FAQ
Project meetings/events may have to be cancelled, postponed or partners/stakeholders may not be able to attend due to an official/institutional travel ban or travel warning for a particular region. The situation evolves quickly and remains unpredictable, it is not clear when travelling and events organisation could be resumed normally. Therefore projects are recommended to look into their work plan and check how activities could be rearranged in order to achieve the set objectives differently. For instance, project meetings could be organised online, desk activities given the priority as opposed to events, stakeholders engagement designed differently through online tools. The programme is aware that this could be challenging and the project officers at the JS are available to support in this process, and to assess each specific case.
Project meetings/events may have to be cancelled, postponed or partners/stakeholders may not be able to attend due to an official/institutional travel ban or travel warning for a particular region. The situation evolves quickly and remains unpredictable, it is not clear when travelling and events organisation could be resumed normally. Therefore projects are recommended to look into their work plan and check how activities could be rearranged in order to achieve the set objectives differently. For instance, project meetings could be organised online, desk activities given the priority as opposed to events, stakeholders engagement designed differently through online tools. The programme is aware that this could be challenging and the project officers at the JS are available to support in this process, and to assess each specific case.
HOW TO REPORT STAFF COSTS IF SPECIFIC WORKING CONDITIONS (I.E. SHORT-TIME WORK) DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC APPLY?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some member states have introduced short-time work* schemes. Should your PP institution in general and any ASP project-assigned employee specifically be affected by short-time work, the following general rules shall be considered in case of staff costs co-financing on the basis of real costs:
- Staff costs that are not finally borne by the PP institution itself are not eligible. Consequently, only the part of the staff costs finally covered by the employer/PP institution shall be taken into consideration when calculating the staff costs.
- In case of part-time assignment, this definitely-borne part of the staff costs shall be allocated to the project pro-rata only and in accordance with the % as fixed in the project assignment.
- Any necessary change of an assignment (especially the project-related tasks and/or extent of assignment) due to the particular circumstances related with the COVID-19 pandemic, shall be well-documented by issuing an amendment of the assignment and additionally well-justified in a note for file.
- The issuing of new assignments in periods of short-time work would have to be well-justified.
- The calculation of staff costs on an hourly basis is still not foreseen by the programme.
*The same conditions apply for the “stand by situations” when an employee is not working due to COVID-19 pandemic but still receives part of its salary.
HOW TO REPORT STAFF COSTS IF SPECIFIC WORKING CONDITIONS (I.E. SHORT-TIME WORK) DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC APPLY?
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some member states have introduced short-time work* schemes. Should your PP institution in general and any ASP project-assigned employee specifically be affected by short-time work, the following general rules shall be considered in case of staff costs co-financing on the basis of real costs:
- Staff costs that are not finally borne by the PP institution itself are not eligible. Consequently, only the part of the staff costs finally covered by the employer/PP institution shall be taken into consideration when calculating the staff costs.
- In case of part-time assignment, this definitely-borne part of the staff costs shall be allocated to the project pro-rata only and in accordance with the % as fixed in the project assignment.
- Any necessary change of an assignment (especially the project-related tasks and/or extent of assignment) due to the particular circumstances related with the COVID-19 pandemic, shall be well-documented by issuing an amendment of the assignment and additionally well-justified in a note for file.
- The issuing of new assignments in periods of short-time work would have to be well-justified.
- The calculation of staff costs on an hourly basis is still not foreseen by the programme.
*The same conditions apply for the “stand by situations” when an employee is not working due to COVID-19 pandemic but still receives part of its salary.
