Funding

opportunities at
Europol

Europol grants

C2-24 Europol
Grant Administration
1 September 2022 Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level
Fight against organised crime – tools and mechanisms to
fight OC in the EU - funding via Europol grants
I. Europol funding schemes
 Type of grants

 Distinctive features / differences

 What can be funded (eligible and non-eligible activities and costs)

 Reporting (templates, supporting documents)

II. EMPACT grants state of play – update

III. Future outlook

Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level

Europol grants for EMPACT, OTFs and EaP

General information and main principles

Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level

 MAIN COMMON PRINCIPLES

 Awarded to at least 2 EU MS collaborating on the project

 Provide co-financing of 95% of the total eligible costs
 LVGs: up to € 60,000
 The beneficiaries responsible for management of the funds
 Report and supporting documents necessary at the end of the
project

Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level

 DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

EMPACT OTFs
• COSI’s involvement in budgetary • For activities implementing the OTF
allocation Plan only
• Tailored to EMPACT process and
• Funding for the duration of the OTF
activities (OAPs)
• Targeting OAP participants – non- • Targeting OTF participants – non-
participants can be funded if justified participants can be funded if justified
• 2 types of grants: high-value and low-
• Low-value grants only
value
• 2022 LVG max duration: 6 months
• 2022 LVG max duration: 9 months
(extendable)
(extendable)
• OAP Driver’s support required
 EMPACT grants - budget 2022

Open to all OAPs

Equal distribution
amongst all OAPs:
€ 200,000 € 237,493

€ 1.4 M

+ Recovered unspent funds

€ 2.76 M from previous years
awarded

Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level

OTF grants - budget 2022

€ 29,000

+ Recovered unspent funds from previous years

Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level

 Timeline for 2022 grants
I: EMPACT HVGs
- 15 grants awarded
- Signing of Grant Agreements: February/March 2022 (benefits of electronic signature!)
- Release of 80% pre-financing: following signature of the Grant Agreements (2 GAs still missing)
- Implementation until 31.03.2023:
- Embedded flexibility (minor modifications; Red Envelope)
- Amendments possible within the OAs included in the HVGs

II: LVGs: EMPACT & OTFs

- Invitation to submit applications: January 2022  Ad-hoc requests
 Fast-track
- Final date for applying: 15 November 2022  Any OA can benefit

Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level

Application package available
- EPE & MS LBx (EMPACT) / distributed to OTF Members (OTFs)

1 Application package =
1 submission
Application Form
Original signed documents should not
be manipulated and reused (!)
Budget estimate

Partnership Declaration(s)
Letter of Support by the Driver
(EMPACT only)
Signed and submitted by ENU of the Lead Applicant
 to: EMPACTgrants@europol.europa.eu (EMPACT)
 to: OTFgrants@europol.europa.eu (OTFs)

Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level

LVGs: EMPACT & OTF : Procedure after submission of applications

Verification of the admissibility and eligibility

Evaluation and scoring

LVGs: Award decision

2
weeks
Grant Decision/ Agreement
Information to applicants
80%* pre-financing payment

Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level

 EMPACT & OTF grants

Eligible activities and costs

Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level


Only EMPACT
HVGs
 Strategic & operational
 Longer – term
 Awarded annually (one
chance a year)
 Grant Agreement
 The OAP group decides on
the application and funds’
distribution
Eligible for
funding
Strategic: awareness raising
/ workshops / campaigns,
Training, Coordination
meetings etc.
Operational: Op. meetings
outside HQ, Equipment,
Joint operations, Op.
deployment, Surveillance,
Wiretapping,
Translation/interpretation,
CHIS, UC operations,
DarkWeb etc.
EMPACT & OTF
LVGs
 Purely operational
 Shorter – term
 Awarded ad-hoc throughout
the year
 Fast-track procedure
 Simplified
 Grant Decision*, thus faster
transfer of funds
 MS involved in the operation
decides on the application
 Budget accessible directly to
MS participating in the
operation (if beneficiary)
12
Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level
 PCR No
Cyber- tests Action days / meetings
patrolling Joint at Europol
surveillance HQ

Operational
support LVGs Operational
meetings outside of
costs EMPACT Europol HQ
& OTFs
(see next slide)
Staff costs
(within limits)
Secondment
of officers Training if related to the use
(except SNEs) of special equipment
Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level
 Forensic/laborat Pseudo-
ory analysis  Undercover deployment
purchase
 CHIS management/contact facilitation
*
 Translation/Inter
pretation
 IT services Technical Cash
 Wiretapping Investigation allowance
 External
expertise Informant
reward – the
Operational only case
Informant
Flash Support Costs when a grant
Money Reward * can be
requested
after the
completion of
Reward for the
info on (Special) investigation
fugitives * Equipment

