The overall objective of the Instrument for Stability is to contribute to stability in a situation of crisis or emerging crisis. Information on how to apply is compiled on this webpage and can be downloaded here.

Background	Project Duration
Types of Grant	Deadline
Grant Size	Application Forms
Own Contribution	Application & Procedures
Funding Priorities	Languages
Grantmaking Criteria	Tips
Guidelines	Pdf Download

The Instrument for Stability is in place from 1 January 2007 onwards. The overall objective of the instrument is to contribute to stability in a situation of crisis or emerging crisis. In the context of stable conditions, it aims to help build capacity both to address specific global and trans-regional threats with a destabilising effect and to ensure preparedness to address pre- and post-crisis situations. The instrument’s overall budget for the period of 2007 to 2013 is € 2,062 billion.

Projects and programmes/ grants to fund measures/ grants to cover operating costs.

To be defined in the annual action plans 

To be defined in the annual action plans

The Stability Instrument supports actions in the following areas relevant to NGOs working in the field of SRH and population assistance:

Assistance in response to situations of crisis or emerging crisis

• support for measures to ensure that the specific needs of women and children in crisis and conflict situations, including their exposure to gender-based violence, are adequately met;
• support for the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of armed conflict, including measures to address the specific needs of women and children;
• support for measures to promote and defend respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, democracy and the rule of law, and the related international instruments;
• support for socio-economic measures to address the impact of sudden population movements, including measures addressing the needs of host communities in a situation of crisis or emerging crisis;
• support for measures to support the development and organisation of civil society and its participation in the political process, including measures to enhance the role of women in such processes and measures to promote independent, pluralist and professional media;
• support for measures in response to natural or man-made disasters and threats to public health in the absence of, or to complement, Community humanitarian assistance.

Assistance in the context of stable conditions for co-operation

• threats to law and order, to the security and safety of individuals, to critical infrastructure and to public health; as regards to health, it means contributing to ensuring an adequate response to sudden major threats to public health, such as epidemics with a potential trans-national impact. Particular emphasis shall be placed on emergency planning, management of vaccine and pharmaceutical stockpiles, international co-operation, early warning and alert systems;
• Pre- and post-crisis capacity building: Support for long-term measures aimed at building and strengthening the capacity of international, regional and sub-regional organisations, state and non-state actors in relation to their efforts in:
• promoting early warning, confidence-building, mediation and reconciliation, and addressing emerging inter-community tensions;
• improving post-conflict and post-disaster recovery. Measures under this point shall include know-how transfer, the exchange of information, risk/threat assessment, research and analysis, early warning systems and training.

Financial support provided in situations of crisis or emerging crisis is allocated in accordance with exceptional assistance measures and interim programmes. Support provided in stable conditions is allocated in accordance with multi-country strategy papers, thematic strategy papers and multi-annual indicative programmes. These documents summarize the priority areas selected for Community financing, the specific objectives, the expected results and timeframe of Community support and the indicative financial allocation. These strategy papers are broken down into annual action programmes, describing the objectives pursued, the fields of intervention, the expected results, the management procedures and total amount of financing planned. They contain a summary description of the operations to be financed, an indication of the amounts allocated for each operation and an indicative implementation timetable. In the future, these documents will be available here.

Non-state actors eligible for financial support under this instrument include: non-governmental organisations, organisations representing indigenous peoples, local citizens' groups and traders' associations, co-operatives, trade unions, organisations representing economic and social interests, local organisations (including networks) involved in de-centralized regional cooperation and integration, consumer organisations, women's and youth organisations, teaching, cultural, research and scientific organisations, universities, churches and religious associations and communities, the media and any non-governmental associations and private and public foundations likely to contribute to development or the external dimension of internal policies.

Applicants can be nationals of or legal persons who are established

• in a Member State of the Community, in an accession or official candidate country or in a Member State of the European Economic Area.
• In the case of measures taken in any third country considered a Least Developed Country according to the criteria laid down by the OECD, calls are open on a global basis.
• In the case of support provided in crises situations, calls are open on a global basis.
• In the case of support provided in stable conditions, the calls are open to any natural or legal person of a developing country or of a country in transition, as defined by the OECD

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The practical implementation of the Instrument for Stability is regulated by two documents:
1 “Rules and Procedures”
This document explains the basic principles the implementation of an action, which is supported by a grant from the Community.
2 “Practical Guide to Contract Procedures for EC External Actions” (PRAG)
The purpose of the PRAG is to provide users with all the information necessary to undertake procurement or a grant procedure from the very first steps to the award of contracts. The annexes cover both the procurement phase and the execution of contracts. The Guide provides the procedures to be used in centralised systems (centralised and indirect centralised) and de-centralised systems with ex-ante approval or with ex-post controls by the European Commission.

To be defined in the annual action plans

To be defined in the annual action plans

The annexes of the Practical Guide to Contract Procedures for EC External Actions” (PRAG) (see below) include standard forms used in calls for proposals. For each call for proposal, they are provided together with the guidelines setting out the objectives of the call.

The calls are managed by the EC delegations and are published on the Europe Aid  website. This website has just been reviewed in order to make it more user-friendly. Tenders and grants are awarded following strict rules. These rules apply to the management and nature of calls for proposals/tenders. All EC external assistance follows the same set of rules (EC management procedure). 

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In order to succeed in accessing EC funds, a good understanding of the rules and procedures of the calls are crucial. Little administrative mistakes, such as submission after the deadline or missing documents lead to an immediate rejection. NGOs considering responding to a call should carefully read the guidelines. Project objectives should directly be linked to the objectives of the call. Applicants should also read the relevant policy papers and refer to them, when appropriate.

EC officials use an EC handbook explaining how to draft and manage a proposal. This document can also be useful for NGOs especially part 2 on the logical framework approach. It is called “Aid Delivery methods – Volume 1 – Project Cycle Management Guidelines”.

NGOs with little experience in applying for EC funding should consider participating in other NGOs’ projects funded by the EC. As a junior partner they can build their capacity and get acquainted to EC requirements without taking full responsibility for a project. Consult and liaise with both the EC Delegation in the beneficiary country and the Brussels-based officials. Another information source is CONCORD Europe, the European confederation of relief and development NGOs (contact details below). You also might get support from your national NGO platform.

CONCORD Secretariat aisbl
10 Sq. Ambiorix
1000 Brussels
Belgium
Phone: +32 2 743 87 60
Fax: +32 2 732 19 34
secretariat@concordeurope.org
www.concordeurope.org/

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