Frequently asked questions on the impact of COVID-19 on your LIFE project management
If your project received funding from the LIFE+ programme 2007-2013, please consult the equivalent COVID-19 measures published on the Project administration LIFE+ (2007-2013) page.
On reporting and formal correspondence
To ensure the continuity of work during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have temporarily adapted the requirements for submitting amendments and/or payment requests. Such requests should be sent via email to: CINEA-LIFE-MONITORING@ec.europa.eu, copying the relevant CINEA project manager and external monitor. For heavy emails with multiple attachments, alternatives such as Dropbox may be used to relay the information.
Please do not send us hard copies of these requests.
Considering the current exceptional circumstances, we will accept scanned and electronically signed copies of the amendment.
The scans should be in pdf format and sent by email. The amendment will enter into force on the date the latter of the two parties signs. Please note that this is a temporary measure and we will contact you with further instructions concerning the original signed versions as soon as the situation allows.
Yes, electronically signed time sheets (or scanned with an original signature) are acceptable. An electronic version of the timesheet (scan or photo) can also be sent by email to the supervisor who will approve it by email response. The beneficiaries must keep the original timesheet with the signature of the person as well as the acceptance email of the supervisor.
The (counter) signature of the timesheets can be delayed until the confinement is lifted, but please ensure that the reasons for the delay are clearly explained in the report.
On duration
We advise all beneficiaries not to ask for a suspension as this would require fixing a release date and it is almost impossible, at this stage, to know when things will return to normal. In addition, the impact of the delay caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may vary significantly for each project. It would be preferable to ask for an extension once the crisis is over and you can better estimate the real impact.
We will accept a request for extension even if the deadline set in the Grant Agreement (Article II.12.3 for LIFE14-16 and Article II.13.3 for LIFE17 onward) has passed. Any request for amendment should be sent by email to CINEA-LIFE-MONITORING@ec.europa.eu, copying the relevant CINEA project manager and external monitor.
On costs
For example, staff were due to take part in meetings but could not travel because the person was in quarantine.
Where actions such as travel, catering, events, etc. had to be cancelled due to the COVID-19 crisis and costs incurred could not be reimbursed, those costs will be deemed eligible. Please ensure to keep the related supporting documents.
(e.g. masks or other medical/prevention equipment)
If the costs were incurred for the project (i.e. used for the staff or other service providers during the execution of their project tasks), they can be covered under direct costs. If the costs are not only related to the project, they are to be considered under the indirect costs/overheads (flat rate 7%).
(e.g. project equipment was used by health or civil protection services, specific actions were added to help develop preventive equipment like masks or to test the application of project technologies to support crisis management)
We invite you to report to us on how these actions could help manage the COVID-19 crisis and whether the action could still contribute to the project's initial objectives. Based on those elements, we will let you know if these costs may be considered as technically eligible.