Deadline: 19 September 2018

The European Commission is currently seeking proposals from eligible organisations for its action grants to support transnational projects to enhance the rights of persons suspected or accused of crime and the rights of victims of crime.

Aims

The aims of this call are:

• to contribute to the effective and coherent application of EU criminal law in the area of the rights of persons suspected or accused of crime (procedural rights priority);
• to contribute to the effective and coherent application of EU criminal law in the area of the rights of victims of crime (victims’ rights priority).

Grant Information

• The indicative maximum amount earmarked for this call is EUR 4 600 000. The Commission reserves the right not to distribute all the available funds.
• The initial duration of the projects should not exceed 24 months.

Priorities

• Procedural Rights: The main priority areas include:
  • implementation of Directive (EU) 2016/343 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 March 2016 on the strengthening of certain aspects of the presumption of innocence and of the right to be present at the trial in criminal proceedings;
  • implementation of Directive (EU) 2016/800 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 11 May 2016 on procedural safeguards for children who are suspects or accused persons in criminal proceedings;
  • implementation of Directive (EU) 2016/1919 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 26 October 2016 on legal aid for suspects and accused persons in criminal proceedings and for requested persons in European arrest warrant proceedings; in this context project could also focus on Directive 2013/48/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 22 October 2013 on the right of access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings and in European arrest warrant proceedings, and on the right to have a third party informed upon deprivation of liberty and to communicate with third persons and with consular authorities while deprived of liberty;
  • procedural rights aspects in the context of European arrest warrant (EAW) proceedings under Framework Decision 2002/584/JHA of 13 June 2002 on the European arrest warrant and the surrender procedures between Member States;
  • further development of EU policies and action in the field of procedural safeguards for suspects and accused persons.
• Victims’ Rights: The main priority areas include:
  • implementation of Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 October 2012 establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime;
  • implementation of Council Directive 2004/80/EC of 29 April 2004 relating to compensation to crime victims;
  • implementation of Directive 2011/99/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 13 December 2011 on the European protection order; and Regulation (EU) 606/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 June 2013 on mutual recognition of protection measures in civil matters;
  • implementation of victims provisions of Directive (EU) 2017/541 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on combating terrorism and replacing Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA and amending Council Decision 2005/671/JHA;
  • further development of EU policies and action in the field of victims’ rights in particular regarding possible gaps in EU legislation.

Eligibility Criteria

• List of eligible countries:
  • the Member States of the European Union (including their overseas departments), except for Denmark and the United Kingdom;
  • Albania.
  • Proposals from applicants in candidate or associated countries may be selected provided that, on the date of award, agreements have entered into force setting out the arrangements for the participation of those countries in the programme.
  • Should a candidate or associated country join the programme during the call process, a notification will be posted on the Participant Portal
• Eligibility of the applicant and partners (lead applicant and co-applicant(s))
  • The applicant and partners must be public entities or private organisations, duly established in one of the countries participating in the programme, or international organisations. Organisations which are profit-oriented must submit applications in partnership with public entities or private non-profit organisations.
  • Note: Under the REC and Justice programmes, entities affiliated to a beneficiary are not considered as project participants. Their costs are not eligible.
• Eligibility of the application
  • The application must be transnational and involve organizationsfrom at least two participating countries;
  • The EU grant requested cannot be lower than EUR 75 000.

How to Apply

Applicants can apply via given website.

For more information, please visit Call for Proposals.