Erasmus accreditations ¹ are a tool for organisations that want to open-up their activities to cross-border exchange and cooperation and that plan to implement learning mobility activities on a regular basis.

The Erasmus accreditation in the field of youth gives simplified access to funding opportunities under Key Action 1 - learning mobility activities in the field of youth.

Applicants will be required to lay down their approach to project management, their longer-term objectives and plans in terms of activities to be supported with Erasmus funds and expected benefits. The award of the Erasmus accreditation in the field of youth confirms that the applicant has appropriate and effective processes and measures in place to implement high quality learning mobility activities as planned and use them to benefit the youth field.

Objectives of the Action

The Erasmus in the field of youth action has the following objectives:

• strengthening the personal and professional development of young people through non formal and informal learning mobility activities
• fostering the empowerment of young people, their active citizenship and participation in democratic life
• fostering quality  development  of  youth  work  at  local,  regional,  national,  European  and international level by building capacity of organisations active in the youth field and supporting the professional development of youth workers
• promoting inclusion and diversity, intercultural dialogue and the values of solidarity, equal opportunities and human rights among young people in Europe

Access to funding for successful applicants

Successful applicants for Erasmus accreditation accreditations in the field of youth will gain simplified access to the following Key Action 1 funding opportunities in the youth field.

• Mobility projects for young people - Youth exchanges
• Mobility projects for youth workers

The yearly call for funding for accredited projects is presented in the section “Mobility opportunities for accredited Erasmus organisations in the field of youth”.

Eligibility criteria

Who can apply?

The following types of organisations are eligible to apply:

• a non-profit organisation, association, NGO; European Youth NGO; a public body at local, regional, national level; a social enterprise; a profit-making body active in Corporate Social Responsibility;

Applicant organisations must be established in an EU Member State or third country associated to the Programme.

Applicant organisations must have been legally established at least two years before the application deadline and have relevant experience implementing activities in the youth field.

Where to apply?

Applications must be submitted to the National Agency of the country where the applicant organisation is established.

Submission deadline

1 October at 12:00:00 (midday Brussels time)

Erasmus Youth quality standards

Applicants for Erasmus Youth accreditation must subscribe to the Erasmus Youth quality standards.

Selection criteria

Applicants must have sufficient operational and financial capacity to implement the proposed activity plan, including at least two years of relevant experience implementing activities in the youth field.

Please read Part C of this guide to find out more information about the general operational capacity criteria and these specific requirements for accreditation applicants.

Exclusion criteria

Applicants must submit a signed declaration on honour, certifying that they are not in any of the situations referred to in the exclusion criteria listed in Part C of this Guide, that the submitted application contains original content authored by them, and that no other organisations or external individuals have been paid for drafting the application.

Award criteria

The quality of the proposals will be assessed by assigning points out of a total of 100, on the basis of the below award criteria and scores. To be considered for award, applications must pass the following thresholds:

• at least 70 out of the total 100 points, and
• at least half of the maximum points in each of the three award criteria below

Relevance - (maximum 20 points)

The relevance of the organisation to the youth field and objectives of the action in terms of:

• the organisation’s objectives and principles
• the organisation’s target groups
• the organisation’s regular activities
• the organisation’s experience in the youth field
• the proposal is relevant for the respect and promotion of shared EU values, such as respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights, as well as fighting any sort of discrimination

Strategic development - (maximum 40 points)

The extent to which:

• the objectives identified are relevant and in line with the objectives of the Action and contribute to the EU Youth Strategy
• the planned activities are suitable to address the identified needs and objectives
• the planned activities bring a real benefit to the organisation, participants, participating organisations and have a potential broader impact (e.g. on local, regional, national and transnational level)
• the objectives and planned activities are integrated in the organisation’s regular work and activities
• the organisation contributes to the Inclusion and Diversity strategy
• the organisation embeds in its activities one or more basic principles (environmental sustainability and responsibility, active participation in the network of Erasmus organisations, virtual components)

Quality of management and coordination - (maximum 40 points)

The extent to which:

• The objectives, the activities and targets planned are clear and realistic in relation to the applicant’s human resources and internal organisation
• The partnership approach is balanced and effective and, where applicable, suitable to bring in new and less experienced organisations
• The measures to ensure quality of activities and safety and protection of participants are appropriate;
• The principle of active youth participation is applied and an involvement of participants in all phases of the activities is planned;
• The measures to ensure a solid learning dimension are appropriate, including the support to the reflection, identification and documentation of the learning outcomes;
• The methods of measuring the organisation’s progress towards achieving its objectives (monitoring and evaluation) and for risk management are appropriate and effective;
• The measures aimed at sharing the outcomes of the project within and outside the participating organisations are appropriate and effective.

Maximum number of awarded Erasmus accreditations in the field of youth

In countries where interest for Erasmus accreditations in the field of youth is very high, the National Agency may set a maximum number of accreditations to be awarded. This decision will be published on the National Agency’s website together with this Call.

