Second 2008 call for proposals
Simulation exercises in the field of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism
(2008/C 261/07)
I.1. The European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment, Civil Protection Unit is launching a call for proposals with the aim of identifying civil protection simulation exercises which might be eligible for financial support in the framework of the Council Decision establishing a Civil Protection Financial Instrument adopted on 5 March 2007 (2007/162/EC, Euratom) and under the Council Decision
establishing a Community Civil Protection Mechanism (recast) adopted on 8 November 2007 (2007/779/EC, Euratom). This financial support will take the form of grants.
I.2. The fields concerned, the nature and content of the actions and the financing conditions are set out in the relevant Grant Application Guide, which also contains detailed instructions on where and when to submit a proposal. The Guide, as well as the relevant grant application forms can be downloaded from the Europa website at:
http://europa.eu.int/comm/environment/funding/intro_en.htm
I.3. Proposals must be sent to the Commission to the address indicated in the Grant Application Guide by 19 December 2008. Proposals must be submitted by post or private courier no later than 19 December 2008 (evidence shall be constituted by the date of dispatch, the postmark or the date of the deposit slip). They may also be delivered by hand to the specific address indicated in the Guide, no later than
19 December 2008 at 17.00 (evidence shall be the acknowledgement of receipt dated and signed by the responsible official).
Proposals sent by the fixed deadline but received by the Commission after 5 January 2009 (final receipt date) will not be considered eligible. It is the duty of the applicant organisation to ensure that the necessary precautions are taken to respect this deadline.
Proposals submitted by fax, electronic mail, incomplete applications, or applications sent in several parts will not be accepted.
I.4. The procedure for the award of grants is scheduled as follows:
— receipt, recording and acknowledgement of receipt by the Commission,
— appraisal of the proposals by the Commission,
— award decision and notification of the result to the applicants.
Beneficiaries will be selected on the basis of the criteria set out in the guide mentioned in point I.2 and within the limits of the available budget.
In the event of approval by the Commission, a grant agreement (made out in euro) will be concluded between the Commission and the party submitting the proposal. The procedure is strictly confidential.

Civil protection financial instrument

Call for Proposals: Simulation Exercises in the field of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism

Simulation exercises organised at Community level are designed primarily as field tests aiming mainly at establishing a common understanding of the cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions and to  improve the quality of the response in major emergencies.

The activities intended to be co-financed under this call for proposals are

• Full scale civil protection exercises with a command post part, involving intervention teams
• Full scale civil protection exercises with command post part, involving civil protection modules and/or technical assistance and support teams defined in the recast and in the implementing rules on modules
• Command post exercises

The exercises need to be based on the provisions of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism. Examples of community civil protection exercises can be found here

Publication

The general notice for this Call for Proposals was published in the Official Journal of the European Communities of 4 March 2008, C 59/07.  The detailed criteria for applying for funding under this call, i.e. the Grant application guide Exercises 2008 , the Grant application AT and Financial Forms 2008 are available by clicking on the corresponding links.

Please click on the following links for more information on the grant agreement governing the action grants funded under the Civil Protection Financial Instrument: Common Provisions , Special Conditions, Annex II and Grants agreements guidelines.

Click here to see Daily allowance and maximum hotel costs in eligible countries.

Follow this link to view the Official Journal in the other Community languages.

