Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Call for proposals for the co-financing of media actions under the multiannual work programme for grants 2020-2021 - COMM/SUBV/M/2020

version 17 July 2020

Question Answer General information, administrative issues, submission of the application How do I get a grant? Grants may only be awarded on the basis of calls for proposals that will be

published on our website . We invite you to read the conditions for participation, the criteria and the implementation period to determine if your project is eligible.

Deadline application for media actions The deadline to submit grant applications for media actions in 31 July 2020. Deadline application for engagement grants The call for proposals for engagement grant is expected to be published in the

coming weeks on our website. (info of 9 July 2020); Will the deadline be extended? The application deadline will be defined in the call for proposals. The timing

referred to in the work programme is only indicative. The latest possible completion date for a grant project. It is mentioned in point 3.1: projects should be completed by 30 June 2022. Engagement grant. Where can we find all application documentation?

The call for proposals for the engagement grants will be published in the coming weeks on our website at https://www.europarl.europa.eu/contracts-and-grants/en/grants/media-and-events . The application procedure and the call requirements will be defined in this document.

Annex 3: Guidelines for applicants The guidelines for applicants are available at the following link: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/contracts-and-grants/files/grants/media-and-events/en_annex_3_guidelines_for_applicants.pdf

Language

The application form is available in English on our website at https://www.europarl.europa.eu/contracts-and-grants/en/grants/media-and-events In case you would refer to the financial identification form, please note that all linguistic versions are available in separate tabs in the document.

Pouvons-nous répondre en Français ou devons-nous impérativement faire notre proposition d'action en Anglais ?

Les seuls documents à remplir sont ceux disponibles sur notre site internet. Veuillez toutefois noter qu'il n'est pas requis de remplir ces documents en anglais

I would like to kindly ask you whether you could provide a Slovak version of the CALL FOR PROPOSALS COMM/SUBV/2020/M FOR THE CO-FINANCING OF MEDIA ACTIONS UNDER THE MULTIANNUAL WORK PROGRAMME FOR GRANTS IN THE AREA OF COMMUNICATION 2020-2021.

The documents of the "call for proposals" are only available in English. However, the financial identification form is available in all EU official language and the application can be filled in another language than English. Only some documents regarding the proof of the establishment of the legal person need to be translated in English.

The ANNEX 1.V from your form, which corresponds to "financial identification for public entities" , is not written in English, and it is very difficult for us to answer it.

The form is available in all EU-languages on the website dedicated to the grants program (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/contracts-and-grants/en/grants/media-and-events). It's a excel file with at the bottom 24 sheets for each language.

What is the maximum time frame I can apply? The indicative maximum implementation period for the media actions is referred to in section 3.1 of the call for proposals (1 October 2020 until 30 June 2022).

Is there a template for the activity report and the list of previous projects? As for the CVs we have to submit them in the European Template?

There is no template to be used for these information (activity report, list of previous projects and CVs).

Could you kindly send me the list of programmes/media actions that won grants in the past? - can you tell me where I can find the results of the last edition of the call for proposals for media 2016-2019

https://www.europarl.europa.eu/contracts-and-grants/en/grants/ex-post-publication

We wanted to know if another call will be published in 2021 to support the same type of actions.

In line with the work programme 2020-2021 for grants, it is not foreseen to publish another call in 2021 to support the same type of actions.

Can the contact person submit the application from her e-mail address or it has to be sent by the applicant from its institutional e-mail address?

Please use preferably the email address of the contact person referred to in the application form

Would it be possible to have a meeting in order to discuss our various questions?

For reasons related to the equality of treatment between applicants, we cannot organise bilateral meetings during the application period of the call for proposals. I would like to kindly invite you to read carefully the call for proposals and the guidelines for applicants published on our website and revert to us by email in case you would have additional specific questions.

Annex 1.III: Should we present the accounting for the last two fiscal years, that is, 2018 and 2019?

You have to submit financial statement (including the balance sheet, the profit and loss accounts and the annexes) for the last two financial years for which accounts have been closed. Depending on the accounts closing date for financial year purpose, the years concerned may differ.

I also send attached an image of the other two grants 2020-2021. Due to Covid-19 the dates have been modified Could you tell us what dates are scheduled for those of "Engage Grants" and "Grants to a identified beneficiary"

“Call for proposals for the Engagement grants” is expected to be launched by the end of the summer. “Grant to an identified beneficiary” is related to the grant that may be awarded to the Jean Monnet association.

What is the Jean Monnet organization about? Can any entity attend?

Further information about the Jean Monnet association can be found on their website: https://jean-monnet.fr/en/

In the annex en-annex-1-media-grant-application-form-3 on PAGE 5, par. 2 FINANCIAL CAPACITY - FINANCIAL DATA at the row "Total payroll (number of staff in full time equivalent) do we have to indicate the total cost of all staff salaries for the year, or the average annual cost of a single full-time employee?

You need to fill the number of employees on your payroll expressed in FTE; not the amount corresponding to the salaries paid.

1.) The online news portal ... who is applying for the grant, is owned by a media group (“A”), their original owner “B” merged into A last years. In 2019 and 2018, from which years the closed account statements are needed, their owner was “B”. They will have to submit the closed accounts for the previous ownership, I suppose? From “B”, and not the current owner, “A”? 2.) Exhaustive lists of previous projects and activities performed and connected to the actions to be carried out – the exhaustive list that is needed is referring to projects exclusively under similar construction (outcome of grants, tenders) or projects with similar content? 3.) Is it enough that the summary of the company register is in English only or all legal documents have to be in EN? 4.) For the merger of the 2 companies, the official company registry document is enough? (It shows that “B” merged into “A”), in EN, yes?

1.) According to the pt 4.4 of the Call for proposals, “ (...) The applicant’s financial capacity will be assessed on the basis of the following supporting documents: • A declaration of their honour annexed to the application form duly filled in and signed (Annex 1.IV -see exclusion criteria), • A financial statement (including the balance sheet, the profit and loss accounts and the annexes) for the last two financial years for which accounts have been closed. , • Financial data provided in the grant application form, • The Restructured Simplified Accounting Balance Sheets and Profit and Loss Accounts dully filled in (Annex 1.III) (...)”. The applicant is requested to prove its financial capacity. Therefore, it will depend which entity is applying for the grant (i.e. online news portal 24.hu or the owner company of this news portal). 2.) According to the pt 4.4 b) of the Call for proposals, “(...) Applicants must have the professional competencies as well as appropriate qualifications necessary to complete the proposed action (...)”. All previous actions and activities performed and connected to the actions to be carried out will be taken into account. 3.) This is enough. A courtesy translation would be welcome to ease the work of the evaluation committee. 4.) Yes, if the legal or capital link needs to be proven.

