Roles in Malta
The National Authority (NAU) is the supervisory body for the EU Educational Programmes, namely the Erasmus+ Programme (2014-2020) and its predecessors, the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) and the Youth-in-Action programme (YiA).
The European Union Programme Agency (EUPA) is the accredited National
Agency administering the Erasmus+ Programme in Malta. The EUPA can be contacted
via their website (www.eupa.org.mt), their Facebook Page, or telephonically
on 2558 6130
Erasmus+ Programme
The Erasmus+ is the EU's programme to support education, training,
youth and sport in Europe. Its budget of €14.7 billion will provide
opportunities for over 4 million Europeans to study, train, gain experience,
and volunteer abroad.
Set to last until 2020, Erasmus+ doesn't just have opportunities
for students. Merging seven prior programmes, it has opportunities for a wide
variety of individuals and organisations.
Erasmus+ aims at both individuals and organisations. For
individuals, it offers opportunities
for people of all ages, helping them develop and share knowledge and experience
at institutions and organisations in different countries. For organisations,
Erasmus+ has opportunities for a wide range of organisations, including
universities, education and training providers, think-tanks, research
organisations, and private businesses.
The aim of Erasmus+ is to contribute to the Europe
2020 strategy for growth, jobs, social equity and inclusion,
as well as the aims of ET2020, the EU's strategic framework for
education and training.
Erasmus+ also aims to promote the sustainable development of its partners
in the field of higher education, and contribute to achieving the objectives of
the EU Youth Strategy.
Specific issues tackled by the programme include:
Reducing unemployment, especially among young people
Encouraging young people to take part in European
democracy
Reducing early school leaving
A more detailed introduction is available here.
Programme Guide:
The Erasmus+ Programme Guide is an integral part of the
2019 Erasmus+ Call for Proposals. It is essential
to understanding Erasmus+ and provides participating organisations and
individuals a comprehensive list of opportunities supported by the programme.
Organisations and institutions seeking
funding in the framework of this call must comply with the conditions for
participation and funding expressed in this Guide.
The document provides information on:
the priorities of the programme,
the funding available for different actions,
detailed information on participation.
PDF
versions of the 2019 Programme Guide are currently available in all official EU
languages.
Erasmus+ replaces seven programmes and brings together:
the Lifelong Learning Programme (Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci, Comenius and Grundtvig)
the Youth in Action programme
five international cooperation programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink, the programme for cooperation with industrialised countries)
the new sport action.
As an integrated programme, Erasmus+ offers more opportunities for cooperation across the Education, Training, Youth, and Sport sectors and is also easier to access than its predecessors through simplified funding rules.
The actions of the Erasmus+ programme are divided into decentralised actions and centralised actions. The decentralised actions are managed in each programme country by the European Union Programmes Agency (EUPA) which is the Maltese National Agency appointed by the National Authority (NAU) in Malta. On the other hand, centralised actions are managed at a European level by the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) located in Brussels.
As of 1st January 2012, the Funds and Programmes Division assumed the responsibilities of the NAU through Legal Notice 505 of 2011.
According to REGULATION (EU) No 1288/2013 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 11 December 2013 establishing 'Erasmus+': the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport and repealing Decisions No 1719/2006/EC, No 1720/2006/EC and No 1298/2008/EC, the responsibilities of the National Authority are inter alia:
Designating a National Agency responsible for managing all stages of the project lifecycle of all decentralised programme actions
Providing the Commission with an appropriate ex-ante compliance assessment that the national agency complies with points (c)(v) and (vi) of Article 58(1) and Article 60(1), (2) and (3) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012, and Article 38 of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 1268/2012 ( 1 ), as well as with the Union requirements for internal control standards for national agencies and rules for the management of Programme funds for grant support
Designating an independent audit body responsible for issuing an audit opinion on the yearly management declaration referred to in Article 60(5) of Regulation (EU, Euratom) No 966/2012
Monitoring and supervising the management of the Programme at national level. The NAU shall inform and consult the Commission in due time prior to taking any decision that may have a significant impact on the management of the Programme, in particular regarding its national agency.
Based on the national agency's yearly management declaration, the independent audit opinion thereon and the Commission's analysis of the national agency's compliance and performance, the national authority shall provide the Commission, by 31 October of each year, with information concerning its monitoring and supervision activities in relation to the Programme.
Providing adequate co-financing for the operations of its national agency to ensure that the Programme is managed in compliance with the applicable Union rules.
The national authority shall take responsibility for the proper management of the Union funds transferred by the Commission to the national agency by way of grant support to be awarded under the Programme.
In the event of any irregularity, negligence or fraud attributable to the national agency, or any serious shortcomings or underperformance on the part of the national agency, where this gives rise to claims by the Commission against the national agency, the national authority shall be liable to reimburse to the Commission the funds not recovered.
Erasmus + Documentation
Manual of Procedures
National Authority Manual of Procedures
Annex 10 - Checklist for IAB Work conducted
Annex 11 - Checklist for Work Programme Draft 1
Annex 12 - Checklist for Work Programme Draft 2
Annex 13 - Checklist for Work Programme Final
Annex 14 - Checklist for IAB Audit Report
Annex 16 - NAU Review of the Yearly NA Report
2019 Call for
Proposals:
On October 24th 2018, The European Commission published the 2019
Erasmus+ budget, with an expected line of €3,000,000,000.
