Léargas Initiatives Offering Support and Solidarity to Ukraine

The war in Ukraine has caused suffering across Europe. This post details initiatives and supports developed by Léargas and the EU to respond to this. 

In light of the war in Ukraine, the European Commission is determined to support, through the Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps programmes, Ukrainian students, young people, teachers and educators in these extremely challenging times.

Any currently ongoing project, in any action type or Key Action, and for any Call, is invited to reflect on the possibility of adapting or refocusing their project activities to contribute to relief and assistance to persons displaced or affected by the war. The beneficiaries of ongoing projects can, on a voluntary basis, reallocate part of their project funds on activities oriented towards supporting persons affected by the war in Ukraine as main target group.

To do so, the beneficiaries may choose which activity from their ongoing project, that has not yet been implemented, they wish to replace or modify. Depending on the magnitude of planned adaptations, a formal amendment to the grant agreement may be required and therefore a consultation with the National Agency prior to such adaptations is necessary.

Modified projects cannot stray away from their original objectives. The use of Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps funding for purposes other than eligible project activities (e.g. purchase of materials and services without any link to the project activities) is not allowed. Such costs incurred will be considered ineligible.

The maximum project grant amount remains the same, even if the activities are reoriented or adjusted. It is not possible to increase the project grant beyond the originally granted amount, with the exception of funding made available for exceptional costs and inclusion support for participants (which has to be associated to a mobility covered by the project budget).

In the fields of KA1 VET, SE and AE, the use of the activity “Invited experts” to facilitate that Erasmus+ organisations in regions affected by the refugees’ flow, is emphasised. The beneficiaries can invite an expert/teacher/staff member to support the organisation staff in this integration process.

Specific exceptional adaptation of programme rules

In addition to the above, to react in a flexible manner to the specific needs of Ukrainian participants, some exceptional rules have been agreed to facilitate their involvement in Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps activities. These measures include:

KA1 mobility projects in the field of VET, School and Adult Ed.: 

• Opening up the Erasmus+ KA1 mobility projects in the fields of VET, school and adult education to incoming participants from Ukraine. The activities cover the same target groups as foreseen in the different fields (students, learners, teaching staff, professors, educators/teachers, etc. and the same activity types). All participants coming from Ukraine will be considered ‘participants with fewer opportunities’ and therefore may be due additional funding for inclusion support within the remit of their grant (this will need to be flagged accordingly in the Beneficiary Module). In addition, projects funded under KA121, as explained during the Interim Amendment Exercise, may request additional real costs or activities related to the inclusion of the participants from Ukraine as part of this exercise.  
• If you plan to include participants from Ukraine, either as participants enrolled and/or working in your organisations or ‘incoming’ participants, please do get in touch with your project officer. You will have a chance to encode the above in the Beneficiary Module.  
• Please note that inclusion of incoming Ukrainian participants will require a formal amendment to the grant agreement. 
  

• Participants from Ukraine living temporarily all across Europe due to the war may, for the purpose of the programme, be still considered as Ukrainian “residents” and therefore can be treated as cross-border participants.

European Solidarity Corps:

• Incoming mobilities from Ukraine is already allowed according to the rules in the Programme Guide.
• A participant coming from Ukraine who carried out a short-term individual volunteering can do another short term or long term activity if the total period does not exceed 14 months.
• A participant coming from Ukraine who carried out a long-term volunteering activity can do a short-term individual activity or another long-term activity if the total period does not exceed 14 months.
• Incoming Ukrainian volunteers can be hosted without the obligation to have a support (sending) organisation. The responsibilities of the support organsiation are taken over by the host organisation (the host organisation is not required submit a Quality Label application for support role in this case.)
• the case where a volunteer takes part in a new cross-border volunteering activity within the allowed eligibility rules, he/she/they will be treated as a new participant for the purpose of the ESC Complementary Insurance.
• Ukrainian volunteers under the European Solidarity Corps should be considered cross-border volunteers, even if they carry out activities in the same country where they are hosted. 
  

KA2 Projects:

When planning or applying for a Key Action 2 project, organisations need to choose a priority that their project will align with and help to achieve. This year a new priority has been added to each sector relating to the war in Ukraine. Projects that are targeting learners or staff fleeing the war in Ukraine are welcomed under this priority, for both Small-Scale Partnerships and larger-scale Cooperation Partnerships projects. These projects could tackle issues such as language learning or supporting the psycho-social well-being of people fleeing war, whether they are young people, students, educators etc. They may also look at integration of newcomers into learning, training or youth work environments, recognition of skills and qualifications, or many other relevant topics.

Please note that, as highlighted above, planned adaptations to your project activities may require a formal amendment to the grant agreement. As a result, it is necessary that you consult with your National Agency before implementing them. You will find contact details for relevant project officers on our team page here. 

You can download specific eligibility and financial guidelines regarding inclusion of participants from Ukraine in projects KA121, KA122, KA153, KA154, KA155 and ESC51.

Please review them in detail and contact Weronika Gasior if you have any questions.   

Supporting the Linguistic Integration of Refugees from Ukraine: European Centre for Modern Languages

Teachers and others supporting the integration of refugees from Ukraine, both into school systems and into the workplace, can access guidance and resources on this dedicated website operated by the European Centre for Modern Languages. The site is a work in progress and new resources and information will be added as they become available.

• Supporting Linguistic Integration of Refugees from Ukraine

EU Solidarity with Ukraine: European Commission

This page brings together details of European Union programmes that provide practical support to those in Ukraine who are seeking shelter or looking for a safe way home, and of the political, financial and humanitarian assistance the EU can provide.

• EU Solidarity with Ukraine

EU Solidarity with Ukraine: Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps

As part of the support for Ukraine, the EU have restricted participation of Russian public entities in programmes including Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps. Our Travel Advisories section has details of these restrictions, and guidance for affected projects. If you have specific queries, please get in touch with your Léargas project officer.

•  Léargas Travel Advisories