Policies promoted by the European Union are implemented through a wide range of thematic programmes

Thematic programmes provide financial support in the form of grants for specific projects and organisations fostering EU policies and values within and outside the EU (i.e. both in EU Member States and third countries)

EU funding programmes are also aimed at supporting:

Ø Jobs

ØInnovation and

ØGrowth

in line with the Europe 2020 strategy and at enhancing collaboration and exchange between EU citizens encouraging the competiveness of the European single market at international level

The legislative act establishing an EU funding programme is the Regulation

The Regulation defines, for the specific funding programme:

Ø Duration

Ø Objectives

Ø Sub-programmes (thematic fields, priorities, etc.)

Ø Actions funded

Ø Total budget

Centralised EU funding programmes are directly managed by the European Commission through (depending on the programme ):

Ø Directorates-General in charge of the programme

Ø Executive agencies or

Ø National agencies

Anyone who wants to get funded has to respond to the public announcement known as “Call for proposals” and submit a project proposal

The “Call for proposals” defines the priorities of the programme for the current year, the eligibility criteria, the deadline for submission of project proposals and the procedure to follow

Usually “Call for proposals” are published once a year depending on the programme

The deadline for submission of proposals indicated in the “Call for proposals” is always mandatory

Centralised EU funding programmes are usually divided into sub-programmes or priorities, each of them funding different activities

It is fundamental to have a clear knowledge of the whole programme and its sub-programmes in order to submit a project proposal to the right field of interest with the final objective of being funded

Centralised EU programmes fund a percentage of the costs relating to the implementation of a project

This percentage differs from one programme to another and even within the same programme, sub-programmes may provide a different rate of funding

Another fundamental feature of EU funding programmes is the transnationality criteria, required in most centralised programmes, with few exceptions

According to this criteria, programmes provide funding to projects implemented by a consortium of partners coming from various countries

The funding of centralised programmes is awarded to proposals that provide the implementation of activities, such as:

•Research, pilot projects, demonstration projects

•Exchanges of experiences

•Information, awareness, dissemination of results

•Mobility and exchanges of persons

•Identification, analysis and exploitation of good practices

The Regulation establishing each programme outlines and describes what actions will be funded during the reference period under the programme

These descriptions are further detailed in a series of supporting documents that have to be well-known by the applicant

The supporting documents are:

•Work Programme: sets out the programmes’ plans for the 12 months ahead

•Calls for proposals

•Programme Guide for Applicants: aims to provide all information relevant to the application and selection process, as well as to the entire life-cycle of co-financed projects

In this section a selection of the centralised programmes related to Social Farming is provided. The programmes are the following:

•Erasmus +

•Justice

•Rights, Equality and Citizenship

•Europe for Citizens

A fiche dedicated to each programme, their main features and objectives is available in the Supporting Material section

Erasmus+: education and training, youth, mobility, sport, languages

- CARE-T-FARMs (Erasmus + Programme, 2017)

http://www.care-t-farms.eu/index.php/en/

Partner countries: Belgium, Italy ,Poland, Spain, Turkey

• CARE-T-FARMs will develop three education and training modules in order to provide farm workers, farmers and practitioners of social care and psychiatry with the necessary tools to allow good design and implementation of social or care farming all over Europe:

1. “Care Farm Tutor”

2. “Care Farm Manager”

3. “Care Farm Health/Educator”

• "Care Farm Tutor" module is addressed to farmers, farm workers and secondary school students to give a basic understanding of day-to-day activities associated with tutoring people on farm activities in a social or care farm setting

• The "Care Farm Manager" module, directed towards farmers who have experience in hosting people on their farms

• The "Care Farm Social/Health Educator" module, designed for social workers, psychologists and psychiatrists who have experience in therapeutic help and assistance. This module will provide specialist knowledge on planning social or care farm courses as an extra-clinical treatment or intervention (EQF level 5/6)

2. Europe for Citizens: enhances citizens’ understanding of EU history and values, civic and democratic participation at EU level

-  Shaping the Future of European Rural Villages (Europe for Citizens programme, 2017)

http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/europe-for-citizens/projects/efc-project-details-page/?nodeRef=workspace://SpacesStore/ec8893cb-d934-4125-bb92-124b427ffbb0

Partners: Czech Republic, Malta, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Portugal

The aim of this project is to bring citizens from these rural villages to discuss how to revive and strengthen the economies of Europe’s rural villages and shaping the future of a better European countryside

The project will focus on the farming policy, the capacity of rural tourism and the natural and cultural heritage of small villages, with reference to different policies

The target groups are:

• Councillors, researchers, academics and policy makers

• Farmers and farmers cooperatives

• Entrepreneurs and small businesses in the manufacturing, crafts and service industries

• Stakeholders in the tourism sector

• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)

• Architects, builders and environmentalists

• Pensioners (to share their past experiences)

The involved sectors are:

• Agriculture: changing the emphasis from quantity of food to quality of food

• Manufacturing, craft and service industries: revival of local economies

• Rural Tourism: new income

• The natural and cultural heritage: preserving the heritage of wildlife, landscape and culture

• Rural Housing and services: modern amenities vs respecting local traditions of building

3. Justice: judicial cooperation, judicial training, effective access to justice in Europe, drugs policy

- TWIST (Justice programme, 2016)

https://www.twist-train.eu/

Partners: Spain

• The TWIST project (Training WIth Stakeholders – applying EU drug and addiction research) is designing a training strand on using addiction research and knowledge, with the participation of the target group

• TWIST brings together over 140 early stage drug and addiction professionals – from academic, clinical and civil sector organisations – with experts from research and non-research stakeholder groups

4. Rights, Equality and Citizenship: development of equality and the rights of persons, as enshrined in the Treaty, the Charter and international human rights conventions

- POVEL (Daphne programme REC – 2010)

http://ec.europa.eu/justice/grants/results/daphne-toolkit/en/content/prevention-violence-through-education-legality-povel

Partners: Belgium, France, Italy, Spain

• The POVEL project was aimed at investigating and increasing understanding of violence against young people, raise awareness of educational tools and strengthen teenagers’ ability to stop violence

• The project partners worked in cooperation with local authorities (provinces, counties, regions, police, social services, etc.)