• 1.5

Benefit from European projects

Categories of beneficiaries 7

Based on the above, it is clear that all citizens and organizations in the European Union can potentially become beneficiaries of actions put in place under a European project. At least three main categories referring to the concept of “beneficiary” should be distinguished:

  • the ultimate beneficiaries, i.e., the people or organizations that will benefit from the action carried out by the project in the long run or indirectly (for example: the citizenry or businesses in a given area);
  • the target-groups, i.e., the groups, people or organizations directly involved in the activity carried out (for example: certain categories of residents or certain groups of businesses present in a specific area);
  • the beneficiaries, i.e., the persons or organizations that are entitled to submit a project proposal and receive the corresponding EU funding for the implementation of the activity (for example: an organization active in the field of vocational retraining).

These categories are regularly used within European calls for proposals and must be precisely defined within project proposals.

Types of beneficiaries 8

Submission of proposals under European projects is open to a wide range of beneficiaries, which typically include: associations, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, public bodies, local authorities, schools, universities, training, education and research centers, trade associations, social partners and businesses. More rarely, the calls are open to individuals or unincorporated groups of people.

In most cases, proposals are submitted by groupings of organizations (called consortia or partnerships) that express different instances of the target area or sector and are complementary in terms of sensitivities and technical capabilities. In all cases, members of a consortium must meet certain eligibility requirements defined by the funding lines and within the calls.

Types of intervention 9

I areas of focus of community projects can be the most varied: environmental protection, promotion of innovation and research, training, education, civic participation and European citizenship, support for business and entrepreneurship, social protection, health advocacy, advocacy for rights and justice, cultural production, enhancement and dissemination of culture, infrastructure, territorial integration…

The list could go on further though without being exhaustive, as calls launched through European funds do not so much (or exclusively) define an area of intervention, but a set of objectives, priorities and types of eligible actions that can combine in different ways. The search for the most suitable call for proposals for one’s project idea (and the partial adaptation of the idea to the call for proposals) is the starting point of the europlanning activity. One and the same funding line can contain actions with a very varied slant that should be carefully evaluated, even exploring collateral areas to one’s main area of focus.

Eligible expenses and co-financing 10

Rarely does a European call for proposals fully fund the potential grantee’s proposed activity. In fact, the basic idea is that this activity is (by nature) part of the beneficiary’s own mission: the European funding does not there replaces but there contributes, as it recognizes this activity as having a real and positive impact on the objectives defined by the call and (“upstream”) by the strategies of national and community institutions. In addition, actions and expenditures defined as eligible for funding may represent only a part of the intended intervention.

Co-financing is normally between 50 percent and 80 percent of eligible expenses, but can be as high as 100 percent. The remainder may come from the organization’s own funds or from grants and sponsorships from other entities, understood either in monetary terms or in terms of “contribution in kind” (paid staff, materials, etc.).

"Call for proposals" and "call for tenders" 11

Available funding modalities and calls for proposals fall into two main categories.

  • Calls for proposals/grants are the specific subject of this Guide. This type of project constitutes, on the one hand, the realization of a proposal developed by the participants, in line with their institutional purpose; on the other hand, the realization of programmatic objectives of the awarding body. Under no circumstances does the amount of funding provided include any form of profit for the beneficiary.
  • Calls for tenders (calls for tenders) are requests for specific services, supplies or works put out to tender and awarded according to market rules. They intend to carry out a timely action required by the contracting institution. They establish a “client-provider” relationship in the context of the (profit-oriented) business activity carried out by a specialized company. These calls will not be analyzed within the scope of this Guide.

Direct, indirect management and territorial cooperation 12

The second major distinction in the context of European projects concerns the way in which funding is managed and, consequently, the entire “life cycle” of the call (design, publication, award, execution, monitoring and evaluation). From this point of view, it is appropriate to distinguish between:

  • Directly managed funding, where the entire process is managed by the European Commission, in particular, the relevant Directorate General or an appropriate Executive Agency. These types of calls require the activity to have a European dimension (involving, for example, partners from multiple countries). In most cases the proposal must be formulated in English. Popular EU programs, including for example Horizon Europe, Creative Europe, Erasmus+ or LIFE, fall into this category;
  • Indirect management funding 13 , in which the entire process is managed by special Managing Authorities, which for Italy correspond to regional authorities or some national ministries (depending on the national or regional nature of the program). The allocations come from the so-called Structural Funds 14 , made available to individual Managing Authorities following a lengthy negotiation process involving the European Commission, Member States and Regions. They are aimed at reducing the economic and structural gap between European regions and their economic and social development. Managed through framework-documents known as Operational Programs, they are more suitable funding for projects that have a predominantly local dimension. Proposals may be written in the language of the country in question;
  • Territorial cooperation programs, which allow the implementation of shared projects between territories belonging to different member states that share geographical proximity, belonging to the same macro-area or similar problems. They are financed through the ERDF (one of the Structural Funds) and are managed by specific Managing Authorities, so they constitute a specific type of indirectly managed funding. However, because of their peculiarities, they will be treated by this Guide as a separate category. Examples: ALCOTRA, Alpine Space, Central Europe, URBACT…

The European added value 15

Every project that aspires to benefit from European funds must demonstrate specific added value. That is, it is not enough that the project is in line with the objectives of the call and the institutional goals of the proposing organization. The proposal must demonstrate that, in the absence of the funding provided, the activity could not be carried out or would have a significantly smaller impact than desired by the contracting authority and the objectives set by it.

This is only one of the criteria to consider when developing a proposal, but it is probably the one that most characterizes the choice between starting a europrojecting activity and seeking other forms of funding.

This principle is particularly valid in the context of directly managed funding and territorial cooperation programs, where it is appropriate to demonstrate that project implementation at the level of multiple EU countries and territories generates additional beneficial results than simply adding up interventions at the local level or using other forms of funding.

Thus, European projects have a deep genesis and require the application of a particular logic and specific implementation methods.

An opportunity for all

Despite these peculiarities, which may appear as a constraint at the time of project design and execution, European funds constitute an unmissable opportunity for our territory: both because of the variety and breadth of available funding lines and also (if not especially) because of the stimulus they represent for the development of new, shared and participatory initiatives. Europlanning activity allows for the development of solutions and relationships, locally and at the European level, whose impact goes beyond the scope of a single project.

Participating in a European project is an activity that requires commitment, energy and vision. It is an activity that needs careful preparation and where opportunities need to be selected: not all European projects are suitable for everyone. It is an activity in which it is very important to apply some key concepts, gather information and get help from partners and facilities in the area.

This Guide is intended to be a support for all actors in the area-individuals, organizations, and institutions-who intend to take this path 16 .

Approached in this spirit, and with the help of a few simple tools, European projects are, concretely, an opportunity for everyone.