1. PREFACE
Dear Applicant,
Welcome to the guide for submitting proposals for simulation exercises in the field of the
Community civil protection mechanism.
This guide has been designed to offer you a user-friendly tool that guides you through the
application procedure and the application forms. It also serves as a reference tool and can be
used as a quick guide to answer any questions you may have when preparing your application.
Please read it carefully.
In addition to this guide, you are strongly recommended to consult the European Commission's
Civil Protection website: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/civil/index.htm - and in particular the
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. The site is updated regularly and the date of the
latest update is indicated on the web-page.
If you cannot find the answer to your question in the guide, or among the FAQ, you may send
your questions in writing (e-mail) to the Civil Protection Unit of the Commission at ENVA3@
ec.europa.eu.
Please only contact the Unit after having tried to find the information in the documentation that is
provided to you.
Before sending your application, please do not forget to complete the checklist (Chapter 10).
This guide is updated annually to make it as user-friendly as possible. You are more than
welcome to share with the Commission your comments and suggestions on how to further
improve the guide by sending an e-mail to the Civil Protection Unit: ENV-A3@ec.europa.eu.
Finally, please be aware that filling in the forms will take at least 4 hours if you have all the
necessary documents at your disposal.
We wish you good luck for this exercise!
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2. WHAT IS THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS FOR SIMULATION EXERCISES IN THE FIELD
OF THE COMMUNITY CIVIL PROTECTION MECHANISM
2.1. CONTEXT OF THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Council Decision No. 2007/779/EC, Euratom establishes a Community Civil Protection
Mechanism (recast). The general purpose of this Mechanism is to provide, on request, support in
the event of major emergencies and to facilitate improved coordination of assistance interventions
provided by the Member States and the Community. The Mechanism should facilitate the civil
protection response to all types of major emergencies occurring inside or outside the Community,
including natural and man-made disasters, acts of terrorism and technological, radiological and
environmental accidents, including accidental marine pollution. It also intends to help ensure
better protection, primarily of people but also of the environment and of property, through a series
of preparatory measures, including a training programme to enhance the coordination of civil
protection assistance interventions. This training programme includes, amongst others, civil
protection exercises. Council Decision No. 2007/162/EC, Euratom establishing a civil
protection financial instrument (CPFI) sets up the financial framework to contribute to the
effectiveness of the response to major emergencies, in particular in the context of the above
mentioned Council Decision as well as to enhancing preventive and preparedness measures for
all kinds of emergencies.
Furthermore, Commission Decision No. 2007/277/EC, Euratom of 29 December 2003 lays
down the rules for the implementation of the Mechanism, defining its duties and the functioning of
the various preparatory measures.. This Decision is amended by Commission Decision No.
2008/73/EC, Euratom (implementing rules on modules), which covers the main characteristics of
civil protection modules such as their tasks, capacities, components as well as their deployment
time and defines their appropriate degree of self-sufficiency and interoperability. These civil
protection modules made of national resources from one of more Member States on a voluntary
basis constitute a contribution for the civil protection rapid response capability.
More information on the legal basis can be found on the following web-site:
http://ec.europa.eu/environment/civil/index.htm
2.2. GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The general objective is to improve civil protection preparedness and response for emergencies
throughout providing a testing environment and learning opportunity for all actors involved in civil
protection assistance interventions under the Community Civil Protection Mechanism. The
purpose of this call for proposals is to identify organisations / bodies from participating countries
according to article 10 of Council Decision No. 2007/779/EC, Euratom1, whose actions in the field
of simulation exercises might be eligible for financial support from the Commission. This support
will take the form of co-financing grants.
1 Member States as of 01 January 2007 and Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway
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3. WHAT PROJECTS CAN BE CO-FINANCED?
3.1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECTS
Simulation exercises organised at Community level are designed primarily as field tests aiming
mainly at establishing a common understanding of the cooperation in civil protection assistance
interventions and to improve the quality of the response in major emergencies.
These exercises can provide a learning opportunity for all actors involved in operations under the
Mechanism and enhance operational cooperation between them. Contingency planning, decision
making procedures, communication and public / media information as well as new policy
procedures can also be tested and exercised during these events to get better prepared for
similar real-life situations. Nonetheless, exercises can help supervisors identify further training
needs for staff involved in operations, while lessons learnt workshops organised in parallel can
