The European Commission is currently seeking proposals for its programme entitled “Integration of Third-Country Nationals” under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). AMIF was set up for the period 2014-20, with a total of EUR 3.137 billion for the seven years. It will promote the efficient management of migration flows and the implementation, strengthening and development of a common Union approach to asylum and immigration.
Projects under this call for proposals must address at least one of the following priorities:
- Promoting active participation in society overall – innovative actions to increase third country nationals’ participation in educational and social activities, including for children. Proposals empowering women or creating conditions for their active participation will be considered favourably.
- Pre-departure and post-arrival support for the integration of persons in need of international protection who are being relocated within the EU or resettled from a third country – funding will be available for the following activities to integrate persons in need of international protection who have been relocated from another Member State or resettled from outside the EU:
– for people resettled from outside the EU – clearly linked pre-departure and post‑arrival activities;
– for people relocated from another Member State – post‑arrival activities building on pre‑departure information activities;
– activities to prepare host communities for the arrival of relocated or resettled people.
Objectives
The AMIF Regulation sets out four specific objectives, respectively to:
- Strengthen and develop all aspects of the Common European Asylum System, including its external dimension;
- Support legal migration to the Member States in accordance with their economic and social needs, such as labour market needs, while safeguarding the integrity of the immigration systems of Member States, and to promote the effective integration of third-country nationals;
- Enhance fair and effective return strategies in the Member States which contribute to combating illegal immigration, with an emphasis on sustainability of return and effective readmission in the countries of origin and transit;
- enhance solidarity and responsibility-sharing between the Member States, in particular towards those most affected by migration and asylum flows, including through practical cooperation.
Eligible activities
Project applications submitted under Priority 1 should include the following activities:
- Concrete initiatives fostering the active participation of third-country nationals in the receiving society (information dissemination, awareness-raising, training, diversity management plans and measures, mentoring programmes);
- Promotion, dissemination and sharing of successful practices, experiences and mechanisms in the field of active participation of third-country nationals in the receiving society.
Proposals submitted under Priority 2 could include activities such as:
- Language training;
- Providing basic information on the receiving society’s legal framework, systems and social and cultural norms, rights and responsibilities;
- Workshops on living in a multicultural and multi-religious environment;
- Guidance on access to services, money management, etc.;
- Skills training;
- Training officials, volunteers and service-providers on working with resettled or relocated people (e.g. sensitising them to vulnerability and experience of trauma);
- Establishing volunteering opportunities in the host community;
- Socio-cultural orientation (e.g. information about countries of origin);
- Preparing the relevant administrative bodies (schools, etc.).
Eligibility Criteria
In order to be eligible for a grant, the Applicant and the Co-applicants must be:
- Legal persons; applications from natural persons are not eligible;
- A public body (including local authorities, public employment services, youth services and education institutions), a non-profit-making private entity, or an international organisation.
- A for-profit entity may only participate as co-applicant and not as coordinator. Its participation must be strictly on a non-profit basis;
- Established in a Member State of the European Union participating in the AMIF instrument.
- International organisations may be established outside of the EU Member States participating in the AMIF instrument.
In order to be eligible for a grant, applications must be:
- Transnational, i.e. involving at least three (3) entities established in at least two (2) different EU Member States participating in the AMIF instrument;
- Seeking funding of between EUR 450 000 and EUR 750 000.
- Activities must not have started prior to the date of submission of the grant application.
- Maximum EU-contribution: 90 %
- Union agencies can be neither Applicants nor Co-applicants.
Deadline
28 February 2017
How to apply
Applications must be submitted using the Electronic Submission System of the Participant Portal originally developed for the Horizon 2020 Research programmes. For further details please visit the call for proposals.
If you need help with your application or have questions, please do not hesitate to contact us for a free consultation.