented, in at least one quarter of Member States, by Members of the European Parliament or in the national Parliaments or regional Parliaments or in the regional assemblies, or it must have received, in at least one quarter of the Member States, at least three per cent of the votes cast in each of those Member States at the most recent European Parliament elections;

(c)	it must observe, in particular in its programme and in its activities, the principles on which the European Union is founded, namely the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law;

(d)	it must have participated in elections to the European Parliament, or have expressed the intention to do so.

Applicants must also certify that they do not find themselves in any of the circumstances described in Article 93 of the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (3).

2.3.   Selection criteria

Applicants must provide evidence that they possess the legal and financial viability required to carry out the programme of activities set out in the application for funding and that they have the technical capability and management skills needed to carry out successfully the programme activities for which they are applying for a grant.

2.4.   Award criteria

In accordance with Article 10 of Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003, the available appropriations for the financial year 2006 will be distributed as follows among the political parties at European level which have obtained a positive decision on their application for funding on the basis of the admissibility, eligibility and selection criteria:

—	15 % will be distributed in equal shares;

—	85 % will be distributed among those which have elected members in the European Parliament, in proportion to the number of elected members.

2.5.   Supporting documents

For the purpose of assessing the above criteria, applicants must provide the following supporting documents:

(a)	Letter of application (original not a copy)

(b)	Application form in Annex 1 of the European Parliament Bureau Rules of 29 March 2004 duly completed and signed (including the declaration)

(c)	A copy of the Statutes of the political party

(d)	An official certificate of registration

(e)	Proof of the recent existence of the political party

(f)	A list of the directors/members of the Board (names and first names, offices or functions within the applicant political party)

(g)

Documents certifying that the applicant fulfils the conditions set out in Article 3(b), (c), (d), and Article 10, paragraph 1(b) (4) of Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the regulations governing political parties at European level and the rules regarding their funding

(h)	The programme of the political party

(i)	The financial statements for 2005 certified by an external auditor (5)

(j)	The draft operating budget for the period concerned (1.1.2006 to 31.12.2006) indicating the costs eligible for funding from the Community budget.

3.   COMMUNITY FUNDING

The budget for the financial year 2006 is a total of EUR 8 594 000.

The maximum amount paid to the beneficiary by Parliament may not exceed 75 % of the eligible operating costs of political parties at European level. The burden of proof shall lie with the political party concerned.

Community funding shall take the form of an operating grant as provided for by the Financial Regulation applicable to the general budget of the European Communities (Council Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 1605/2002 (6) and the detailed rules for its implementation laid down by Commission Regulation (EC, Euratom) No 2342/2002 of 23 December 2002 (7). The arrangements for paying the grant and the obligations governing its use will be set out in a grant award agreement, a specimen of which appears in Annex 2 to the European Parliament Bureau Rules of 29 March 2004.

4.   PROCEDURE

4.1.   Closing date and submission of applications

The closing date for receipt of applications is 15 November 2005. Applications received after that date will not be considered.

Proposals must:

—	be made on the grant application form;

—	be signed, without fail, by the applicant or his duly authorised agent;

—

be submitted under double cover; the two envelopes must be sealed. In addition to the address of the recipient department as given in the call for proposals, the inner envelope must bear the following: ‘CALL FOR PROPOSALS — 2006 grants to European political parties NOT TO BE OPENED BY THE MAIL SERVICE OR BY ANY OTHER UNAUTHORISED PERSON’ If self-adhesive envelopes are used, they must be sealed with adhesive tape with the signature of the sender affixed across it. The signature of the sender shall be deemed to comprise not only his hand-written signature, but also his organisation's stamp;

—

be forwarded at the latest on the closing date laid down in the call for proposals either by registered post, as evidenced by the postmark, or delivered by hand, in return for a dated receipt issued by the Mail Service in the place of work of the European Parliament indicated in the call for proposals. Deliveries by hand must be made at the latest by 12 noon on the closing date.

A proposal sent by private courier firm shall be deemed to have been delivered by hand.

It is the duty of the applicant to ensure that his proposal is delivered to the European Parliament's Mail Service at the address referred to above at the latest by 12 noon on the closing date and that a receipt is issued.

The outer envelope must be addressed to:

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

Mail Service

KAD Building 00D008

L-2929 Luxembourg

This envelope must also show the sender's address.

The inner envelope must be addressed to:

President of the European Parliament

via Mr Vanhaeren, Director-General of Finance

KAD 3B001

L 2929 Luxembourg

4.2.   Timetable for implementing the programme of activities

The eligible period for cofinancing of operating expenditure of European political parties in 2006 runs from 1 January 2006 until 31 December 2006.

4.3.   Award procedure and timetable

The following procedure and timetable will apply to the receipt of applications by the European Parliament and the award of grants to European political parties:

(a)	Receipt and registration by Parliament (no later than 15 November 2005)

(b)	Consideration and selection by Parliament's departments. Only the applications deemed admissible will be examined on the basis of the selection and evaluation criteria set out in the call for proposals.

(c)	Adoption of the final decision by the Bureau of Parliament (envisaged by 15 February 2006) and notification of applicants.

(d)	Signature of grant award agreement (envisaged by 15 March 2006)

(e)	Payment of an advance of 80 % (15 days after signature of the agreement).

4.4.   Further information

The following texts are available on the EP Internet site at the following address: http://www.europarl.eu.int/tenders/default.htm:

(a)	Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 November 2003 on the regulations governing political parties at European level and the rules regarding their funding;

(b)	European Parliament Bureau decision of 29 March 2004 laying down procedures for implementing Regulation (EC) No 2004/2003;

(c)	Grant application form;

(d)	Specimen agreement.

Any questions relating to this call for proposals with a view to the awarding of grants should be sent by e-mail, quoting the publication reference, to the following address: Hbetz@europarl.eu.int.

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(1)  OJ L 297, 15.11.2003, p. 1.

(2)  OJ C 155, 12.06.2004, p. 1.

(3)  OJ L 248, 16.9.2002.

(4)  Including the list of those elected pursuant to Article 3(b), first paragraph and Article 10, paragraph 1(b).

(5)  Unless the political party at European level has been set up during the current year.

(6)  OJ L 248, 16.9.2002, p. 1.

(7)  OJ L 357, 31.12.2002, p. 1.

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