1. Does the requirement to state EU funding obtained three years prior include subsidiaries/matrix or only the participating beneficiary entity? 2. For the supporting document relating to extract of association register - specifically for a radio station - would a document showing the entity registered as so to a national body suffice? 3. For the financial statement for the last two financial years requested as supported documents, would the official yearly accounts of the entity suffice? And is it possible that this is a new requirement?

1. This requirement is for the applicant only. 2. According to the pt 4.2 of the Call for proposals, “ (...) To be eligible for a grant, applicants must be able to demonstrate that they are: • A legal person constituted and registered as a legal entity for at least two years at the time of application (...) In order to assess the applicants' eligibility, at least one of the following supporting documents is requested: • Extract from the official journal, copy of articles of association, extract of association register or any other relevant supporting document. For the purpose of easing the evaluation, a curtesy translation of the document(s) provided is also requested (...)” 3. According to the pt 4.4 of the Call for proposals, “ (...) The applicant’s financial capacity will be assessed on the basis of the following supporting documents: • A declaration of their honour annexed to the application form duly filled in and signed (Annex 1.IV -see exclusion criteria), • A financial statement (including the balance sheet, the profit and loss accounts and the annexes) for the last two financial years for which accounts have been closed. , • Financial data provided in the grant application form, • The Restructured Simplified Accounting Balance Sheets and Profit and Loss Accounts dully filled in (Annex 1.III) (...)”.

This requirement (proof of the financial capacity) is not new; the supporting documents requested may slightly vary depending on the grant campaign.

It is mentioned in the Section VII of the Annex 4 („Declaration on honour”) that the applicant should refer to the relevant points of the tender documentation. We kindly ask your clarification whether referring to the relevant part of the Calls for proposal is acceptable for you. It is marked in the below table by yellow colour.

(a) It has the legal and regulatory capacity to pursue the professional activity needed for performing the contract as required in section 4.2 of the Calls for proposals of the tender specifications; (b) It fulfills the applicable economic and financial criteria indicated in section 4.4 (a) of the Calls for proposals of the tender specifications; (c) It fulfills the applicable technical and professional criteria indicated in section 4.4 (b) of the Calls for proposals] of the tender specifications.

The Annex 4 is whether it needed to be duly signed or the signing of the division representative / contact person is acceptable.

The declaration on honour needs to be signed by a person duly authorised to represent the applicant

Based on the guidelines of this call, ‘applicants must have an average turnover/income in the two last financial years of at least twice the total amount of the contribution requested to the EP’. For example, if the total budget of our application is 100.000 euros, and the total contribution of EP is 80%, then based on the submitted financial statements of 2017 & 2018, we should have an average turnover/income for those 2 years of at least 160.000 euros? Or does this ‘contribution requested’ refer to the applicant’s contribution, which is the 20% of the total budget of the application?

According to the pt 4.4 a) of the Call for proposals, you have to demonstrate “(...) an average turnover/income in the two last financial years of at least twice the total amount of the contribution requested to the EP”. In your example, you are right in your first assumption “(...) we should have an average turnover/income for those 2 years of at least 160.000 euros”.

May I kindly ask you to confirm that in order to submit our application, we do not need any prior registration of our cooperative on your platform. Otherwise, could you kindly advise accordingly, please?

You don't need any prior registration to submit your application. According to the pt 2.1 of the Guidelines "(...) Applications for grants must be submitted electronically by the date and time indicated in the call for proposals. The date and time of the submission will be the date and time of sent applications, as registered by the EP’s server. In order to register a grant application, the applicant must download the application form available on the EP website at https://www.europarl.europa.eu/contracts-and-grants/en/grants/media-andevents following the guidelines and instructions provided in the form. The form must be saved on a local drive (computer) before being completed. The form may be filled offline, edited and saved several times (if necessary). Please do not rename the form and the annexes thereof. In order to be registered, the application form must be submitted by email: - either by pressing on “Submit by Email” at the bottom of the form: by clicking on “Submit by email”, the form will be automatically attached to an email addressed to the EP, or - by attaching the application form to an email addressed to dgcomm-egrants@ep.europa.eu (...)"

I would also like to clarify one more thing regarding the financial requirements, and more specifically the following section ‘applicants must have an average turnover/income in the two last financial years of at least twice the total amount of the contribution requested to the EP’. Does this refer to the Revenue line of the financial statements or the comprehensive income (profit/loss) of the company. For example, based on the financial statements, if the applicant has 800.000 total Revenue for 2017 and 700.000 for the year 2018 but the comprehensive income for those years is 25.000 and 30.000 respectively, which of those two (Revenue

The “turn over” refers to the revenues. In your example, the average turnover would be 750.000 euro in the last two last financial years.

or Comprehensive Income/profit & loss) will you consider when calculating the average turnover of the last 2 financial years?

Project description - We have found no indications as to where in the application form we are invited to detailedly draft the content our "action" (documentary film + webproject and social media campaign). Do you wish us to upload a treatment separately or are we invited to line out the film’s/webproject's narrative in Appendix I, section a) and b)? Definition of the "finishing of the action" - Do you measure the action to be complete upon finalisation (of a film, for instance) or upon broadcast/ public release? Knowing this will affect the time frame for our production.

The project description is to be detailed in the Annex 1.I: description of the action (to fill in a return with the application form) (DOCX - 52 KB) upon broadcast/public release. Producing content is not enough, as the aim is that it reaches the largest possible audience via as many platforms as possible

Could you please confirm the exact reference specified by the Model Grant agreement which might replace Art I.3.2 (with all subparagraphs). Art. I.3.2 (likely related to unit costs, lump sumps ….. ) has been mentioned several times by different provisions of the Model Grant Agreement but actually such ref . art. does not exists. For example Art. II.20.1 b refers to Art. 3.2(a)(ii) or (b) …

The Model Grant Agreement is for information and doesn't need to be filled in for the application. The article I.3.2 is on page 8 of the Model.

A significant part of our teams will be allocated to this project. We will therefore, discriminate the people involved, their timesheet and corresponding hours/salary. We do, however, have an issue with RGPD, since their salary is considered private and personal data.

In principle, the lawfulness of such processing should be covered by the article 6 of the EU regulation 2016/679, notably b),c) f). You could also ask the consent of the data subject. The case being, these data will be needed for final payment, ex-post verification or audit.

o Question: can the timesheet only state “Function/Hours/Salary”. Or do they need to be “Name/Function/Hours/Salary”

There is an information in Guidelines for applicants (Annex 3) that the estimated budget of the action must be presented in part A of the application form. Where is it exactly? What is part A? Should we prepare our own xls sheet? I have another question about full monthly salary cost and amount attributed to the action. Can settle it on an hourly basis work cards from which the time allocated for the project implementation will result?

The estimated budget details need to be filled in of the application form (page 8 - part 2 - item A.1-2-3-4-5-6). Indeed, this salary cost allocation method seems relevant.