Any public
or private body active in the fields of education, training, youth and sport
may apply for funding under the 2019 call for proposals for the Erasmus+
Programme. In addition, groups of young people who are active in youth work,
but who do not form a youth organisation, may apply for funding.
Together with the call for proposals, today the
Commission also published the Erasmus+ Programme Guide in all official EU
languages, which provides applicants with details on all opportunities for
students, staff, trainees, teachers and more available in Erasmus+ for 2019.
As endorsed by the
Gothenberg Social summit in November 2017, €30 million has been set aside for
dedicated European Universities, with the aim of pushing the establishment of a
European Education Area by 2025 to ensure that “learning, studying
and carrying out research are not blocked by borders”. For further information, click
here.
Key Actions:
The Erasmus+ Programme is split into 3 actions:
Key Action 1 – Mobility of
Individuals:
Provides opportunities for individuals to improve skills, enhance their
employability & gain cultural awareness.
Mobility Projects: Study, Work, Job shadowing training & teaching.
Higher education, vocational education & training, schools, adult
education & youth.
Staff & learners
EU, Western Balkans, Eastern Partnership, South Mediterranean Countries,
Russian Federation
Key Action 2 – Cooperation for
Innovation & Good Practices:
Opportunity for organisations to improve their provision for learners
& share innovative practices.
Sharing, developing & transferring innovative practices in
education, training & youth provision between participating countries.
Higher education, vocational education & training, schools, adult
education & youth.
Aims to increase the positive impact of European activities at all
levels to ensure benefits for the individuals, organisations and countries
involved in projects.
Key Action 3 – Supply for Policy
Reform:
Covers any type of activity aimed at supporting & facilitating the
modernisation of education & training systems.
Funds strategic activities supporting policy reform across the EU in education,
training & youth.
Higher education, vocational education & training, schools, adult
education & youth.
Aims to help Europe achieve the goals set out in EU strategies such as
Europe 2020, Education & Training 2020 (ET2020) & the European Youth Strategy.
Deadlines:
2020
Erasmus+ Deadlines:
The
following is a summary of Key Actions and their respective deadlines, Brussels
time (CET)
Key
Action 1:
|
Mobility of individuals in the
field of youth – Round 1
|
5th February
2020, 12:00
|
|
Mobility of individuals in the
field of higher education
|
5th February
2020, 12:00
|
|
Mobility of individuals in VET,
school education and adult education fields
|
5th February
2020, 12:00
|
|
Mobility of individuals in the
field of youth – Round 2
|
30th April
2020, 12:00
|
|
Mobility of individuals in the
field of youth
|
1st October
2020, 12:00
|
|
Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees
|
13th February
2020, 17:00 (Centralised Action)
|
Key
Action 2:
|
Strategic partnerships in the field
of youth – Round 1
|
5th February
2020, 12:00
|
|
Strategic partnerships in the field
of education and training
|
24st March
2020, 12:00
|
|
Strategic partnerships in the field
of youth – Round 2
|
30th April
2020, 12:00
|
|
Strategic partnerships in the field
of youth – Round 3
|
1st October
2020, 12:00
|
|
European Universities
|
26th February
2020, 17:00 (Centralised Action)
|
|
Knowledge Alliances
|
26th February
2020, 17:00 (Centralised Action)
|
|
Sector Alliances
|
26th February
2020, 17:00 (Centralised Action)
|
|
Capacity building in the field of
higher education
|
5th February 2020, 17:00
(Centralised Action)
|
|
Capacity building in the field of
youth
|
5th February 2020, 17:00
(Centralised Action)
|
Key
Action 3:
|
Youth Dialogue projects (Round 1)
|
5th February
2020, 12:00
|
|
Youth Dialogue projects (Round 2)
|
30th April
2019, 12:00
|
|
Youth Dialogue projects (Round 3)
|
1st October
2019, 12:00
|
Jean
Monnet Actions:
|
Chairs, Modules, Centres of
Excellence, Support to Associations, Networks, Projects
|
20th February 2020,
17:00 (Centralised Action)
|
Sport
Actions:
|
Collaborative partnerships
|
2nd April 2019, 17:00
(Centralised Action)
|
|
Small collaborative partnerships
|
2nd April 2019, 17:00
(Centralised Action)
|
|
Not-for-profit European sport
events
|
2nd April 2019, 17:00
(Centralised Action)
|
For further information, applicants may refer to the 2020 Erasmus+ programme guide (version 1)
(updated 05/11/2019)
For more
information relating to 2020 budgets, applicants may refer to Erasmus+ Malta budget 2020
European
Solidarity Corps – 2020 Deadlines:
All deadlines for submission of applications specified below
end at 12.00
(noon), Brussels time.
*“Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas” is a
distinct project format that supports activities by volunteering teams with a
specific focus on thematic priorities defined each year at EU level. For 2019,
applications for funding under this Action are expected to address the below
policy priorities:
i. European cultural heritage;
ii. Social inclusion of people with fewer opportunities;
iii. Response to environmental challenges and climate challenges,
including disaster prevention, preparedness and recovery (excluding immediate
disaster response)”.
If an organisation (accredited or holding a Quality Label) wishes
to apply for Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas, the
information about the application forms and selection procedure will be
available on the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA) website.
For further information, applicants may refer to the European
Solidarity Corps Guide, as well
as to the information available when clicking on the tab on the left of the
website, entitled ‘European Solidarity Corps / Korp Ewropew ta’ Solidarjetà’.