Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1244/2014 of 20 November 2014 laying down rules for the implementation of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing the European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps ( ‘EU Aid Volunteers initiative’ ) Text with EEA relevance

Sending and hosting organisations shall jointly set up an identification and selection procedure. Roles, responsibilities and processes shall be defined to ensure a transparent, fair and effective recruitment process in respect of the standard on equal treatment, equal opportunities and non-discrimination, as provided for in the Commission Delegated Regulation to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014.

The identification and selection procedure shall be based on a partnership between the sending and hosting organisations and ensure timely and ongoing communication. The sending organisation shall ensure that the hosting organisation is consistently involved throughout the entire recruitment process.

The agreed identification and selection procedure shall be applicable to all stages of the recruitment process.

The identification and selection procedure shall include as a minimum:

Based on a needs assessment to be carried out in accordance with the Commission Delegated Regulation to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014, the hosting organisation shall propose, in accordance with the requirements set out in point 1 of Annex I, the task assignment for the EU Aid Volunteer, including flexible elements to take account the volunteer's input once recruited.

The sending organisation shall review the task assignment to help modify it, as needed, in order to ensure a suitable and realistic matching, taking into account the EU Aid Volunteers' expected competences and the absorption capacity and needs of the hosting organisation.

Based on the task assignment and competence framework, the sending and hosting organisations shall define a competence profile of the EU Aid Volunteer and selection criteria with minimum requirements to be used during the recruitment process. The competence profile shall also indicate whether the volunteer is a senior or junior professional and the need for any apprenticeship placement.

The sending organisation shall be responsible for the announcement of the placement. With input from the hosting organisation, it shall produce an announcement information pack in order to inform about the initiative and attract candidate volunteers.

The announcement shall be as a minimum in English, written in clear, concrete and accessible language, and provide information about the position offered to the candidate volunteer in accordance with the requirements set out in point 2 of Annex I.

It shall be published for a minimum of one month on the central platform of the EU Aid Volunteers initiative with the possibility to use additional promotion opportunities to attract applicants to the central platform. In duly justified circumstances for placements for response to humanitarian aid crisis, the announcement may be posted for less than a month, but not less than one week.

Applicants shall apply using a standardised application form, including a structured CV. Applicants shall also complete a standardised self-assessment questionnaire to assess their competences as required for the competence framework and their adaptability to the task assignment and living and working conditions referred to in the announcement. On these, they shall be required to give their consent.

The sending organisation shall assess applicants based on the information provided in the application form and self-assessment questionnaire, a statement of their motivation to participate in the EU Aid Volunteers initiative — and in the specific placement — and an assessment of their ability to analyse a relevant scenario of humanitarian aid by means of a written test, essay or similar tests.

Based on the assessment, the sending organisation shall provide a longlist of applicants to the hosting organisation in view of jointly agreeing a shortlist of applicants to be interviewed.

Shortlisted applicants shall be invited to a structured interview based on the competence framework. The interview can be face-to-face or using telecommunication technologies, where possible, with the participation of the hosting organisation. Additional assessment methods may include assessment centres, group activities and work simulation exercises.

The sending organisation may perform, where necessary, personal and professional reference checks before final selection. Applicants shall be informed about the screening process at the start of the process in the announcement.

The hosting organisation shall take the final decision about the candidate volunteer selected and shall confirm its selection to the sending organisation, which shall be responsible for offering a position and preparing the induction phase. For each position, substitute volunteers may be chosen to replace the candidate in case he or she resigns or is no longer available.

The sending and hosting organisations must be able to demonstrate and justify how they have taken their selection decision in respect of the principles of equal treatment, equal opportunities and non-discrimination throughout the entire identification and selection process.

The selection procedure shall be completed within a reasonable time period. The sending organisation shall inform all applicants about the selection decision and inform them about the possibility to receive feedback. It shall invite the successfully selected candidate volunteer to confirm in writing their interest to participate in the EU Aid Volunteers initiative.

The sending organisation shall ensure that documentation related to the identification and selection process is traceable and retained in compliance with the data protection standard as provided for in the Commission Delegated Regulation to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014.

