Insurance coverage
1. 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.
2. 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’).
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. All EU Aid Volunteers shall be covered at 100 % (total coverage) for the following:
(a)
medical and dental care;
(b)
pregnancy and childbirth;
(c)
accident;
(d)
repatriation;
(e)
life insurance;
(f)
permanent and temporary disability or incapacity;
(g)
third party liability;
(h)
loss or theft of documents, travel tickets and personal belongings;
(i)
complementary assistance.
6. 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.
Subsistence and resettlement allowance
1. 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.
2. Subsistence lump sum payments shall be based on a consumption basket covering regular expenses of the EU Aid Volunteer for the following items:
(a)
food;
(b)
toiletries and household products;
(c)
clothing;
(d)
local transport and in-country transport;
(e)
miscellaneous expenses deemed necessary to ensure an appropriate standard of living and participation in local society (a maximum of 20 % of the total amount for items listed in points (a) to (d) can be added to include other costs such as leisure activities, haircuts, newspapers and stationery).
(f)
contingency amount for EU Aid Volunteers staying in areas with indexes above the country average (maximum 10 % for items listed in points (a) to (d)).
3. Accommodation costs shall not be part of the subsistence lump sums.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
Accommodation
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
Travel and related costs
1. 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.
2. At the request of the EU Aid Volunteer, the sending organisation shall organise and cover the costs of additional return travel for:
(a)
Home leave of EU Aid Volunteers whose deployment period exceeds 18 months;
(b)
Parental leave of EU Aid Volunteers who have one or more dependent children under the age of 12, if their deployment period exceeds 6 months;
(c)
Special leave in case of funeral or medically certified serious illness of an ascending or descending direct relative, spouse or registered partner, sister or brother.
3. 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.
4. 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.
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
