Background
In terms of social partners' contribution to building a democratic society, Kosovo presents a mixed picture. The participation of employees' and employers' organisations in the drafting of legislation is structured through the Socio-Economic Council, which was established in 2010 and became operational in 2011. The law on the Socio-Economic Council regulating its organisation, mandate, and actions was adopted in 2011. The Labour Law came into force on 1 January 2011, and the Law on Union Organisation was adopted in July 2011.
Membership in employees' and employers' organisations is on a voluntary basis. It is estimated that the total number of trade union members is around 60,000. The unionisation of the public sector is very high, with an estimated 90% of public servants belonging to a trade union. However, lack of specific legislation has prevented trade unions from including workers from the private sector. The estimated total number of employers' organisations members is around 2,000. In both cases, however, it is estimated that only a small percentage of these members actually pay membership fees. As a result, financial sustainability is a common concern.
Size of grants
Any grant requested under this Call for Proposals must fall between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
- minimum amount: EUR 500.000
- maximum amount: EUR 600.000
Eligibility
In order to be eligible for a grant, the applicant must:
- be legal persons and
- be non-profit-making and
- be specific types of organisations such as: non-governmental organisations, public sector operators, trade unions and employers
organisations, international (inter-governmental) organisations as defined by Article 43 of the Implementing Rules to the EC Financial
Regulation and be established in a Member State of the European Union or in a country covered by Article 19 of IPA regulation. This
obligation does not apply to international organisations and be directly responsible for the preparation and management of the action
with the co-applicant(s) and affiliated entity(ies), not acting as an intermediary and be organisation(s) or be in a consortium of
organisation(s) with a proven background and a minimum of 3 years experience in delivery of training, institutional capacity building
assistance, and/or organisational reform, preferably in the field of social partners, trade unions, employers associations, chambers of
commerce, or similar.
Deadline: 21 May 2013