Based on the results of the recruitment process, the needs of the hosting organisation and the envisaged deployment, the sending organisation shall assess, in consultation with the hosting organisation and the candidate volunteer, the learning needs and identify training programme modules in which to participate based on the following criteria:

The sending organisation shall fill in the learning and development plan as provided for in the Commission Delegated Regulation to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 and identify the assessed competences of successfully selected candidate volunteers and their learning needs, to be transmitted to the training providers.

A training programme for all successfully selected candidate volunteers shall be implemented by training provider(s) with input, where relevant, from sending and hosting organisations and former volunteers.

The training programme shall be based on the competence framework and shall be adaptable to the needs of both junior and senior professionals.

The training programme shall consist of a combined learning approach based on e-learning and classroom modules.

Mandatory modules for all candidate volunteers shall include:

Optional modules shall include:

Candidate volunteers shall attend all mandatory modules and may attend one or more optional modules to be selected in accordance with Article 8.

The training curriculum, with details of each module, including its status, target group, timeline, competences addressed and related learning outcomes, shall be as set out in Annex II.

During the training and upon its completion, candidate volunteers shall be assessed for their preparedness for deployment based on the competence framework.

The assessment shall be jointly organised by the trainers, with a key coordination role to be played by the candidate volunteer's training mentor.

The assessment of competences shall be based on the trainers' assessments of the candidate volunteer's knowledge, skills and attitude, including:

The assessment of all competences shall be included in the candidate volunteer's learning and development plan that shall be updated upon completion of the training and indicate the courses followed and the results obtained.

Candidate volunteers who display poor proficiency in any of the transversal or specific competences shall be disqualified. The trainers and the training mentor must be able to explain and justify, if necessary, any such assessment and decision.

The induction process shall familiarise the candidate or EU Aid Volunteer with the sending and hosting organisations' culture, policies and practices, and the expectations of the task assignment.

The sending and hosting organisations shall jointly develop an induction programme. The programme shall define their roles and responsibilities based on inputs from returned EU Aid Volunteers, where possible, to benefit from their first-hand experience and learning. The programme shall comprise:

The sending and hosting organisations shall organise, where appropriate, joint sessions involving all candidate or EU Aid Volunteers together.

The sending organisations shall ensure that all candidate volunteers receive a thorough and appropriate face-to-face induction prior to their deployment. This shall cover, as a minimum, the following:

In the context of the induction, the sending organisation shall also provide information about the Commission's humanitarian aid field office responsible for the country of deployment and inform this office of the imminent deployment of EU Aid Volunteers.

The sending organisation shall ensure that all information provided during the induction process is read and understood by the candidate volunteers and remains easily accessible throughout their participation in the EU Aid Volunteers initiative.

Candidate volunteers who are junior professionals may be required, in addition to the training, to undertake an apprenticeship placement with a sending organisation to learn through experience the procedures, ethics and context of humanitarian work and further prepare for the envisaged deployment as an EU Aid Volunteer. The duration of the apprenticeship shall be for a maximum period of up to six months with a possibility for limited prolongation in duly justified exceptional cases.

The sending organisation, in consultation with the hosting organisation and the apprentice volunteer, shall review and update the learning needs in the learning and development plan based on the needs of the apprenticeship placement. The learning and development plan shall define in particular:

The following articles of this Regulation shall apply mutatis mutandis to the apprenticeship placements with obligations for the sending organisations hosting the apprentice volunteers:

At the end of the apprenticeship, the apprentice volunteer shall complete a self-assessment based on the competence framework and the learning and development plan.

The line manager from the sending organisation, in consultation with the hosting organisation, shall review the self-assessment and assess the apprentice volunteer in particular to:

Candidate volunteers who display poor proficiency in any of the transversal or specific competences shall be disqualified and shall not be eligible to become an EU Aid Volunteer. The line manager from the sending organisation must be able to explain and justify, if necessary, any such assessment and decision.

Based on the outcomes from the pre-deployment induction and, where relevant, the apprenticeship placement and other pre-deployment training referred to in Articles 13-15, the sending organisation, in consultation with the hosting organisation, shall confirm the final assessment for eligibility of the candidate volunteer to be deployed as an EU Aid Volunteer.

