An EU funded project managed by the European Commission Liaison Office
EU - Beautiful Kosovo Programme
Guidelines for Municipalities and Selection Criteria
1. Introduction
In 2010 the European Union allocated 5 million Euros to address poverty and long term
unemployment through active labour market measures promoting job opportunities linked to public
regeneration schemes that enhance quality of life for all Kosovo inhabitants. The EU Beautiful Kosovo
Programme (EU-BK Programme) is an EU funded project, managed by the European Commission
Liaison Office (ECLO) and implemented by International Organization for Migration (IOM), in
partnership with Danish Refugee Council (DRC). The EU-BK Programme will be implemented during
the period of 30 months.
The overall objective of the EU-BK Programme is to contribute to poverty reduction through the
enhancement of economic opportunity for Kosovo population, especially marginalized groups in line
with National and Regional Development Strategies.
In response to the overall objective of the EU-BK Programme the proposed activities will aim at:
 Sustaining the creation of short- and medium-term job opportunities, for a selected number of
beneficiaries in identified SMEs and LPCs in the area of intervention;
 Enhancing the skills of unemployed and marginalized groups, and build the capacities of the
local trainers, LPCs and the SME sectors through vocational education and trainings;
 Improving urban infrastructures through the implementation of public works projects
according to the identified municipal and regional priorities;
 Intensifying the cooperation between stakeholders, both governmental (central and local) and
non-governmental, by enhancing coordination among them.
The EU-BK Programme will improve the general living conditions for the residents of Kosovo
contributing to the reduction of poverty and addressing the unemployment problem by targeting long
term unemployed beneficiaries registered at the Department for Labour and Employment (DLE) and
beneficiaries in the social assistance category II, with particular attention to vulnerable groups, such as
women, youth, persons with disabilities and minorities.
The EU-BK Programme activities will be implemented in close coordination with the Ministry of
Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW).
The EU-BK programme was designed to build upon the previous efforts and actions undertaken by the
Government of Kosovo and the international community in alleviating the social and economic
problems that are present in Kosovo society. The Programme is complementary to the priorities,
actions and strategies of the Kosovo Government in improving the economic and social situation in
Kosovo. The Programme is also in line with Kosovo’s 2009 -2012 National Employment Strategy, the
Sectoral Strategy 2011-2013 and European Partnership Action Plan.
Implemented by
in partnership with
An EU funded project managed by the European Commission Liaison Office
2. Setup of the programme
Programme management
The programme is managed by the ECLO and implemented by IOM in partnership with the DRC.
Programme Structure
All 38 municipalities of Kosovo will have the possibility to participate in a competition for the
selection of small and medium scale project proposals targeting employment creation and the
improvement of urban and social infrastructures, with a focus on beautification measures and urban
regeneration initiatives. The above mentioned competition consists of two rounds of Call for
Proposals.
All municipalities are encouraged to submit proposals for both rounds. In particular, those
municipalities that have shown to be highly committed with the EU-BK objectives and where the first
round of projects was successfully implemented, as well as those municipalities not awarded during
the first round, will be highly considered at the second round of Call for Proposals.
The first round of Call for Proposals will be carried out in the period June-July 2011. The second
round will be carried out in 2012, following the implementation of the projects selected during the first
round and taking into consideration the best practices identified.
The present guidelines illustrate the procedure to be followed during the first round of Call for
Proposals. Specific guidelines for the second round will be provided to the municipalities in due time.
Project identification and application phase
The municipalities interested in participating in the first round of Call for Proposals, will have to
express their interest through the submission of an official letter of interest, indicating the
areas/fields of intervention they would like to target within the EU-BK Programme.
Following the submission of the letter of interest by the municipalities, a Project Identification
Committee (PIC) will be established in each municipality that has expressed interest in participating in
this first round of the competition. The PICs will be composed by representatives of the MLSW,
Municipalities, Regional Development Agencies (RDA), IOM and DRC.
Through the PICs, it is intended to facilitate the municipalities in the identification and better design of
the project proposals to be presented in the competition. The participation of Municipality, RDA and
MLSW representatives will ensure that the proposed projects are in line with the municipal and
regional priorities as well as to make sure that the proposed projects will create employment for the
target beneficiaries, especially for long term unemployed and for those beneficiaries included in the
social assistance category II. On the other hand, IOM and DRC representatives will ensure that the
proposed projects are in line with the EU-BK Programme objectives and criteria set in the present
guidelines. The PICs will not develop the proposals nor decide on the projects to be submitted to the
Project Steering Committee (PSC) as those responsibilities rely solely on the municipalities.
Further, the interested municipalities will have to submit a complete application form and related
attachments for up to 3 (three) project proposals, which represent municipal priorities in line with the
relevant National and Regional Development Strategy (RDS).
Implemented by
in partnership with
An EU funded project managed by the European Commission Liaison Office
The application form and related attachments, as specified below in the Application Procedure
Chapter, will have to be submitted to IOM main office in Pristina. IOM will further present the
applications to the PSC, for the selection procedure.
The PSC will be composed by ECLO, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare (MLSW), and IOM
representatives, who will be voting members of the Committee. In addition, a representative of
Ministry of Local Government Administration (MLGA) will be envisaged to be part of the PSC in the
function of Observer and to support the PSC members in the selection process. The MLGA
representative will be a non-voting member of the PSC.
The PSC will evaluate the submitted project proposals on a case by case basis and will propose the list
of recommended projects to the EC Authorizing Officer, who will be taking the final decision over the
list of recommended projects.
The application form, which is attached to these guidelines (annex A), shall be used. Only completed
application forms with all required documents attached and written in English will be considered for
evaluation by the PSC.
Projects eligible for funding
The submitted small and medium size projects shall target urban environment regeneration and social
infrastructures and shall be under the responsibility of the applicant municipality in the following
fields:
1. Reconstruction, restoration and/or refurbishment of public or private buildings and/or
architectural, historical, cultural and social, infrastructures and surroundings areas, such as:







Facades (public or private buildings with significant relevance)
Monuments;
Museums;
Religious buildings;
Touristic sites;
Kindergartens;
School yards.
2. Creation, renovation and/or maintenance of:
 Sport facilities;
 Youth facilities;
 City parks;
 Other green areas, including walking paths.
Projects not eligible for funding:
Projects related to the following fields would not be eligible:





Electricity
Telecommunication
Main roads
Water and sewage pipes
Heating system
Implemented by
in partnership with
An EU funded project managed by the European Commission Liaison Office
Eligibility criteria

Only municipalities are eligible to apply.

