HERCULE II: Call for proposals � OLAF/2012/D5/03: Training, seminars and conferences � Legal part

Hercule II is an action programme to promote activities aimed at protecting the Community’s financial interests. This call relates to the organisation of training, seminars and conferences to support the fight against fraud, corruption and other illegal activities as well as the development and implementation of fraud prevention and detection policies.

Applicants must be from one of the following countries: the 27 EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, or Turkey.

Proposals may be submitted by:
— national or regional administrations, which promote the strengthening of the EU's actions in the field of the protection of the EU's financial interests,
— all research and education institutes that have had legal personality for at least one year and are established and operating in a Member State or in a country outside the Union that promote the strengthening of the EU's action in protecting its financial interests,
— all non-profit-making bodies that have had legal personality for at least one year and are legally established in a Member State or a country outside the Union that promote the strengthening of EU action to protect the EU's financial interests.

Actions eligible for support are the organisation of seminars and conferences to enhance the development of the specific legal and judicial protection of the financial interests against fraud, by promoting:
— studies in comparative law,
— dissemination, including the publication, of scientific knowledge concerning the protection of the EU's financial interests,
— publication and distribution of a scientific periodical on the protection of the European Union's financial interests,
— the organisation of the annual meeting of the presidents of the associations for European criminal law and for the protection of the EU financial interests.

The EU financial contribution will take the form of a grant of up to 90% of eligible costs. The total amount of assistance granted for each project will not exceed:
— €50,000 for a one-day seminar; €100,000 for a two-day seminar,
— €300,000 for a comparative law study,
— €25,000 for the dissemination of expertise,
— €60,000 for the publication and distribution of a periodical publication by the associations for one year,
— €45,000 for the meeting of presidents of the associations.

A budget of €400,000 is available for proposals submitted before the first deadline of 31 May 2012. The remainder and the balance of the first deadline, €300,000, will be available for proposals submitted before the second deadline of 1 October 2012.

The deadlines for applications are 31 May 2012 and 1 October 2012.

Further information is available from the OLAF website

Reference: 2012/C 135/07

(Added 2012-05-09)