The sending organisation and the successfully assessed EU Aid Volunteer shall sign a deployment contract as set out in Article 14(5) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014.

The contract, to be defined in close consultation with the hosting organisations, shall set out the specific terms of deployment and the rights and obligations of the EU Aid Volunteer. It shall also indicate the legislation applicable to the jurisdiction of the contract pursuant to the Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 and include as a minimum the following elements:

In the event of a dispute between the hosting or sending organisation and an EU Aid Volunteer, the EU Aid Volunteer shall have the right to an effective legal remedy, in accordance with the national provisions applicable to the sending organisation.

Hosting organisations shall ensure that all EU Aid Volunteers receive a thorough and appropriate in-country induction upon their arrival in the country of deployment, covering as a minimum the following:

The hosting organisation shall ensure that all information provided during the in-country induction process is read and understood by the EU Aid Volunteer and remains easily accessible throughout their participation in the EU Aid Volunteers initiative.

Sending and hosting organisations shall jointly develop a performance management system, based on performance objectives, expected outputs and results, to measure the progress and quality of the EU Aid Volunteer's work according to the task assignment.

The performance management procedure shall specify the sending and hosting organisations' respective roles and responsibilities for the supervision of the EU Aid Volunteer.

During the induction, the sending and hosting organisations shall set, together with the EU Aid Volunteer, their performance objectives and provide them with the opportunity to comment on the flexible elements in the task assignment.

The hosting organisation shall designate a line manager who shall be responsible for supervising the EU Aid Volunteer, with whom the line manager shall have a reasonable and practical frequency of supervision meetings.

Where appropriate, depending on the length of the placement, the sending organisation and the line manager from the hosting organisation, together with the EU Aid Volunteer, shall carry out a joint mid-term performance review to formally evaluate the process of integration, progress on objectives, and to re-adjust the objectives and task assignment and the learning and development plan.

Where the conclusion of the mid-term review is that the EU Aid Volunteer displays poor proficiency in any of the transversal or specific competences, the hosting organisation in agreement with the sending organisation may take the decision to end the deployment prematurely. They must be able to explain and justify, if necessary, any such assessment and decision.

The sending organisation and the line manager from the hosting organisation, together with the EU Aid Volunteer, shall carry out a final performance review to evaluate at the end of the placement the achievements of the EU Aid Volunteer against the objectives for their task assignment and the learning and development plan.

The results from the performance review shall be integrated into the EU Aid Volunteer's learning and development plan.

The sending organisation shall retain the performance review records in accordance with the data protection standards as provided for in the Commission Delegated Regulation to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014 and send confirmation to the database whether the placement has been successfully completed and, if not, the reason thereof.

Prior to deployment, the sending organisation shall designate a contact person who shall be available for the duration of the deployment and who shall have regular contacts with the EU Aid Volunteer to:

If the designated contact person is no longer able to fulfil this role during the deployment, a replacement shall be provided as promptly as possible to ensure continuity of support.

The hosting organisation shall designate one or more mentors for the EU Aid Volunteer to provide support in areas such as:

The designated mentor(s) shall have access to, and base their support on, the EU Aid Volunteer's learning and development plan and task assignment. The mentor(s) shall meet regularly with the EU Aid Volunteer to reflect on their progress and help solve any placement-related and personal issues.

The mentoring shall take account of local realities and shall, where possible, be appropriate for local volunteers as well.

The sending organisation shall facilitate the provision of the mentoring by working in partnership with the hosting organisation to provide analytical, training and other capacity building support, and by identifying in their own structures and networks suitably and complementarily skilled designated individuals in case of low local skills availability.

Where appropriate, remote mentoring may be considered, in particular by using the network for the EU Aid Volunteers initiative.

All EU Aid Volunteers shall have adequate working conditions to enable them to perform well during their placements and to ensure their well-being, motivation, health and safety. They shall be in accordance with relevant provisions of Directive 89/391/EC (3) and Directive 2003/88/EC (4).

Sending and hosting organisations shall work jointly to define adequate working conditions based on the local and national operating contexts.