Other potential applicants (community councils, NGOs, etc.) will need to channel their
requests through a municipality.

A maximum of 3 (three) projects per municipality shall be submitted.

The municipality needs to link each project with its long term strategy for municipal
development. The PSC will favour projects which are in line with the respective Municipal
and Regional Development Plans.

Municipalities that can link the project to a systematically planned programme will be ranked
higher. However, the project to be funded by EU-BK Programme needs to work independently
from the other parts.

The projects need to be in line with the relevant Ministries’ plans, if applicable. A written
confirmation from the respective Ministry is requested, depending from the type of project
submitted.

In general, the maximum value of each of the submitted small and medium-sized project
proposals should not exceed 100,000 Euro. However, submitted projects of a higher value
might be considered for funding on a case by case basis, if the proposals are in line with the
EU-BK Programme objectives.

The projects should allow the creation of short and medium term jobs and must engage the
required labour from the list of referrals provided by the employment centres, paying
particular attention to the long term unemployed beneficiaries registered at the Department for
Labour and Employment (DLE) and also to those beneficiaries included in the social
assistance category II. Projects that ensure the employment of women, youth, persons with
disabilities and minority groups will be highly considered.

At least 30% of the project value has to be allocated for man-labour through the
creation of short and medium term jobs. Projects that ensure the creation of long term
jobs will be highly considered.

The duration of the works for each project shall not exceed 12 months.
Evaluation phase
The PSC will review the submitted project proposals, will take a preliminary decision on the projects
to be funded by the EU-BK Programme and will present its recommendations to the EC Authorizing
Officer for endorsing the list and taking the final decision on the projects to be implemented within
EU-BK Programme. The PSC will use the criteria set out in Annex C.
The PSC is composed by the following voting members:
Implemented by
in partnership with
An EU funded project managed by the European Commission Liaison Office



European Commission Liaison Office
Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare
International Organization for Migration
Ministry of Local Government Administration will be envisaged to participate in the selection process
as an Observer and to support the PSC members in selecting the submitted projects.
Design phase
If the submitted project is finally approved by the EC Authorizing Officer, the municipalities will be
asked to present the following documents:



Detailed Design (scale 1:50/20/10/5/1);
Technical Specifications;
Detailed Bill of Quantities including confidential cost estimation.
In addition, the following documents might be requested if needed, in accordance with the type of
project submitted:




Environmental Impact Assessment;
Geodetic survey of the project area;
Geological and hydrological assessments of the project area;
Any other necessary document, according to the type of project approved (for
example municipal working permit/licence, property certificate etc).
If needed, IOM will assist the selected municipalities in preparing the above mentioned documents.
Tender phase
Once the small and medium scale projects are selected, the IOM will prepare the tender documents for
the Works Contracts and the works will be tendered according to IOM Procurement rules and
regulations to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and/or Local Public Companies (LPCs)
selected. The contracts will be signed by IOM as the implementing agency and the successful SME
and/or LPC.
Quality Assurance and Monitoring
During the project implementation phase, the site supervision will be carried out by the IOM, namely
by the EU-BK Programme Engineer and Project Assistants in the area of responsibilities, in close
coordination with EU-BK management.
In addition, the PSC will monitor the implementation of the entire EU-BK Programme, including the
implementation of the selected medium and small scale projects; the PSC might also suggest
amendments to the selected small and medium project proposals in order to better meet the objectives
of the programme.
Application Procedure
The municipalities interested in participating in this first round of Call for Proposals should submit an
official letter of interest written in English and specifying the areas/fields of intervention they would
like to target within the EU-BK Programme, by June 10th 2011, at 16.00 at the address below:
Implemented by
in partnership with
An EU funded project managed by the European Commission Liaison Office
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
EU - Beautiful Kosovo Programme
str. Ismail Qemali n. 9, Arbëri II
10000 Pristina, Kosovo.
The application form and other required documents should be submitted in a sealed envelope by
registered mail, private courier service or by hand-delivery by July 15th 2011, at 16.00, at the address
below:
International Organization for Migration (IOM)
EU - Beautiful Kosovo Programme
str. Ismail Qemali n. 9, Arbëri II
10000 Pristina, Kosovo.
The sealed envelope should include:
 One original and four copies of the Annex A, including its attachments and Annex B.
 An electronic version of the Annex A, including its attachments and Annex B (CD-Rom).
The application form and its attachments should be filled in English language.
Applications sent by any other means (e.g. by fax or by e-mail) or delivered to other addresses will be
rejected.
Applicants must verify that their application is complete using the check list (Annex B)
Annexes
Annex A -
Application form and its attachments:





A1.
Budget Template
A2.
Confirmation from relevant Ministries (if needed according to the
type of project)
A3.
Letter of Impartiality from the Municipality
A4
Sustainability Plan
A5.
Project site photos
Annex B -
Check-list
Annex C -
Criteria used by the PSC during the project proposal evaluation
Implemented by
in partnership with