serve as a forum to identify operational gaps to be improved.
The activities intended to be co-financed under this call for proposals are
  Full scale civil protection exercises with a command post part, involving intervention teams
  Full scale civil protection exercises with command post part, involving civil protection
modules and/or technical assistance and support teams defined in the recast and in the
implementing rules on modules
  Command post exercises
The exercises need to be based on the provisions set out in the legal basis mentioned under
point 2.1.
National exercises that have already been planned are also welcome, provided that the elements
of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism (i.e. request for international assistance,
participation of intervention teams, civil protection modules, technical assistance and support
teams and observers from other countries, etc.) are also implemented in the project, taking into
account the above mentioned provisions and the provision on a sufficient European dimension.
3.2. OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECTS
The scenario and the conduct of the simulation exercises must be elaborated in line with the
following objectives. The projects are
• to verify and improve procedures, to establish a common understanding of the
cooperation in civil protection assistance interventions and to accelerate the response in
major emergencies
• to provide a learning opportunity for all actors involved in civil protection assistance
interventions under the Community Civil Protection Mechanism
• to enhance operational cooperation between the participating countries’ authorities and
other actors, including improving the interoperability of intervention teams, civil protection
modules, technical assistance and support teams and other means. This includes civil
protection modules composed of resources of more than one Member State as well.
• to test the coordination of EU civil protection assistance in accordance with the provisions
set out in the above mentioned legal basis
• to test the available or new early warning and communication systems and procedures to
inform the public about emergency measures to be undertaken
• to test the intervention of the EU coordination/assessment team dispatched by the
European Commission
• to test the reception of the incoming EU assistance and the allocation of the different tasks
in coordination with the LEMA (Local Emergency Management Agency) and the OSOCC
(On-Site Operation and Coordination Centre)
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3.3. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECTS
3.3.1. Exercise scenarios
Any disaster / emergency scenario within the mandate of the Community Civil Protection
Mechanism is eligible for co-financing.
The procedures of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism will have to be implemented during
the exercise. Full scale civil protection exercises involving civil protection modules as defined in
the above mentioned legal basis will be given priority (please refer to evaluation criterion (18)
under chapter 7 of this Guide for further information).
3.3.2. Time frames
A full scale civil protection exercise shall last for at least 3 full days, including the workshop
mentioned under point 3.3.6, while a command post exercise shall last at least 1 full day.
Time compression might be used between the consecutive events to be able to cover all major
phases of the simulated interventions.
A timetable shall be presented for the whole duration of the project at the time of submission of
the proposal. Additionally, a detailed, "hour-by-hour" schedule (script) shall be presented for the
conduct of the exercise by at least 3 months before the planned dates of the exercise.
3.3.3. Participation
To ensure that the project has a sufficient European dimension, intervention teams from at least
two participating states of the Mechanism, including the beneficiary, shall actively participate in
the exercise. Commitment for participation in the exercise from the participating member states
shall be submitted together with the proposal.2
The equipment of each intervention team brought to the site of the exercise shall not exceed 1
ton/team.
Experts that have attended the training courses of the Mechanism should have the option of
receiving additional training during the exercise. With respect to this principle, EU coordination
team(s) shall be dispatched via the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC) to the exercise in
line with the provisions for expert missions.
One observer per country participating in the Mechanism shall be invited to the exercise. They
shall play an interactive role during the exercise, in order to contribute to the evaluation. Their role
shall be clearly identified in the proposal.
Observers from any relevant national or international organizations can also be invited, but the
costs of these participants will no be eligible for co-financing from the Commission.
VIP and media representatives can be invited to the exercise to ensure the visibility of the project.
2 Please pay special attention to the European dimension under the Award Criteria (7.6.4)
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3.3.4. Planning meetings
The beneficiary shall cooperate with a Core Group consisting of representatives of the member
states participating with intervention teams or civil protection modules and/or technical assistance
and support teams in the exercise.
At least two meetings must be organised with the Core Group according to the following:
A) The Kick-off meeting of the Core Group, held in Brussels, shall focus on the following issues:
- Presentation of the scenario and objectives of the exercise
