Europe-wide Projects Europe-wide projects are for Europe-wide networks and non-governmental organizations which work together on a European level. Europe-wide projects can only take place in Program countries and involve partners and volunteers from Program countries. Europe-wide projects should benefit the development of Action 2 as a whole, experiment with new methods and be innovative. Europe-wide projects are carefully monitored and followed up. Experience resulting from them should be shared with other countries and actors participating in the Program.

Who can apply?

Any non-governmental organization, network, association or local authority, with partners in at least eight Program countries, may apply. These projects must involve at least six different Program countries which agree to exchange volunteers. They may take place in any Program country (see section B.2).

A Europe-wide project must have a coordinating organization located in a Program country. This organization takes on a central role on behalf of all participating partners and undertakes to fulfill all contractual obligations relating to the project. It assumes responsibility for submitting the application. Please note that each partner organization must be clearly identified in the application.

The coordinating organization also ensures the general management of the project, including contractual and financial aspects, and provides all the information required by the European Commission.

The coordinating organization is responsible for organizing training sessions and circulating information to the local partners. It also takes on tasks related to building or maintaining a European-level network and makes sure that all partners are directly involved in the project.

What are the specific selection criteria?

The following criteria apply on top of the general criteria applicable to all EVS projects as described in section D.3:

• Project content
  The project needs a strong and coherent thematic content.
  The project should represent an effort to become involved in new activities and to widen the scope of experience.
  The European dimension of the project is represented by a common approach to coordination, networking and exchange of good practice between all the partners.
  There should be a concrete reference to how the project intends to transfer experience acquired to the decentralized part of the YOUTH program.
   
• Project partners
  There must be at least three sending organizations and at least three host organizations, each in a different Program country.
  In the case of partnerships that have previously participated in EVS, projects submitted should involve a number of partners (20%) who have not participated in Europe-wide projects before.
   
• Volunteers
  A minimum of 12 and maximum of 60 volunteers, originating from at least three Program countries.
  A maximum of four volunteers per host organization and no more than two from the same country.
   
• Project and voluntary activity duration
  The duration of the project overall may not exceed 24 months, including preparation and follow-up. The duration of each individual voluntary service project may not exceed 12 months, with the exception of projects involving young people with less opportunities.
   
• Training
  Training sessions form an integral part of each EVS project, as described in section D.5. It is the responsibility of the organization coordinating the project (i.e. the applicant organization) to ensure that all volunteers involved in a Europe-wide project receive pre-departure and on-arrival training, as well as attend mid-term meetings and possibly also a final evaluation meeting. Details of these sessions must be included in the application.
  Training sessions organized by the National Agencies should be made use of wherever possible. On-arrival training might be organized by the coordinating organizations themselves (minimum 5 EVS volunteers in projects involving Program countries) in line with the guidelines provided by the European Commission.
   
• Follow-up projects
  In the case of follow-up projects, substantial further development is required in terms of project content and partners involved, taking into account the experiences and evaluation results of the previous project. They must involve at least 20% new partners who have not participated in EVS projects before.

In exceptional cases the European Commission might also accept Europe-wide projects, which gather a similar number of volunteers in one and same host project linked to one specific event (e.g. in the area of sports, culture, youth, civil protection etc.) in program countries. These collective voluntary service projects should follow the aims and principles of EVS and the duration should be at least 3 weeks. A geographical balance among sending countries and volunteers should be aimed at. Please contact the European Commission for more information.

What is the priority for project funding?

The European Commission will give priority to projects focusing on the theme of inclusion of young people with less opportunities and involving organizations working with this target group. The voluntary service period may also be short-term.

How is a project financed?  

Coordinating organizations may receive a specific YOUTH contribution, in addition to those mentioned in section D.8. 

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The budget item coordination costs covers the costs of both administration and other activities. Its total cannot exceed € 10 000 and is subject to the European Commission’s agreement. The actual costs for other activities will be assessed by the European Commission on a case-by-case basis, in relation to the nature/content of the project as well as the profiles of the volunteers, the duration of the project, the number of countries involved, the number of meetings proposed between the partners, and the average number of hours spent managing the project. In addition, actual costs for volunteer trainings and meetings may also be covered by the Community grant.

How to apply?

The National Agencies and the European Commission provide the official application forms. They may also be downloaded from the Commission's and other websites (see downloads of Eurotool). Applications must be submitted by the deadlines for selection at European level given in section B.5. Please contact your National Agency for assistance with filling in the forms, or see Eurotool's section Filling Advice.

Every single host project in program countries must have an approved Host Expression of Interest by the European Commission, independent of the project format, application level or geographic dimension (for details see section D.9).

One of the partner organizations takes the lead in submitting the application as well as in implementing the project. This organization is responsible for submitting the grant application. It will receive the grant for the whole project and is responsible for transferring, to each partner organization, its respective share of the grant. It is also responsible for reporting and presenting final accounts.