Witness
Protection
* use of a Matrix to calculate the amount
Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level
Grants for LE
collaboration Sweden
with the Finland
Russia
Eastern
Iceland

Norway

Partnership Estonia

countries
Latvia

Lithuania
Denmark

Kazakhstan
Ireland United Kingdom Belarus
Netherlands
Poland
Belgium Germany Ukraine
Czechia
Luxembourg Slovakia
Moldova
France Switzerland
Austria Hungary
Romania Georgia
Slovenia

Croatia
Azerbaijan
Armenia
Bosnia and Serbia
Herzegovina
Bulgaria
Kosovo
Montenegro
Italy North Macedonia
Turkey
Portugal
Spain
Albania

Greece

Cyprus

Malta
 Europol - DG NEAR Contribution Agreement

• Overall duration until 30.06.2024

• Overall budget € 2.5 M
• Grants budget € 1.4 M

CURRENT GRANT SCHEME

- € 710,000
- Duration of the scheme: until 31.12.2023
- Low-value grants € 3,000 – € 60,000
- Europol’s contribution 95%
- Duration of projects: 6 months, extendable to 9 months

Europol Unclassified - Basic Protection Level

 What can be
funded 04 Identification and setting of legal and technical
requirements for the exchange of intelligence
(including equipment)

03 Strategic or operational intelligence exchange (e.g.

meetings and workshops) – EXCEPT at Europol HQ
Similar to
EMPACT &
OTF LVGs
02
Operational support costs - investigative measures and
techniques

01
Operational and/or investigative activities

Europol Public Information

 EU MS 1 Minimum partnership requirements
LEA
 Lead Applicant: EU MS LEA
Minimum

 Co- Applicants (at least 2):

EU MS 2 – one LEA established in an EU MS and
LEA – one LEA established in EaP country

Current grant scheme available on Europol website:

EaP 3 ( !) https://www.europol.europa.eu/activities-
services/eastern-partnership-project-eap
LEA
Europol Public Information
ECTF
Low-value grants to support
fight against Euro counterfeiting

Europol Public Information

 Annual budget: € 150,000

+ Recovered unspent funds

from previous years

What can be 03 Operational or technical investigations into euro

funded counterfeiting involving cooperation with third countries

02
Forensic and/or scientific analysis to identify sites, raw
materials & technical equipment used

01
Investigations related to production and the distribution of
counterfeit euro banknotes and euro coins

Europol Public Information

 Europol’s involvement required

the law enforcement information, including samples of any

counterfeit currency recovered, must be shared with Europol via
the appropriate channels, if permitted under national law

on the spot support where an application

involves a production site(s)

Europol Public Information

Eligible Applicants: LEA established in A single
a) an EU Member State; Applicant
b) a third country, where foreseen by Europol legal framework sufficient

Euro counterfeiting grants - Main features

Duration Max. grant Co-financing Very fast track

Up to 9
months Decision within
€ 60,000 Max. 100% 5 working days
(Max 12 months if
extended)

Europol Public Information

 Final report and
supporting documents

Common for all grant schemes

Europol Public Information

 Strings attached - Reporting
Possible on the spot check / audit

Email from Europol with

Grant Decision / Agreement

- Technical
Operational & - Outstanding
Grant’s report Grant’s
Financial payment
expiry - Financial verification of the closure
statement - Recovery order
report by Europol
- Supporting
documents

60 days
60 (LVG)/ 90 (HVG) days
Europol Public Information
 Future outlook

- Possible introduction of electronic grant management system – from

submission to reporting

- Introduction of differentiated appropriations linked to biennial OAPs

Europol Public Information

Partnership
Declaration
Why getting involved

Beneficiaries Non-beneficiaries
CAN CANNOT
• organise activities and INCUR CAN - declare any type of eligible
ELIGIBLE COSTS: costs, including staff costs,
• declare staff costs for their participate in purchase/rent equipment /
employees working on the grant- meetings/ perform fictitious purchase /
related activities activities IF finance meeting participants
• benefit from the operational invited/ (e.g. duty car) / reward
support, e.g. buy equipment, reward sponsored by informants / use the cash
informants, deploy UC agents etc. the allowance for UC operation /
• finance meeting participants (use of Beneficiaries
translate documents
duty car, purchase of tickets)
- use the Red Envelope (HVGs)
• use the Red Envelope (HVGs)
26

Europol Public Information

 Thank you for your
attention!

Europol
Grant Administration
Team

Questions? www.europol.europa.eu

C2-241@europol.europa.eu