The hosting organisation shall provide the necessary information and propose the working conditions the suitability and appropriateness of which shall be assessed by the sending organisation to ensure consistency with their duty of care and the sending organisation's general policies and practices.

Sending and hosting organisations shall jointly ensure that security and health and safety risks are prevented, managed and mitigated and that the proposed working conditions follow the agreed security and health and safety procedures referred to in Articles 28, 29 and 30, and comply with the requirements for working hours, leave, minimum daily and weekly rest periods and working space referred to in point 3 of Annex I.

Sending and hosting organisations shall jointly decide on the content and process of the debriefing that shall be envisaged for all EU Aid Volunteers, including those returning prematurely.

The hosting organisation shall provide the EU Aid Volunteer with personal or group debriefing, including the final performance review referred to in Article 19(7), and, where appropriate, a project handover to the team and counterparts that will continue the activities carried out by the EU Aid Volunteer with a view to ensuring sustainability and continuity.

The sending organisation shall provide the returned EU Aid Volunteer with timely personal or group debriefing and operational or project debriefings based on feedback from the hosting organisation and finalisation of the learning and development plan.

The sending organisation shall facilitate a post-deployment medical check upon return of the EU Aid Volunteer and offer psychosocial debriefing session(s) and counselling support that the EU Aid Volunteer can attend on a voluntary basis.

The sending and hosting organisations shall guide the EU Aid Volunteer to opportunities to stay engaged in issues related to humanitarian aid and active European citizenship, including promotion of and engagement with the network for the EU Aid Volunteers initiative.

The sending organisation shall invite returned EU Aid Volunteers to provide constructive feedback on the EU Aid Volunteers initiative, including by explaining how their inputs can inform future placements.

All EU Aid Volunteers shall be covered by a complete insurance policy specifically designed to protect them during the entire duration of their deployment in the third countries and relevant periods before and after.

The insurance coverage shall be worldwide, 24 hours a day. It shall start from the day the EU Aid Volunteer leaves home on the way to the third country of deployment until the day the EU Aid Volunteer leaves the third country of deployment on the way to, and arrives back at, their home (‘the first period of coverage’).

For insurance coverage longer than 12 weeks, it shall be extended for a further 8 weeks in the insured's home country to cover follow-up medical treatment for illnesses and injuries that occurred during the first period of coverage.

The coverage shall be applicable to all activities linked to the EU Aid Volunteers initiative and also the private activities of EU Aid Volunteers during the first period of coverage.

All EU Aid Volunteers shall be covered at 100 % (total coverage) for the following:

In order to ensure equal treatment and coverage of all EU Aid Volunteers, the Commission may contract one or several insurance providers through a procurement procedure.

The sending organisation shall provide subsistence to EU Aid Volunteers in their capacity as non-employed individuals in the form of lump sum payments that shall be paid in good time and in regular instalments.

Subsistence lump sum payments shall be based on a consumption basket covering regular expenses of the EU Aid Volunteer for the following items:

Accommodation costs shall not be part of the subsistence lump sums.

The Commission shall publish information on subsistence lump sums for countries of deployment on the basis of country indexes. Special needs linked to disability or other duly justified exceptional circumstances may be reimbursed in addition to the subsistence payment.

EU Aid Volunteers shall be informed in a timely manner about changes in the indexes and subsistence rates that affect them during a placement, in particular in countries with high inflation or deflation rates.

Upon successful completion of deployment, the sending organisation shall provide to returning EU Aid Volunteers a regularly indexed resettlement allowance of EUR 100 per month, according to the length of their deployment.

The sending organisation shall ensure that the hosting organisation provides adequate accommodation to the EU Aid Volunteer at a reasonable cost in the local context.

Sending and hosting organisations shall jointly ensure that security and health and safety risks are prevented, managed and mitigated and that the proposed accommodation follows the agreed security and health and safety procedures referred to in Articles 28, 29 and 30 and complies with the requirements set out in point 4 of Annex I.

Costs for accommodation, heating and other directly related costs shall be borne directly by the hosting organisation, where possible. The hosting organisation shall undertake the contractual relations with landlords and take all necessary steps to brief hosts and landlords about the EU Aid Volunteers initiative.

