European Refugee Fund 2005 - 2010

The purpose of this notice is to invite proposals for co-financing for activities covered by the Community Actions Annual Work Programme 2005, which was adopted on 23 March 2006. Attention is drawn to the fact that Community Actions must be complementary to those supported under the national programmes of the European Refugee Fund II, as well as to those supported under complementary initiatives, such as the EQUAL initiative or the preparatory actions for the integration of legal migrants from third countries (INTI) and the preparatory actions for return management in the area of migration.

Local and regional authorities and non-governmental organisations have been invited to send in applications for funding from the European Refugee Fund. Schemes must support national efforts to receive and integrate refugees and displaced people by exchanging experience and good practice. Schemes must cover one of the following four activities:

• the furthering of Community cooperation in implementing Community law and good practices;
• support for the setting-up of transnational cooperation networks and pilot projects based on transnational partnerships between bodies located in two or more Member States designed to stimulate innovation, facilitate exchanges of experience and good practice and improve the quality of asylum policy;
• support for transnational awareness-raising campaigns on European asylum policy and the situation and circumstances of the persons referred to in Article 3 of the ERF decision;
• support for dissemination and exchange of information, including the use of IT and communications technology, on best practices and all other aspects of the ERF.

For this call, the Commission has assigned the following priorities for projects:

• creating a common procedure for assessing asylum applications;
• good practice and new developments in the resettlement of vulnerable groups;
• good practice and new developments in the voluntary return of refugees;
• integrating and empowering refugees, particularly through the involvement of education institutions, professional and employer organisations, trade unions and community organisations; and
• encouraging a fairer perception of the situation faced by asylum seekers and refugees in the EU.

The European Commission will provide grants of up to 80% per project, from an overall budget of €2.25 million. Grants of between €40,000 and €400,000 are available. Maximum project duration is 12 months and the latest start date permitted is 31 December 2006.

The closing date for applications is 31 May.

Further information is available at the community actions section at the following site

Alternatively please contact:

European Commission
DG Justice, Freedom and Security
DG JLS /B4 - ERF
LX 46 2/122,
B-1049 Brussels.
Fax (32.2)298 03 06 -

E-mail: JAI-EUROPEAN-REFUGEE-FUND@cec.eu.int