We prepare the documentation for the grant application. I want to ask if it is necessary to translate into English?

- Extract from the official journal. (can you comment on what it is?)

- extract of association register or any other relevant supporting document (does it mean company’s registration certificate?)

- copy of articles of association (full version?)

According to the pt 4.2 of the Call for proposals,"(...) In order to assess the applicants' eligibility, at least one of the following supporting documents is requested:

Extract from the official journal, copy of articles of association, extract of association register or any other relevant supporting document. For the purpose of easing the evaluation, a courtesy translation of the document(s) provided is also requested;

Where relevant, any document proving the existence of the structural link between the applicant and its affiliated entities (...)"

If you choose to provide the copy of the articles of association, the full version needs to be provided (with a courtesy translation). Statutes of association, companies are in many countries published in the national official journal in extract. Association in many countries need to keep in a register all the constitutive documents (list of founders, members, etc..). The company's registration certificate is also a valid document.

What is the total budget? Is there a budget allocation? How much can media expect to receive?

The indicative budget available for media and engagement grants in 2020-2021 is € 8.8 million, subject to the availability of corresponding funds in the EU budget. There is no allocation per country nor type of media. Projects are ranked depending of their quality, and geographical balance is applied as explained in the call. No limit to the grant amount but still keep in mind:

co-financing principle of the grant (max 80% of the total costs of the action);

costs need to the justified, indirectly or directly linked to the actions (eligible costs definition);

see also financial selection criteria (ie. an average turnover/income in the two last financial years of at least twice the total amount of the contribution requested to the EP);

budget and cost effectiveness of the proposal is also taken into account in the award criteria.

Technical Issues Annex 1-3. We tried several times and with several servers and updated version of acrobat to download this pdf: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/contracts-and-grants/files/grants/media-and-events/en-annex-1-media-grant-application-form-3.pdf

Please right click on the hyperlink and save the file on your local drive. Once it is saved on your computer, you should be able to read and edit the PDF document.

PDF Annex I PDF: from page 9 I see tabs outside the page

Please use the latest official Adobe PDF reader for opening the PDF, not inside the browser but as a stand alone application

PDF 1) Annex I PDF, I'm not able to save new text on it on my pc;

PDF 1) Please right click on the hyperlink and choose "save target as" in order to save the document on your local drive

2)Annex I.1 word, it don't allow me to paste from another file and it very difficult to write directly in the tab.

2) The titles and format of the tables in the document have been protected. However, there is no restriction in format or in size to fill in the table.

Is there a limit in the number of words in the application form? There is no size limit in the application form When will the “Annex 1. Grant application form to fill in” will be published?

It is published but some applicants may encounter technical difficulties to open it. Please note that you should save it on your local drive (right click save as) before you can open and edit it

Annex 2: it is a pdf document that I cannot fill. Can you send me a refillable document? I attach the file in question.

Annex 2 - Model Grant Agreement is for information only. You don’t need to fill in it to submit your proposal.

Eligibility, participation We wanted to ask you if we are eligible for participating in this Call of proposal FOR THE CO-FINANCING OF MEDIAACTIONS UNDER THE MULTI-ANNUAL WORK PROGRAMME FOR GRANTS IN THE AREA OF COMMUNICATION 2020-2021 ?

The eligibility criteria are referred to in section 4.2 of the call proposals available on our website.

I have a question about the status of the company. In 2016, the company implemented a media project that would receive a grant from the European Parliament. Is the partnership relevant to the company from 2016? Can the company apply for the announced grant program (Call for proposals for the co-financing of media actions under the multi-annual work programme for grants in the area of communication 2020-2021)?

The framework partnership agreements signed under the 2016-2019 grants programme are no longer valid. No partnerships are required to apply for media grants under the 2020-2021 work programme.

We would like to know if there is any incompatibility to apply for this grant since one of our affiliate companies participated in a tender of a different activity with the European Parliament that is pending to be awarded.

It depends on the similarity of the activities financed. Please refer to the guidelines for applicants available at https://www.europarl.europa.eu/contracts-and-grants/files/grants/media-and-events/en_annex_3_guidelines_for_applicants.pdf

Since 2019 we have changed the legal person with a new company that has only one year old. In this situation can we apply?

Regarding the change of legal personality, please explain and justify if there is a continuation between the old and the new legal entities.

1. Ref. Article 4.2 Eligibility criteria and Annex 4: Checklist for applicants. What kind of documents are meant for “extract from the official journal”? What kind of association are meant when you ask for copy of articles? 2. Ref. Article 4.4 – b) Operational capacity – supporting documents and Annex 4: Checklist for applicants With reference to the organisations’ activity report requested, could the document be a detailed presentation of news productions and programmes? Which other details should the report contain?

1) We refer to the official registration of the entity applying for a grant. The format thereof depends on the country of registration and on the type of entity concerned (private or public for instance) 2) Public and private organisation usually prepare a record of their annual achievements for managerial purposes. It may stem from a legal obligation or from the practice, and may depend from one country to another

In July 2020 we will found a non-profit organisation (“...“) to be able to go on with our projects and to reach even more European citizens. For the call we want to apply as the newly existing NGO. In order to fulfill the requirements of the call the question is concerning the en-annex-1III-balancesheetandprofitandloss.xls - as the NGO will be just established, would you accept the financial overview of the last two years from our up-to-now main employer?

Please note that the applicant must fulfil the eligibility and selection (operational & financial) criteria. However, the action may be implemented in full or in part by an affiliated entity of the applicant (structural link between the two entities°)

Is a teaching university faculty eligible to apply? We have 4 journals indexed in Clarivate's Web of Science, do these journals count as publications / press regarding eligibility for this call?

In principle, your Faculty and journals are not excluded as long as they comply with the various criteria laid down in the call. That said, before working in your potential application, you might wish to consider whether you can compete with mass media in terms of, for instance, reaching a broad audience.

Are EDICs (Europe Direct Information Centres) excluded from applying in any way?

EDICS are not excluded but taking into account the type of actions envisaged, the Media call does not target them.

The EP is preparing now the call for proposals for engagement grants to be published mid-July. EDICs may be better placed to submit a proposal under that call of course depending on the type of action they intend to get funds for.

Il est indiqué dans l'appel à propositions : • The applicants must be (among other possibilities) "radio broadcasting companies or networks broadcasting at pan-European, national or regional level in one or more Member States, online news / information portals" •One of the award criteria is "Expected reach of the action (as measured based on the performance indicators provided in Annex II)". Au regard de ces indications, l'appel à projets est-il ouvert à tous les médias, y compris des médias associatifs locaux, qu'elle que soit leur audience ? Y a-t-il un minimum d'audience à atteindre pour que la proposition soit considérée ? Les propositions démontrant des indicateurs de performance élevés, reposant sur des chiffres d'audience élevés, seront-elles favorisées ?