The sending organisation shall organise the travel of the EU Aid Volunteer to and from the place of deployment, including in cases of early return, and shall cover the travel costs.

At the request of the EU Aid Volunteer, the sending organisation shall organise and cover the costs of additional return travel for:

Travel costs may be based either on the actual costs of economy or second class tariffs or reimbursed in the form of lump sums based on a reasonable methodology for distance calculation.

The sending organisation shall provide information and logistical support in arranging the visa for the EU Aid Volunteer and the hosting organisation shall support the visa process, as required. The sending organisation shall cover the costs related to obtaining the visa, including necessary travel costs.

The sending organisation shall have in place an organisational security policy and risk assessment procedures that shall be suitable and applicable for EU Aid Volunteers and, where necessary, adapted.

Based on the sending organisation's organisational security policy, sending and hosting organisations shall jointly develop a security management and evacuation plan for actions under the EU Aid Volunteers initiative. Such plans shall as a minimum comply with the requirements set out in point 5 of Annex I.

Sending and hosting organisations shall jointly develop a written assessment of security, travel and health risks for the country of deployment. Such assessments shall as a minimum comply with the requirements set out in point 6 of Annex I.

The risk assessment referred to in paragraph 3 shall be reviewed and updated as regularly as required by the context and, as a minimum, before the deployment of the EU Aid Volunteer. Where the risk assessment leads to the conclusion that deployment would take place in the theatre of international or non-international armed conflict, or threats thereof, deployment shall not be envisaged or shall be cancelled in case an EU Aid Volunteer has been already selected.

Requirements related to security awareness and appropriate behaviour in relation to risk and security management shall be included in the description of the task assignment and the recruitment process.

The sending organisation shall inform the relevant national authorities of Member States and other participating countries, in accordance with Article 23 of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014, before one of their citizens is deployed as an EU Aid Volunteer. Prior to deployment, the sending organisation deploying EU Aid Volunteers who are not citizens of the Union shall ascertain the rules for consular protection provided by the volunteer's country of nationality or another country.

Sending and hosting organisations shall ensure that all information on security and safety procedures is shared with and understood by the EU Aid Volunteer. During the induction, a context-specific security briefing shall be provided before departure and within 24 hours upon arrival in the country of deployment. This must include the results from the risk assessment, the evacuation and security management plan, including security incident reporting, procedures for evacuation and repatriation, communication tree, crisis management contact officer(s), and details of embassies, police and fire stations, and hospitals.

The sending organisation shall ensure that the EU Aid Volunteer is covered, as a minimum, by the insurance provided according to Article 24.

In addition to the mandatory security training in the context of the training programme, the sending organisation shall provide EU Aid Volunteers with any other relevant security training provided to its own international staff.

When signing the contract referred to in Article 16(2), the EU Aid Volunteers shall acknowledge awareness of and compliance with the security management procedures, including their duty to keep themselves informed and up-to-date with current security situations; their personal responsibility concerning security management for themselves, others and the organisation; and the duty to refrain from risk-taking behaviour. Sending and hosting organisations shall make the EU Aid Volunteer aware of the consequences of any breach of security procedures, in particular those resulting in a premature forced end of placement.

The sending organisation shall recommend to EU Aid Volunteers that they register with the embassy or consulate of their nationality upon arrival in the country of deployment, and inform them about the possibility of requesting consular assistance thereof. If the country of the EU Aid Volunteer's nationality does not have a consular representation in the country of deployment, the sending organisation shall recommend to EU Aid Volunteers who are citizens of the Union to register with a consulate or embassy of another Member State, and inform them about the possibility of requesting consular assistance thereof.

Based on updates from the hosting organisation, sending and hosting organisations shall regularly update the evacuation plan to ensure it remains suitable for the operating environment at all times. The outcome of the risk assessment shall inform the frequency at which the plan is to be reviewed and the hosting organisation shall use past data and current updates to adjust it, as necessary. The evacuation plan shall be kept in a place that is easily accessible for the EU Aid Volunteer.

The hosting organisation shall ensure that the EU Aid Volunteer is updated about any change in the operating environment and the consequent amendment in any of the security procedures or protocols.