- Time schedule and the script
- The site of the exercise and the plan of actions
- The role of participants
B) The second meeting of the Core Group, organised at the site of the exercise, must discuss the
following topics:
- The implementation process of the exercise
- Finalization of the rules of coordination, communications, plan of actions and of the
participants' role
- Finalization of the roles and programme of observers
- VIP's programme
- Involvement of the media
- Any other issues
3.3.5. Organization of the exercise
• Appropriate communication must be ensured during the conduct of the exercise, with
special attention to language difficulties.
• The exercise can be arranged at any suitable place, for example on a dedicated exercise
ground, etc.
• Practical arrangements shall be made for receiving the participating intervention teams
and modules at the airport closest to the exercise area and/or the border crossing points.
• Average cafeteria meals shall be served three times daily in the field, including at least
one hot meal per day. The catering must include sufficient beverages available 24/24 to
avoid dehydration of participants, support personnel and actors, etc.
• Accommodation: beds in tents or buildings must be provided for all participants as well
as single rooms for the observers.
• Sanitary installations equivalent to international standards must be set up in sufficient
numbers in the field of the exercise.
• Arrangements for medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) and a dedicated medical service shall
be offered during the exercise to cope with real emergencies.
3.3.6. Evaluation of the project and reporting
A 1-day evaluation workshop shall be organised on site following the last day of the exercise to
take immediate benefit of the lessons learnt. The exercise shall be evaluated with due regard to
the structure of the final report.
The minutes of the meetings of the Core Group shall be presented to the European Commission
within 2 weeks of the meeting.
A consolidated technical final report shall be presented to the European Commission. This
report shall be structured according to the following scheme:
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1. Table of content
2. Summary (1-2 pages)
3. Presentation of the
project
  Main objectives of the project
  Time schedule of the project from the proposal to evaluation
  Institutions involved
  Short description of the scenario
4. Presentation of the
exercise
  The exercise area
  Time schedule of the exercise
  Teams, civil protection modules, technical support and
assistance teams and other means involved
5. Evaluation of the
exercise
  Summaries of presentations (reduced sized copies of
presentations may be annexed)
  Conclusions, lessons identified for improvements and
recommendations regarding emergency preparedness,
response and for training.
6. Evaluation of the project   Positive experiences
  Major problems encountered
  Lessons learnt and recommendations regarding project
management and exercise preparation
3.3.7. Involvement of the competent national civil protection authorities
To ensure that the provisions of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism are fully respected,
the competent national civil protection authorities will have to be involved in the project
appropriately. (Please refer to point 5.5 and Form A8 of this Guide)
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4. HOW MUCH WILL THE COMMISSION GRANT?
4.1. THE "NO DOUBLE FINANCING" RULE
Before presenting a proposal, applicants should check whether any co-financing has been
obtained under other Community financial instruments. Projects or actions within projects that
benefit or will benefit from financial support under other Community financial instruments are not
eligible under this call for proposals.
If the applicant has requested funding for the same action under another Community instrument,
it may be that, at the moment of submitting his/her proposal to this programme, the decision to
grant the financing requested from the other Community instrument has not yet been taken by the
authorities responsible for the implementation of these financial instruments (usually the
Commission or national/regional authorities). If the proposal qualifies for selection, the
Commission will verify if the financing has been granted in the meantime. At the same time, the
applicant is obliged to inform the responsible Commission Service of any such financing as soon
as it is confirmed. The final decision will only be taken once the Commission has verified that
there will be no double financing.
4.2. MAXIMUM EUROPEAN CO-FUNDING
The indicative total budget available is 5.470.000 EUR.
The maximum EC funding rate (percentage applied on the eligible costs according to the project
budget) in the framework of this call for proposals is up to 75% of eligible costs per proposal.
Given the complementary nature of EU grants, at least 25% of the total project cost must be
funded by other sources.
Furthermore, the EC contribution per project is limited to a maximum of 1.000.000 EUR.
Projects should be developed and implemented within a maximum period of 24 months (no
minimum period).
4.3. PAYMENT SCHEDULE
Following the award of a grant and after the signatures of the grant agreement by both partners,
the Commission will pay 60 % of its contribution as a pre-financing payment. No further prefinancing
or interim payment will be made. The final payment of up to 40 % of the EC contribution
will be made after acceptance by the Commission of the final technical report and on the basis of
the final financial statement and the eligible costs of the action/ project calculated by the
Commission.
Please note that interest yielded from the (60 %) pre-financing payment must be declared in the
final financial statement.