Les critères d’éligibilité (personnalité juridique enregistrée) et de sélection (capacité financière et opérationnelle) sont les seuls repris au pt 4.2 et 4.4 du Call for proposals. Pour l’évaluation des candidatures, le critère « Reach » pondéré de 30pts /100pts dans l’évaluation globale prend en compte l’audience attendue selon des «indicateurs » spécifiques qui devront être complétés dans l’annexe 1.II joint à l’application. L’évaluation des candidatures sur ce critère se fera sur la base de ces critères.

Cooperation scheme, subcontracting, partnership, multiple proposals Cooperation schemes. Reading from the Call:

_______ "Exclusion of multi-beneficiary schemes Several applicants cannot submit one common action proposal. In addition, grant agreements may only be signed with a single beneficiary. However, cooperation schemes may be implemented as follows: - Applicants may submit a proposal coordinated with another proposal by one or more other grant applicant(s). In such case, the coordination modalities should be reflected in the description of the action. This coordination scheme could lead to the signature of two or more grant agreements." _______ Question: Besides clearly describing the coordination modalities in each of the two (or more) coordinated proposals, the coordinated proposals would (possibly or inevitably) be based on the same concept, theoretical analysis and background, share common aims and targets. For instance, if we deal with two coordinated proposals that bring together media outlets of different kinds operated by different applicants in order to maximise reach (one proposal covering television and print, the other covering radio and online), these two proposals should reasonably be grounded on the same principles. In that case, some parts of two proposals

The "coordinated proposals" mention in the call for proposals refer to the possibility for different applicants to submit two or more action proposals, which share the same objectives and expected results but with complementary activities. The performance indicators would be separate, however each application could provide a comprehensive overview of the results expected (based on the performance indicators of all of the actions) through all of the coordinated action proposals.

would be identical, eg. general and specific objectives and methodology. "cooperation schemes" A) in the case of "a proposal coordinated with another proposal by one or more other grant applicant(s)", leading to "the signature of two or more grant agreements", would the performance indicators be separate, in the sense that each applicant would report only its own viewers/readers/number of articles/programmes and so on? B) in the case of one beneficiary of the grant for one grant agreement and implementing partners: the implementing partners must be either affiliated entities (with legal financial link) or subcontractors (selected with a tendering procedure)? can the implementig partners be partner of the applicant with a long established factual cooperation, which is however neither the result of a legal/financial link nor of a tendering procedure?

a) The "coordinated proposals" mention in the call for proposals refer to the possibility for different applicants to submit two or more action proposals, which share the same objectives and expected results but with complementary activities. The performance indicators would be separate, however each application could provide a comprehensive overview of the results expected (based on the performance indicators of all of the actions) through all of the coordinated action proposals. b) Long established factual cooperation is not one of the forms of legal cooperation foreseen in the call for proposals.

As a group bringing together two radio stations and one television station, it's not clear to us whether we can present separate applications for our different channels (.., ... and ... as an affiliated entity) as in the past or whether we should present a single application for the whole group.

It is not forbidden in the call to present separate action proposals for your different channels. Please see sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the call for more information on the types of action proposals targeted.

If you collaborate with another entity, even if it does not present a project, would it be a problem? In other words, we are thinking of several non-profit entities that already organize debates around European issues , it would be about giving

According to the pt 4.2 of the call for proposals, “(...) Applicants may delegate the implementation of part of the action to other entities (implementing partners). They may define the modalities of their cooperation scheme in the description of the action. In case the proposal would be selected, only the

them visibility in exchange for taking advantage of their contacts in generating citizen debate.

beneficiary of the grant would sign a grant agreement and carry the legal and financial responsibility for the implementation of the action (...)”. Depending of the type of collaboration envisaged, you may fall under the subcontracting provisions (pt 3.3 of the Guidelines) “(...) Subcontracting, i.e. the externalisation of specific tasks or activities which form part of the action as described in the proposal must satisfy the conditions applicable to any implementation contract (as specified above) and in addition fulfil the following conditions: — it must be justified with regard to the nature of the action and what is necessary for its implementation; — the core tasks of the actions (i.e. the technical and financial coordination of the action and the management of the strategy) can neither be subcontracted nor delegated; — the estimated costs of subcontracting must be clearly stated in the technical and financial parts of the proposal; — any recourse to subcontracting, if not provided for in description of the action, is communicated by the beneficiary and approved by the EP. The EP may grant approval: (i) before any recourse to subcontracting, if the beneficiaries requests an amendment; (ii) after recourse to subcontracting if the subcontracting: is specifically justified in the interim or final technical report and does not entail changes to the grant agreement which would call into question the decision awarding the grant or be contrary to the equal treatment of applicants; — the beneficiaries ensure that certain conditions applicable to beneficiaries, enumerated in the grant agreement (e.g. visibility, confidentiality, etc.), are also applicable to the subcontractor (...)”.

a) The call foresees the possibility to submit a “coordinated proposal”. The questions are:

a.1 in case of a proposal coordinated with other two proposals (last paragraph in page 6 of the call for proposal), the evaluation of the performance indicators will be separate or will the three proposals count together? a.2 would it be possible that only one of the coordinated proposals could come to the signature of an agreement?

a1) Each grant agreement will be evaluated individually and must have its own performance indicators (described in the annex 1.II). a2) Coordination scheme could lead to the signature of two or more grant agreements. Other collaboration form can also be envisaged as implementation delegation (“(...) Applicants may delegate the implementation of part of the action to other entities (implementing partners). They may define the modalities of their cooperation scheme in the description of the action. In case the proposal would be selected, only the beneficiary of the grant would sign a grant agreement and carry the legal and financial responsibility for the implementation of the action (...)”) or subcontracting ( (...) i.e. the externalisation of specific tasks or activities which form part of the action as described in the proposal must satisfy the conditions applicable to any implementation contract (as specified above) and in addition fulfil the following conditions: — it must be justified with regard to the nature of the action and what is necessary for its implementation; — the core tasks of the actions (i.e. the technical and financial coordination of the action and the management of the strategy) can neither be subcontracted nor delegated; — the estimated costs of subcontracting must be clearly stated in the technical and financial parts of the proposal; — any recourse to subcontracting, if not provided for in description of the action, is communicated by the beneficiary and approved by the EP. The EP may grant approval: (i) before any recourse to subcontracting, if the beneficiaries requests an amendment; (ii) after recourse to

b) The Call foresees that “Applicant may delegate the implementation of part of the action to other entities (implementing partner)” (first paragraph in page 7 of the call for proposal). In this regard clarifications are requested about the way to formalize the delegation: b.1 is it enough to indicate in the description of the proposal that one or more parts of the action (well defined in the proposals) are carried out by the executive partners? b.2 is it necessary to give - and if so in what form - a real delegation? b.3 Will these costs have to be summarized in item A4 of the table of eligible costs?

