WORKING WITH DG ECHO AS MEMBER STATES' SPECIALISED AGENCIES | 2021 - 2027
12. VISIBILITY, COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION ACTIVITIES
This chapter gives partners the possibility to explain how the partnership with and support of the EU to the action will be made public / be publicised. The partner can opt for standard visibility only (mandatory) or also above-standard (optional).
2. Project Data Overview By Country
3. Humanitarian Organisations In The Area
4. Needs Assessment And Risk Analysis
12. Visibility, Communication And Information Activities
13. Financial Overview Of The Action
14. Requests For Alternative Arrangements
15. Administrative Information
12.1 STANDARD VISIBILITY
Standard visibility for the EU as a donor is a contractual obligation applying to all partner organisations and all types of EU-funded humanitarian aid projects.
It entails:
- Display of EU humanitarian aid visual identify on project sites.
- Written and verbal acknowledgment of EU funding and partnership.
DG ECHO makes available up to 1% of the EU’s contribution to the budget of the action to cover related expenses of these obligations.
A. COMPULSORY DISPLAY OF EU HUMANITARIAN AID VISUAL IDENTITY ON (ALL POINTS REQUIRED)
To comply with visibility requirements, Partner must implement all the five activities described under section A.
Evidences of the activities implemented will have to be annexed to the Final Report. Failure to comply may impact negatively the assessment of the project or may result in the reduction of the Grant at the liquidation stage.
In the box section, the partner should provide information to facilitate the monitoring and reporting (for instance, the location of signboards, the type of supplies, where the visual identity will be placed throughout the action, etc.). Quantitative information is not obligatory (number of stickers, etc.) and a justification in case any of the 5 compulsory activities will not be implemented (e.g. no equipment foreseen in the Action).
The five boxes are selected by default. If they are de-selected, the partner must provide a justification in the box that will appear automatically at the end of the Section 12.1.A (see example below). Moreover, if the implementation of visibility activities may harm the safety of any persons involved in the action, partners must introduce a request for a visibility alternative arrangement in Chapter 14. See additional instructions in Section 14 of this guidance on when and how to submit such a request to DG ECHO.
Note: Alternative arrangements from communication and visibility obligations are possible only in cases defined in the relevant legal acts. Therefore, they are granted only in case of safety and security concerns. All requests for alternative arrangements should be duly justified and targeted. An alternative arrangement on field visibility activities (listed in Section 12.1.A of the e-Single Form) does not automatically grant a derogation for implementing external communication activities (listed in Section 12.1.B of the e-Single Form).
B. EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION OF EU FUNDING AND PARTNERSHIP THROUGH
To comply with communication and information requirements, the partner should also acknowledge the partnership with DG ECHO and the EU funding provided, in communication about the project, such as media interviews, press releases, social media, webpages, blogs, articles about the project, etc.
Lack of acknowledgment of EU funding may impact negatively on the assessment of the project or may result in the application of a penalty at the liquidation stage.
The partner is expected to select at least 5 options. In the comment box (see example below), the partner must specify for selected options (also for ‘B8: Others’ where relevant), in a few bullet points, the key figures/elements to measure the impact of the communication campaign; and must provide a justification in case less than 5 options are selected. If the partner implements less than 5 activities due to security and safety reasons , a request for a ‘visibility alternative arrangement’ should be introduced in Chapter 14.1 using the drop-down menu.
12.2 DO YOU FORESEE COMMUNICATION ACTIONS THAT GO BEYOND STANDARD OBLIGATIONS (Above Standard Visibility – ASV)?
The partner can opt for "above-standard visibility". The purpose of such more elaborate communication actions is to raise awareness of humanitarian issues among defined audience in the EU Member States and to showcase the results of the partnership with DG ECHO.
For more information on the requirements, the partner should consult the Visibility website.
DG ECHO can provide budget exceeding 1% of the EU’s contribution to the budget of the action, in cases where a partner wishes to engage in above-standard visibility. To this end, a separate communication plan, including a budget, must be submitted and approved by DG ECHO prior to the signing of the agreement. The plan must be inserted as an annex. A standard template is available on the visibility website.