If the National Agency does not set a maximum number of approved accreditations, all applications satisfying the criteria set in this Call will be approved.

If the National Agency sets a maximum number of approved accreditations, a ranking list of applications satisfying the minimum award criteria will be established. Accreditations will be awarded starting from the highest scoring application until the maximum number of awarded accreditations has been reached. In case more than one application has the same number of points as the last one to be awarded, the maximum number of awarded accreditations will be increased to include all applications with that number of points.

Validity

The Erasmus accreditation in the field of youth is awarded for the entire programming period until 2027, subject to regular monitoring and continued compliance with the accreditation’s requirements and instructions issued by the National Agency. To ensure realistic planning, the plan of activities submitted as part of the application could cover a period of three to four years and will be updated periodically.

In case Erasmus accreditation is required for participation in any action after the end of the 2021-2027 programming period, the National Agency may prolong the accreditation’s validity under conditions defined by the European Commission. If an accreditation is not prolonged, implementation of previously awarded projects can continue beyond 31 December 2027 until the end of the relevant grant agreements.

The accreditation can be terminated at any time in case the organisation ceases to exist or by agreement of the National Agency and the accredited organisation. The National Agency may terminate the accreditation unilaterally under the conditions described under ‘Reporting, monitoring and quality assurance’.  Unilateral termination of the accreditation by the accredited organisation is possible only if during at least three consecutive years the accreditation has not been used to submit applications for accredited mobility projects.

Non-transferability

The accreditation cannot be transferred between organisations. As an exception, in case of structural changes to an accredited organisation (for example split, merge, change of legal entity, statute or ownership), the National Agency may transfer the accreditation to one successor organisation based on a reasoned request.

Reporting, monitoring and quality assurance

Closing reports at the end of each grant agreement

At the end of each grant agreement approved under the Erasmus accreditation in the field of youth, the accredited organisation will submit a final report about the delivered activities and targets, as specified in the applicable grant agreement.

Accreditation report

At least once during the period of implementation of the accreditation, organisations will be required to:

• report on how they are progressing towards reaching their objectives
• report on how they are ensuring that the Erasmus Youth quality standards are respected
• update their activity plan

The National Agency may decide to request a progress report on the different elements listed above at the same time, or separately.

The National Agency may decide to replace the reporting requirements on objectives and Erasmus Youth quality standards with a monitoring visit.

Based on the accredited organisation’s performance resulting from reporting, monitoring and quality assurance checks, or as a result of significant changes in the organisation, the National Agency may change the number and schedule of progress reports.

In addition, accredited organisations may voluntarily request to update their accreditation. Based on the organisation’s reasoning, the National Agency will decide whether an update is justified and acceptable.

Monitoring and checks

The National Agency may organise monitoring visits, formal checks or other activities to track the progress and performance of accredited organisations, assess the respect of the agreed quality standards, and provide support.

Formal checks may take the form of desk checks or visits to the organisation and any other premises where activities do take or have taken place. The National Agency may request assistance of National Agencies or external experts in other countries to check and monitor activities taking place there.

Quality assurance

Following a report or monitoring activity, the National Agency will provide feedback to the accredited organisations. The National Agency may also provide obligatory or advisory instructions to the accredited organisation on how to improve their performance.

Remedial measures

In case of newly accredited applicants, high risk organisations, failure to comply with National Agency’s instructions and deadlines, very low performance resulting from reporting, monitoring and quality assurance checks, or violations of the rules of the Programme (including in another action), the National Agency may take the following remedial measures:

• Observation: the National Agency may limit the level of funding that the accredited organisation can apply for in actions where Erasmus accreditation is a requirement. Newly accredited organisations may be put under observation if risk of low quality implementation is identified during the operational capacity check.
• Suspension: suspended organisations may not apply for funding in actions where Erasmus accreditation is a requirement. The National Agency may also terminate some or all ongoing grant agreements awarded under the suspended accreditation.

The observation or suspension period will continue until the National Agency determines that the conditions and quality requirements set in the Call are once again fulfilled, and that the risk of low performance has been addressed by the accredited organisation.

Organisations under suspension or observation may not apply for a new accreditation.

In case of continued failure to comply with National Agency’s instructions and deadlines, very low performance, or in case of repeated or significant violations of the rules of the Programme (including in another action), the National Agency may terminate the accreditation.

The accreditation can also be terminated at any time in case the organisation ceases to exist or by agreement of the National Agency and the accredited organisation. The National Agency or the accredited organisation may unilaterally terminate the accreditation if no applications for funding have been made under that accreditation during at least three consecutive years.

Footnote

1. The main budget of this Action is allocated to support transnational activities involving organisations and participants from EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme. However, up to 25% of the budget available can fund international mobility activities including organisations and participants from third countries not associated to the Programme neighbouring the EU (regions 1 to 4; see section "Eligible countries" in Part A of this Guide). ↩ back