subcontracting if the subcontracting: is specifically justified in the interim or final technical report and does not entail changes to the grant agreement which would call into question the decision awarding the grant or be contrary to the equal treatment of applicants; — the beneficiaries ensure that certain conditions applicable to beneficiaries, enumerated in the grant agreement (e.g. visibility, confidentiality, etc.), are also applicable to the subcontractors (...)).. b.1 This is enough. The modalities of the cooperation scheme might be defined in the description of the action. b.2 The establishment of a cooperation agreement is not necessary. b.3 Item A.4 is related to cots of consumables and supplies specific to the proposed actions. If management fees are paid to implementing partners, it would be considered as indirect costs.

c) As cooperation scheme, the call makes reference to “affiliated entities” (second paragraph in page 7 of the call for proposal). In this case, the questions are: c.1 The following three subjects · Two companies having Foundation A as absolute majority shareholder · One company having Foundation B as absolute majority shareholder. · Foundations A and B are established by the same founding body and the respective boards of directors are appointed by the same founding body. can be considered affiliates, in the terms required by the call? c.2 Again, will these costs have to be summarized in item A4 of the table of eligible costs?

c.1 The pt 4.2 of the Call for proposal gives the definition of affiliated entities : “(...) Affiliated entities are legal entities having a link with the applicant, notably a legal or capital link, which is neither limited to the action nor established for the sole purpose of its implementation on the condition that they satisfy the eligibility and non-exclusion criteria of an applicant. In this case, the existence of such link must be demonstrated by the applicant. In order to assess the applicants' eligibility, at least one of the following supporting documents is requested: • Extract from the official journal, copy of articles of association, extract of association register or any other relevant supporting document. For the purpose of easing the evaluation, a curtesy translation of the document(s) provided is also requested; • Where relevant, any document proving the existence of the structural link between the applicant and its affiliated entities (...)”. In your example and based on the information provided, it’s not certain that the three companies have a legal or capital link in absence of legal or capital link between the foundations and /or precise details about the founding body and the administration of the foundations. c.2 Item A.4 is related to cots of consumables and supplies specific to the proposed actions. If management fees are paid to implementing partners, it would be considered as indirect costs According to the pt 3.3 last paragraph of the Guidelines, “(...) Contracts may also be awarded to entities that have a structural link with the beneficiary, but only if they are identified in the grant agreement and the price is limited to the

actual costs incurred by the entity (i.e. without any profit margin). The tasks to be implemented by such entities must be clearly stated in the description of the action annexed to the application form (Annex I) (...).

Is there a limit of the sub-contracting costs?

There is no limit in terms of amount but in term of tasks. We refer to the pt 3.3 of the Guidelines ( (...) Subcontracting, i.e. the externalisation of specific tasks or activities which form part of the action as described in the proposal must satisfy the conditions applicable to any implementation contract (as specified above) and in addition fulfil the following conditions: — it must be justified with regard to the nature of the action and what is necessary for its implementation; — the core tasks of the actions (i.e. the technical and financial coordination of the action and the management of the strategy) can neither be subcontracted nor delegated; — the estimated costs of subcontracting must be clearly stated in the technical and financial parts of the proposal; — any recourse to subcontracting, if not provided for in description of the action, is communicated by the beneficiary and approved by the EP. The EP may grant approval: (i) before any recourse to subcontracting, if the beneficiaries requests an amendment; (ii) after recourse to subcontracting if the subcontracting: is specifically justified in the interim or final technical report and does not entail changes to the grant agreement which would call into question the decision awarding the grant or be contrary to the equal treatment of applicants; — the beneficiaries ensure that certain conditions applicable to beneficiaries, enumerated in the grant agreement (e.g. visibility, confidentiality, etc.), are also applicable to the subcontractors (...)”. • A financial statement (including the balance sheet, the profit and loss accounts and the annexes) for the last two financial years for which accounts have been closed. ,

• Financial data provided in the grant application form, • The Restructured Simplified Accounting Balance Sheets and Profit and Loss Accounts dully filled in (Annex 1.III) (...)”.

Would it be possible to subcontract an organisation to implement activities in our project which is also part of another Proposal, as either the main coordinator or another subcontractor?

An organisation can be active in different proposals in different roles (coordinator, subcontractor and applicant). Nonetheless, the activities performed need to be clearly identified for each role and proposal. Please take note that subcontracting is also subject to certain conditions. According to the article 3.3 of the Guidelines, “(...) Subcontracting, i.e. the externalisation of specific tasks or activities which form part of the action as described in the proposal must satisfy the conditions applicable to any implementation contract (as specified above) and in addition fulfil the following conditions: — it must be justified with regard to the nature of the action and what is necessary for its implementation; — the core tasks of the actions (i.e. the technical and financial coordination of the action and the management of the strategy) can neither be subcontracted nor delegated; — the estimated costs of subcontracting must be clearly stated in the technical and financial parts of the proposal; — any recourse to subcontracting, if not provided for in description of the action, is communicated by the beneficiary and approved by the EP. The EP may grant approval: (i) before any recourse to subcontracting, if the beneficiaries requests an amendment; (ii) after recourse to subcontracting if the subcontracting: is specifically justified in the interim or final technical report and does not entail changes to the grant agreement which would call into question the decision awarding the grant or be contrary to the equal treatment of applicants; — the beneficiaries ensure that certain

conditions applicable to beneficiaries, enumerated in the grant agreement (e.g. visibility, confidentiality, etc.), are also applicable to the subcontractors”.

What "implementation partners" means exactly? Are they organisations that also implement activities in the project, but do not sign the grant agreement. But in that case, what is the difference between implementation partners and subcontractors?

According to the 4.2 of the Call of proposals, “Applicants may delegate the implementation of part of the action to other entities (implementing partners). They may define the modalities of their cooperation scheme in the description of the action. In case the proposal would be selected, only the beneficiary of the grant would sign a grant agreement and carry the legal and financial responsibility for the implementation of the action (...)” According to the 3.3 of the Guidelines, “(...) Where the implementation of the action requires the award of procurement contracts (implementation contracts), the beneficiary must award the contract to the bid offering best value for money or the lowest price (as appropriate), avoiding conflicts of interests. The beneficiary is expected to clearly document the tendering procedure and retain the documentation for the event of an audit (...)”. In both cases, the subcontractors or the implementing partners do not sign a grant agreement with the EP but their respective contractual relations with the applicant are different. Depending on the tasks, the applicable rules or the context, the applicant would opt for one of the other form (e.g. core tasks can’t be subcontracted, subcontracting can be authorised by the EP after the award of the grant ...).