The hosting organisation shall be aware of the location of the EU Aid Volunteer, and the contact number to reach them at all times, including when on leave.

In case of a security incident, the EU Aid Volunteer shall be debriefed as soon as possible. Depending on the seriousness of the incident and the procedures in place in the sending and hosting organisations, this debriefing may be undertaken by the line manager or the mentor from the hosting organisation, or the crisis management officer in the sending organisation, and may include professional psychological support.

In case of evacuation, the evacuation plan shall be followed and the EU Aid Volunteer shall be taken care of at all times, following, where relevant, procedures in place in the consulates or embassies where the EU Aid Volunteer has been registered in accordance with Article 28(11).

The sending organisation shall contact EU Aid Volunteers upon their return and ensure that they receive adequate follow-up, including debriefing, psychosocial and medical support.

Security shall be included in the sending and hosting organisations' monitoring and evaluation framework and lessons learned from security incidents shall inform project review and improvement.

The sending organisation shall have in place an organisational health and safety policy that shall be suitable and applicable for EU Aid Volunteers and, where necessary, adapted, including guidelines on:

Based on the sending organisation's organisational health and safety policy, sending and hosting organisations shall jointly develop a comprehensive set of health and safety policies and guidelines to meet their duty of care obligations and to ensure the physical and emotional well-being of EU Aid Volunteers.

As part of the risk assessment referred to in Article 28(3) and before defining the task assignment, sending and hosting organisations shall jointly assess whether the placement provides safe and secure working and living conditions for the EU Aid Volunteer based on the basis of the indicators set out in point 7 of Annex I.

The sending organisation shall ensure that the EU Aid Volunteer is covered, as a minimum, by comprehensive medical and travel insurance provisions in accordance with Article 24.

During the induction, the sending organisation shall brief the EU Aid Volunteer on the health and safety policies and guidelines referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, including diseases, first aid support, maintenance for all locations, maintenance of vehicle and equipment, workstations, work-life balance, health and security incidents, procedure for medical evacuation.

The sending organisation shall ensure that the EU Aid Volunteer completes a thorough medical check-up prior to departure, and provide the recommended medication and vaccinations for the risks in the country of deployment and equipment, such as first aid and mosquito kits, where necessary.

The hosting organisation shall ensure that duty of care is integrated in the day-to-day volunteer management and, during the induction, provide the EU Aid Volunteer with:

The sending organisation shall facilitate a post-deployment medical check upon the return of the EU Aid Volunteer and offer psychosocial debriefing session(s) or counselling support as part of the debriefing process. The sending and hosting organisations shall promote the network for the EU Aid Volunteers initiative as an alternative support mechanism before, during and after the deployment.

Based on the supervision and performance management procedure referred to in Article 19, sending and hosting organisations shall monitor and assess the individual performance of EU Aid Volunteers, measuring progress, outputs and results with reference to the EU Aid Volunteer's task assignment and its objectives.

The monitoring and assessment of the individual performance of EU Aid Volunteers shall be an ongoing process throughout the entire placement with specific reviews, as a minimum, at the following stages:

The sending and hosting organisations shall provide data that demonstrates to what extent the individual performance of the EU Aid Volunteer contributes — at outcome and impact level — to the objectives of the project and the overall initiative, taking into account the indicators referred to in Article 7 of the Regulation (EU) No 375/2014. The data shall contain records of the quality of the outputs and results of the EU Aid Volunteer's work that are to be anonymised and available for evaluation purposes. These data shall be processed in accordance with the data protection standards provided for in the Commission Delegated Regulation to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014.

Sending organisations shall provide support to build capacities of the hosting organisations for measuring progress, outputs and results with reference to the EU Aid Volunteer's task assignment and its objectives.

Hosting organisations aspiring for certification shall provide an objective and truthful self-assessment in accordance with the requirements referred to in point 1 of Annex III, assessing their existing policies and practices against the requirements of the standards and procedures regarding candidate volunteers and EU Aid Volunteers set out in this Regulation and in the Commission Delegated Regulation to be adopted on the basis of Article 9(2) of Regulation (EU) No 375/2014.

