Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

• Language HUSRB/1203
• CBC criteria HUSRB/1203
• Financial issues HUSRB/1203
• Eligibility issues HUSRB/1203
• Application, practical information HUSRB/1203
• Implementation HUSRB/1203
• Procurement HUSRB/1203
• State Aid HUSRB/1203

Eligibility issues HUSRB/1203

1. How many Actions can one project target?

   One Application can only target one Action. (For the list of Actions please refer to Chapter 1.2 of the Guidelines for Applicants. The content of the individual Actions is detailed in the tables in Chapter 2.3.3 of the Guidelines. for Applicants) When filling in the Application Form, only one Action is allowed to be selected. Please note, that your project proposal has to be in line with the description of the selected Action and relevant to the Action (it will be assessed in the "Relevance" section of the Quality Assessment Grid).

2. In how many applications can one organisation participate?

   One organisation can participate in as many project proposals under the present Call for Proposals as it decides to. As stated in Chapter 2.3.4 of the Guidelines for Applicants "Lead Beneficiaries can submit (and Project Partners can participate in) more than one project proposal and can be awarded support for more than one project, however the number of projects per Applicants can be limited by the decision of the JMSC." In any case, the financial and HR capacity of the organisation will be taken into account during the quality assessment.

3. How can an organization participate as a Project Partner if its headquarters is not located in the programme area?

   The most common situation is that the headquarters of a Project Partner is registered and operating in the eligible area of the cross-border programme. In case when the Applicant is a national organisation and has a branch office or other organisational unit in the programme area, it can participate as a Project Partner (regardles whether the branch office is a legal person on its own, or not). For details please refer to Chapter 2.1 of the Guidelines.

4. For how long does an applicant organization have to be operating in order to be eligible Project Partner?

   Applicants have to prove at least one year of operation, counted back from the day of the submission of the Application to the JTS.
   Cases of legal succession can be accepted when proving the necessary operational background, provided that the predecessor and the successor organisation together can cover at least one year of continuous operation. 

5. Can a project team member from a branch office receive salary from the organization's headquarters which is outside the eligible area?

   Yes. As a general rule, project activities have to be implemented in the eligible programme area by the local staff being involved in project management, so it means that the local branch office has to be directly repsonsible and  involved in  project management (please consult Chapter 2.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants). In case the regional/local branch is not a legal entity, the headquarters of the national / regional organization registered in one of the Participating Countries will be the Applicant, and, consequently, the project team member is employed and paid by the Applicant organization.

6. Is the rent of a building eligible expenditure?

   According to Chapter 2.4.4 of the Guidelines for Applicants, rent or lease of land and existing buildings is not an eligible expenditure. However, office rent (the office space necessary for the project purposes) is eligible and can be budgeted under the budget line 7.4. Office Rental of the Application Form.

7. Is there any restriction for external experts concerning the geographic eligibility? Do external experts have to come from the programme eligible area?

   The geographic origin of external experts is not limited to the eligible programme area. Thus, the territorial eligibility criterion is not to be applied to external experts and they can come from outside the Programme area. Besides, according to Chapter 2.3.1 of the Practical Guide to Contract procedures for EC external actions (PraG) with regard to nationality and origin of natural and legal persons, experts engaged in tenders may be of any nationality.

8. Is the 3 months period of the application phase considered as a part of the project implementation (min. 6 - max. 18 months)?

   No, the given project duration does not contain the time interval of the preparation, or application phase. Please consult Chapter 2.4.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants about preparation and implementation phases.

9. Can the in kind contribution be considered eligible?

   No, in kind contribution is considered as non eligible cost.

10. Can one Application be submitted to several programmes at the same time?

    Yes, it can. However, if the project wins in one programme then it cannot be subsidized by another fund at the same time. Double financing is prohibited. Taking into account the specificities of the cross-border co-operation programme, it is not likely that one project proposal would comply with requirements of national programmes, for example.

11. How can our organization prove that we are a non profit organization?

    Lead Beneficiary and Project Partner have to be non profit legal persons, as defined in Chapter 2.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants. Consequently, only those organizations which are non profit according their 'Extract from register' are eligible applicants. During the formal assessment, this criterion will be checked based on the 'Extract from register' of the organization concerned. Profit making organisations will be rejected during the formal assessment.

12. Is the Partnership eligible if the Project Partner's headquarters is located in the Adjacent region of the Programme?

    Yes, it is eligible, but please take into consideration the 'adjacent rule' of the Programme. According to the Chapter 2.2.1 of the Guidelines for Applicants: "Project Partner from an Adjacent Region – not having a regional/local branch in the eligible area – cannot assume the role of the Lead Beneficiary. The amount of IPA contribution to be reimbursed to all Project Partners from Adjacent Regions can amount to a maximum of 20% of the total IPA contribution of the respective project (see also Sections 1.4.2 and 2.4.2 of the present Guidelines for Applicants)."

13. Can private individuals or for-profit organizations be owners of the land or building targeted by an investment of the project?

    No, there is no possibility to develop buildings/lands owned by private individuals/or for-profit organizations from the financial resources awarded through Hungary-Serbia IPA CBC Programme. Detailed information and rules about ownership rights can be found in Appendix B of the Guidelines for Applicants.

14. Is the organisation which was recently founded based on Hungarian Act CLIV of 2011 eligible to apply in the role of PP or LB?

    Cases of legal succession can be accepted when proving the necessary operational background, provided that the predecessor and the successor organisation together can cover at least one year of continuous operation. In these cases the following documents shall be submitted:
    - extract from register (or equivalent docuement) for the Applicant organisation (as it is defined in section 3.4 of the Guidelines for Applicants)
    - an official document which proves that the Applicant organisation is the successor of the predecessor organisation (it can be the extract from register or any official document with probative value)
    - official documents which prove at least one year of continuous operation of the two organisations (the predecessor and successor).