Regarding the performance indicators variables, could you please be so kind to clarify: - if the Expected Audience should be an average value in individuals (Rating), or a cumulative audience reached (Reach) in individuals; - if the Specific Slots chosen for distribution of the project should be presented separately or as one value over the whole project (the slots in our application have drastically different characteristics, due to best efficiency of audience reach); - how the Expected Audience comparison should be computed as a %value (Expected Audience/Base Audience*100) and on what basis – existing and relevant programs or best performing programs, or both (two values)?

This performance indicator should give an idea of the impact achieved by the programme. Therefore, the average audience should be preferred as well as the rating or the share in the slot chosen for broadcast. - Those slots should be presented separately. - The expected audience comparison should give an idea about how the programme under the project relates to other similar programmes produced and how many people watches normally these programmes on that specific TV.

1. Staff costs: The costs of natural persons working under a contract with the beneficiary other than an employment contract are eligible direct costs (Guidelines page 8). Can the costs of natural person working under a contract and paid against invoice be declared under staff costs?

1. Indeed. Regarding staff expenses, the eligible costs are defined in the pt 3.5 (a) of the Guidelines. Depending on how these external contractors will provide their services (under an employment contract or not), additional requirements may be applicable: “(...) The costs of natural persons working under a contract with the beneficiary other than an employment contract or who are seconded to the beneficiary by a third party against payment may also be included under such personnel costs, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled: (i) the person works under conditions similar to those of an employee (in particular regarding the way the work is organised, the tasks that are performed and the premises where they are performed); (ii) the result of the work belongs to the beneficiary (unless exceptionally agreed otherwise); and (iii) the costs are not significantly different from the

2. According to Guidelines for applicants (page 13) the beneficiary must submit an audit certificate (CFS) for grants above EUR 60.000 as a part of final report. Are the costs for the CFS eligible costs and can be included in beneficiary’s direct costs? 3. Are there any restrictions on the percentage of subcontracting costs of the total budget? For example – not higher than 30 % of the total budget?

costs of staff performing similar tasks under an employment contract with the beneficiary ( ...);” 2. According to the pt 3.5 of the Guidelines, "(...) Eligible costs shall meet all the following criteria: • they are incurred during the duration of the action as specified in the grant agreement, with the exception of costs relating to final reports and audit certificates. Under no circumstances can the eligibility period start before the date of submission of the grant application (...)". 3. There is no limit in terms of amount but in term of tasks. We refer to the pt 3.3 of the Guidelines ( (...) Subcontracting, i.e. the externalisation of specific tasks or activities which form part of the action as described in the proposal must satisfy the conditions applicable to any implementation contract (as specified above) and in addition fulfil the following conditions: — it must be justified with regard to the nature of the action and what is necessary for its implementation; — the core tasks of the actions (i.e. the technical and financial coordination of the action and the management of the strategy) can neither be subcontracted nor delegated; — the estimated costs of subcontracting must be clearly stated in the technical and financial parts of the proposal; — any recourse to subcontracting, if not provided for in description of the action, is communicated by the beneficiary and approved by the EP. The EP may grant approval: (i) before any recourse to subcontracting, if the beneficiaries requests an amendment; (ii) after recourse to subcontracting if the subcontracting: is specifically justified in the interim or final technical report and does not entail changes to the grant agreement which would call into question the decision awarding the grant or be contrary to the equal treatment of applicants; — the beneficiaries ensure that certain conditions applicable to beneficiaries, enumerated in the grant agreement

(e.g. visibility, confidentiality, etc.), are also applicable to the subcontractors (...)”.

Our project will have XX Television as the main proponent, with YY and ZZ as their affiliate companies. They are all part of the main company and media group with XX being the TV branch, YY the Print brand and ZZ the internal provider for shared services.

o Question: Should YY and ZZ be considered affiliate companies? Or, since they are part of the same group, have a different statute?

o Question: For internal purposes and for our auditors, the services provided to XX by YY/ZZ will need to be invoiced”. Will this create any problem? In identifying the costs allocated to this European project? Since these invoices will be presented as costs for this action?

According to the article 4.2 of the Call for proposals, “(...) Affiliated entities are legal entities having a link with the applicant, notably a legal or capital link, which is neither limited to the action nor established for the sole purpose of its implementation on the condition that they satisfy the eligibility and non-exclusion criteria of an applicant. In this case, the existence of such link must be demonstrated by the applicant (...)”. Therefore, it will mainly depend on which legal entity will submit the application (media group or branch) and the legal structure of the group. Collaboration between brands, services could be qualified as sub-contracting (see pt 3.3 pf the Guidelines) or coordinated proposals implemented by implementing partners (see pt 4.2 of the Call for proposals). About the internal invoicing between services, it will depend also on the legal structure of the group and the purpose of such invoicing :cost accounting, invoicing between different legal entities,....

Can our online press agency make use of television services and press articles provided by private external companies? If the answer is yes, should the cost of such services be listed under point A.4 (costs of consumables and supplies) or under point A.5 (sub-contracting costs) ?

You may implement the proposal with implementing partners or sub-contract part of the task. We refer for the definition and limitations to the documents: Call for proposals and Guidelines. If you are not subject to public procurement regulation, you have to follow by analogy the principles to contract with others entities (i.e. the beneficiary must award the contract to the bid offering best value for money or the lowest price (as appropriate), avoiding conflicts of interests).

If it should be listed under point A.5, as we are not in a position to launch a call for tenders, which type of contract can we provide as an annex to the invoice?

According to the article 3.3 of the Guidelines, “(...) Subcontracting, i.e. the externalisation of specific tasks or activities which form part of the action as described in the proposal must satisfy the conditions applicable to any implementation contract (as specified above) and in addition fulfil the following conditions: — it must be justified with regard to the nature of the action and what is necessary for its implementation; — the core tasks of the actions (i.e. the technical and financial coordination of the action and the management of the strategy) can neither be subcontracted nor delegated; — the estimated costs of subcontracting must be clearly stated in the technical and financial parts of the proposal; — any recourse to subcontracting, if not provided for in description of the action, is communicated by the beneficiary and approved by the EP. The EP may grant approval: (i) before any recourse to subcontracting, if the beneficiaries requests an amendment; (ii) after recourse to subcontracting if the subcontracting: is specifically justified in the interim or final technical report and does not entail changes to the grant agreement which would call into question the decision awarding the grant or be contrary to the equal treatment of applicants; — the beneficiaries ensure that certain conditions applicable to beneficiaries, enumerated in the grant agreement (e.g. visibility, confidentiality, etc.), are also applicable to the subcontractors”. According to the article 4.2 of the Call of proposals, "(...) Applicants may delegate the implementation of part of the action to other entities (implementing partners). They may define the modalities of their cooperation scheme in the description of the action. In case the proposal would be selected, only the beneficiary of the grant would sign a grant agreement and carry the legal and financial responsibility for the implementation of the action (...)".