In the self-assessment, the hosting organisation shall disclose any gaps and areas of need for improvement that may require capacity building in order to reach a full level of compliance.

The hosting organisation shall provide with the self-assessment three references in accordance with the requirements set out in point 1 of Annex III to provide comprehensive information on all requirements of the standards and procedures regarding candidate volunteers and EU Aid Volunteers. The references shall be from a minimum of two of the following groups of stakeholders:

The completed self-assessment shall be signed by the person empowered to represent and legally bind the hosting organisation and sent, together with the references referred to in paragraph 3, to the Commission.

Based on the self-assessment and the references, the Commission shall assess the application and may take one of the following decisions:

Within six months of receipt of the application, the Commission shall inform the applicant hosting organisation about the outcome of the certification, specifying also opportunities for capacity building support, if needed, with a view to re-submitting an application. In case there are any identified needs to be met based on a strategy for capacity building to be provided by the applicant hosting organisation, the latter shall be eligible and have priority for capacity building support.

Sending organisations aspiring for certification shall provide an objective and truthful evidence-based self-assessment in accordance with the requirements referred to in point 2 of Annex III, assessing their existing policies and practices against the requirements of the standards and procedures regarding candidate and EU Aid Volunteers.

In the evidence-based self-assessment, the sending organisation shall disclose any gaps and areas of need for improvement that may require technical assistance in order to reach a full level of compliance. It shall also enclose sample evidence and means of verification that the policies and practices referred to in each of the requirements of the standards and procedures are implemented, particularly in relation to volunteers.

The completed evidence-based self-assessment shall be signed by the person empowered to represent and legally bind the sending organisation and sent, together with the accompanying documents referred to in paragraph 2, to the Commission.

Based on the evidence-based self-assessment and the accompanying documents provided, the Commission shall assess the application and may take one of the following decisions:

Within six months of receipt of the application, the Commission shall inform the applicant sending organisation about the outcome of the certification, specifying also opportunities for technical assistance, if needed, with a view to re-submitting an application. In case there are any identified needs to be met based on a strategy for technical assistance to be provided by the sending organisation, the latter shall be eligible and have priority for technical assistance.

A decision of the Commission not to award certification and reject the application shall indicate that the rejected applicant organisation may only re-apply after a twelve-month period, starting from the date of receipt by the applicant of the decision of rejection. The decision shall specify also the available legal remedies against the decision.

In pursuance of Articles 256 and 263 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), the General Court has jurisdiction over acts of the European Commission intended to produce legal effects vis-à-vis third parties. Likewise, in pursuance of Article 256, 268 and 340 TFEU, the General Court has jurisdiction in disputes relating to compensation for damages caused by the European Commission in the case of non-contractual liability.

The certified sending and hosting organisations shall undergo re-certification after three years upon receipt of the decision of the Commission awarding the certification or at any time in the event of substantial amendments to the standards or procedures for the issues concerned.

Within the period of validity of the certification, the certified sending and hosting organisations may be required, where necessary, to undergo regular checks to be undertaken by the Commission.

Certified sending and hosting organisations shall immediately inform the Commission of any change in their legal, financial, technical or organisational situation that may put into question their compliance with the standards and procedures, or may create conflicts of interests. They shall also inform the Commission of any change in their name, address or legal representative.

Based on the information obtained from the certified sending or hosting organisation, including from the regular checks referred to in Article 36(2) or information obtained through any other means, the Commission may consider that the certified sending or hosting organisation no longer complies with one or more of the standards or procedures. In such cases, the Commission may take appropriate action, including suspending or terminating the certification, in accordance with the procedure set out in point 3 of Annex III.

The sending or hosting organisation subject to a suspended or terminated certification shall not deploy or host EU Aid Volunteers as from the date of the suspension or termination and shall not be eligible to receive financial assistance from the Union to that end.

In light of the reasons for the suspension or termination of the certification, in particular the safety and security of EU Aid Volunteers, the Commission may require the repatriation of EU Aid Volunteers who are deployed at the time of the suspension or termination.

The sending or hosting organisation shall not be entitled to claim compensation on account of a suspension or termination of certification.