Coronavirus: Implications for the implementation of programmes managed by EACEA
MESSAGE TO THE ATTENTION OF BENEFICIARIES/CONTRACTORS/EXPERTS
If the implementation of the project or contracts are impeded by the spread of Corona Virus COVID-19, as a first step the beneficiaries/contractors/experts must inform the Executive Agency (EACEA) by e-mail to the responsible project officer you are usually in contact with or the functional mailbox of the Action and describe in detail the issue and its impact on the project implementation.
In any case, the following flexibility measures will apply:
1) Eligibility of costs in ongoing actions or contracts
Where individuals who were to take part in mobilities, meetings or events are prevented from doing so, for example owing to their recent contact with someone suffering from the virus or their presence in an area considered to be at high risk, EACEA may consider as eligible* expenses of travel or accommodation that could not be cancelled and which are not reimbursed from other sources provided that the beneficiaries/contractors/experts submit relevant supporting documents in this sense (in particular that they have claimed reimbursement and that it was denied).
2) Where COVID-19 prevents implementation of action or contract
Where the execution of contracts is impeded because of COVID-19 (for example due to unavailability of key staff, the impossibility of carrying on work in a zone affected by the virus or any other case which can be regarded as force majeure), EACEA may accept replacement activities or delayed performance. This could be done following a justified request by the beneficiary/contractor/expert to amend the contract including by extending the period of its implementation/ performance.
Documentation
Beneficiaries/contractors/experts must collect and keep the relevant documentation which might be needed at a later stage to prove/justify any decision taken having an impact on the implementation of the project (notably from a financial point of view). Other updates may follow as the situation evolves.
* if they fulfill the general eligibility conditions set out in the grant agreement/decision, or contract