According to the opt 3.3 of the Guidelines, "(...) Where the implementation of the action requires the award of procurement contracts (implementation contracts), the beneficiary must award the contract to the bid offering best value for money or the lowest price (as appropriate), avoiding conflicts of interests. The beneficiary is expected to clearly document the tendering procedure and retain the documentation for the event of an audit. Where the proposing organisation is a body governed by public law within the meaning of Article 2(1)(4) of Directive 2014/24/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council, it must select the subcontractors in accordance with the national legislation transposing that Directive (...)".

Amount of grants, budget, eligible costs, payment Can the costs incurred for tasks accomplished by external collaborators be considered "eligible" and therefore be part of the budget? In particular, it would be - translations (from Italian to English) provided by a translator holding a VAT number - journalistic services provided by a free lance journalist

These costs are eligible, as they are not listed in the ineligible costs. Regarding staff expenses, the eligible costs are defined in the pt 3.5 (a) of the Guidelines. Depending on how these external contractors will provide their services (under an employment contract or not), additional requirements may be applicable: “(...) The costs of natural persons working under a contract with the beneficiary other than an employment contract or who are seconded to the beneficiary by a third party against payment may also be included under such personnel costs, provided that the following conditions are fulfilled: (i) the person works under conditions similar to those of an employee (in particular regarding the way the work is organised, the tasks that are performed and the premises where they are performed); (ii) the result of the work belongs to the beneficiary (unless exceptionally agreed otherwise); and (iii) the costs are not significantly different from the costs of staff performing similar tasks under an employment contract with the beneficiary ( ...);”

The work programme mentions that there is an indicative budget of 50.000 euros per beneficiary, but the call for proposals does not mention any indicative budget per beneficiary. Should we assume that the 50.000 budget still applies?

The indicative budget of € 50,000 is foreseen for a separate individual action to be implemented by a predefined beneficiary. This actions is not covered by the current call for proposals nor the upcoming call for proposals for engagement grants.

Maximum amount. Regarding the budget of the grants in the area of communication, I know that the grant is limited to a maximum co-funding rate of 80 % of the action’s eligible costs. Can you please tell me what is the maximum amount the applicant can claim (in Euro). I read that the indicative budget available for the grant awarded to an identified beneficiary is € 50,000. Is this the maximum that an applicant can claim?

No maximum amount for grants is specified in the call. The budget of € 50,000 mentioned in the multiannual work programme refers to a separate specific grant, which is not covered by the call for proposals for the cofinancing of media actions.

Are there any threshold/limit for the level of the budget/grant ("not less than..." OR "not more then...")? What is the maximum amount of funding a project could run for?

The call for proposals does not refer to minimum or maximum amounts of projects.

1) Can the budget presented a priori be reformulated based on the allocation finally awarded?

You are asked to submit an estimated budget. Final budget can be different. However, the amount of the grant can’t exceed the maximum amount awarded and the maximum co-funding rate of 80 % of the action’s eligible costs. More details can be found in the pt 5.2 Establishment of final amount and payment of the balance of the Guidelines. “(...) The final amount of the grant depends on the extent to which the action was implemented in accordance with the terms of the Agreement. The final amount of the grant is calculated by the EP in the following steps: 1) Application of the reimbursement rate to the eligible costs. 2) Limit to the maximum grant amount. 3) Reduction due to the no-profit rule. 4) Reduction due to improper implementation or breach of other obligation. (...)”.

2) Regarding a possible synergy with another entity, would that mean that the possible request for budget increases? In other words, on the one hand would entity A request and on the other B, linking their projects?

2) Synergies between two action proposals would not result in merging the budget estimates of both proposals. The two actions would remain separate projects from an administrative point of view.

Il est indiqué dans l'appel à propositions "Co-financing shall take the form of reimbursement of a specified proportion of eligible costs actually incurred by the beneficiary and its affiliated entities." sans autre précision sur les modalités de paiement. Le modèle de convention précise : "The aim of the pre-financing is to provide the beneficiary with a float. The pre-financing remains the property of the Union until the payment of the balance. The Parliament must make the pre-financing payment of EUR [insert amount] to the beneficiary within 30 calendar days from the entry into force of the Agreement, except if Article II.24.1 applies." mais ce modèle de convention est donné à titre d'information. Quel est le taux de pré-financement défini dans le cadre de cet appel à propositions ?

Le point 3.4 des Guidelines du Call for proposals definit le taux maximum de financement “(...) The grant is limited to a maximum co-funding rate of 80 % of the action’s eligible costs. Consequently, part of the total eligible expenses entered in the estimative budget must be financed from sources other than the grant (co-financing principle) (...)”. Les modalités relatives au préfinancement et au paiement du solde final sont reprises au point 3.5 des Guidelines (page 10 - payment arrangements : “(...) After the signature of the grant agreement there will be two payments: 1) A pre-financing payment corresponding to a maximum of 80 % of the grant amount will be transferred to the beneficiary within 30 days after the signature of the grant agreement. The aim of the pre-financing is to provide the beneficiary with a float. The pre-financing remains the property of the EP until the payment of the balance. 2) The payment of the balance after the final amount of the grant is calculated. The total amount paid to the beneficiaries by the EP may in no circumstances exceed the maximum amount of the grant as indicated in the grant agreement. If the total amount of the actions is higher than this maximum amount fixed in the grant agreement, the final amount of the grant is limited to the latter (...)”.

Can a percentage of an already active subcontracting be employed as co-financing?

According to the pt 6.2 of the Call for proposals, “(...) Co-financing shall take the form of reimbursement of a specified proportion of eligible costs actually incurred by the beneficiary and its affiliated entities. The grant is limited to a maximum co-funding rate of 80 % of the action’s eligible costs. Consequently, part of the total eligible expenses entered in the

estimative budget must be financed from sources other than the grant (co-financing principle). For more information on the categories of costs eligible and on how to estimate the budget of your action, please refer to the guidelines for applicants in Annex 3 (...)”.

In the case of a project presented by an applicant delegating the implementation of part of the action to other entities (implementing partners), two clarifications are requested: 1. In the expenditure reporting, a. will the costs incurred by the implementing partners be part of the costs incurred by the applicant (there will therefore be invoices issued to the applicant) b. or will the implementing partners also have to report their own costs according to the scheme attached to the call? would therefore the applicant present 2 or more schemes concerning in his project? 2. Is there a fixed maximum percentage of eligible costs for the executive partners, in relation to the overall value of the project?

1. You will find in the pt 5 of the Guidelines the description of the final report and financial reporting that need to be submitted by applicant for final payment. According to the pt 4.2 of the Call for proposals," (...) Applicants may delegate the implementation of part of the action to other entities (implementing partners). They may define the modalities of their cooperation scheme in the description of the action. In case the proposal would be selected, only the beneficiary of the grant would sign a grant agreement and carry the legal and financial responsibility for the implementation of the action". 2. If management fees are paid to implementing partners, it would be considered as indirect costs.

The page of "restructured and simplified balance sheets, profit and loss, refers to the total of the company, not only my channel, ok?

It will depend on which legal entity will apply for the grant and submit the application (radio or group).

1. In which budget category should we indicate estimated music copyrights costs – is it correct to declare the costs under the category “consumables and materials”?

Copyrights costs can be eligible direct costs. According to the pt 3.5 of the Guidelines, "(...) Eligible costs shall meet all the following criteria:

2. Are TV film rights/Film royalties eligible direct costs? And if they are eligible, in which budget category should we indicate these costs?

they are incurred by the beneficiary. they are incurred during the duration of the action as specified in the grant agreement, with the exception of costs relating to final reports and audit certificates. Under no circumstances can the eligibility period start before the date of submission of the grant application. they are indicated in the estimated budget of the action; they are necessary for the implementation of the action which is the subject of the grant; they are identifiable and verifiable, in particular being recorded in the accounting records of the beneficiary and determined according to the applicable accounting standards of the country where the beneficiary is established and according to the usual cost accounting practices of the beneficiary; they comply with the requirements of applicable tax and social legislation; they are reasonable, justified, and comply with the principle of sound financial management, in particular regarding economy and efficiency (...) The eligible direct costs for the action are those costs which: with due regard to the conditions of eligibility set out above, are identifiable as specific costs directly linked to the performance of the action and which can therefore be booked to it directly (...), such as: (d) costs of consumables and supplies, provided that they: (i) are purchased in accordance with the rules on implementation contracts laid down in the grant agreement; and (ii) are directly assigned to the action; (...) (e) costs derived from subcontracts, provided that specific conditions on subcontracting as laid down in the grant agreement are met; (...) (i) duties, taxes and charges paid by the beneficiary, notably value added tax (VAT), provided that they are included in eligible direct costs, and unless specified otherwise in the grant agreement".

Depending on the context, they can be "consumables or supplies costs" or even "sub-contracting costs" (if the production of media support was sub-contracted for example).

With the new limitation to the percentage of direct costs attributed to cost of staff, as referred in the following text: “(a) the costs of personnel working under an employment contract with the beneficiary or an equivalent appointing act and assigned to the action with a maximum of 80% of the total eligible direct costs, provided that these costs are in line with the beneficiary’s usual policy on remuneration.” We were wondering, specifically for a radio station, where would the broadcasting cost for the slot would fall under the budget of the action, A.2-A.5.

The contextual help buttons in the application form can give you more information. For example, for the item A.5, the sub-contracting costs are " These are all costs paid against an invoice to an outside organisation or a freelance individual for the provisions of a service". It will depend on how these costs will be invoiced to the applicant or not.

Project content, scope of co-financed activities co-financed We have two questions that can define the structure of the project. Concerns the dimension of the actions. 1- Are we allowed to work only regionally, or should the action be at least of national dimension? And if so, can we make it divided in two different moments? for example, in one first approach working locally, and then in a second phase work national level? (of course we are talking about physical events only) like seminars, and School or Universities actions, etc.

We have two questions that can define the structure of the project. Concerns the dimension of the actions. 1- According to the pt 3.1 of the Call for proposals, “(...)The potential reach, audience and impact of the action are key criteria for awarding the grants. The actions should be multi-platforms, outlining in the proposal a strategy for online distribution, including on social media and/or provision of interactive services to encourage and facilitate engagement and to facilitate consistency with EP communication campaigns. In addition, strategies to maximise the impact, such as broadcasting at peak viewing times or integration of slots into existing programs with established viewing figures will be favourably considered. It should be noted that the applicants must prove the current levels of audience in their proposals. Audience outside the 27 EU Member States will

2- The second question is about the contents: All media released on Multimedia Platforms, have to be bilingual? (Official EU language/English)

not be considered an asset. Action proposals solely based on an event or mere social media campaigns will be disregarded (...)”. 2- According to the pt 3.1 of the Call for proposals, “(...) Selected beneficiaries should produce and broadcast or publish reliable and pluralistic journalistic content (news, debates, interviews, polls, etc.) in at least one of the official EU languages, focusing on the EP’s legislative and political priorities (...)”.

With regards to the funding amount, it appears upper limit to the funding an entity can receive has increased from 60% in 2019 to 80% currently, provided there is no other external sponsors, could you confirm that is correct? If not, what is the limit?

This is correct. You will find more details about the co-financing principle and the maximum amount of the grant in the Call for proposals: "(...) Pt 3.1 - c) The co-financing principle : Co-financing means that the resources which are necessary to carry out the action are not entirely provided by the EU grant. The remaining expenditure shall be borne exclusively by the proposing organisation. Financial contributions given to a beneficiary by its members, specifically to be used for costs that are eligible under the action, are allowed and will be considered as receipts (...) Pt 3.4 - The grant is limited to a maximum co-funding rate of 80 % of the action’s eligible costs. Consequently, part of the total eligible expenses entered in the estimative budget must be financed from sources other than the grant (co-financing principle) (...)".

It is very clear in the Call for Proposals that all segments and editorial pieces in this action will need to clearly show the EP logo and name. The problem is that our TV regulation in our country limits the appearance of logos in information magazines and pieces Question: given our national regulation, is it an option only to “voice” that the TV information segment is a part of a bigger

According to the article II.8.2 of the Model Grant Agreement, “Unless the Parliament requests or agrees otherwise, any communication or publication made by the beneficiary that relates to the action, including at conferences, seminars or in any information or promotional materials (such as brochures, leaflets, posters, presentations, in electronic form, etc.), must: (a) indicate that the action has received funding from the Union; and (b) display the European Union emblem”.

project with the European Parliament? “Voicing” but not showing the EP logo? All other pieces and segments (Digital, Print, other) will necessarily show both logo and voice.

Please make sure that this regulatory constraint is clearly mentioned in your proposal that, the case being, will be part of the grant agreement.

Our question, based on the “Annex 1.II: Performance indicators for the action “, refers to the fact that we are proposing a methodology to collect the data for the online media - as a source of verification based on direct measure of the web site of the specific project content, as well as measuring the news that will be distributed by other publishers (clients) that use our content. The later measure will be done indirectly via a tool that we currently use to analyse our newswire content in digital environment. We kindly ask you if this a possibility - to have this mixed indicator in order to comply with metric definition of the call and based on the specifics of news agency as a B2B entity?

Indeed, the methodology as described can be accepted for press agency. Please note that, for the award criteria (notably 2d) and 3 a)), the "(...) Audience outside the 27 EU Member States will not be considered an asset (...)" according to the page 4 of the Call for proposals.