EU funds
EU uses different financing instruments to achieve their policy goals and organizations, public sector bodies, companies and so on can apply for funding for different types of projects from a variety of different EU funds. This type of funding is often distributed via calls for proposals published on EU websites.
Some EU funds are managed together with designated national authorities in Member States. Below, a few different EU funds that may be of interest to stakeholders with responsibilities within civil contingencies is described.
How do EU funds work?
In order to receive funding for a specific project it is important to understand the policy purpose of various funds, and to understand what the specific call requirements are, i.e., what kind of activities can be funded and so on.
For example, EU funds often require Member States to apply for funds together with actors in different member states and form a consortium. This requirement is used by EU to achieve a greater cooperation between member states in different policy areas. There are also major differences between the co-financing rate of the funds, the duration of the project time, the reporting requirements and so on.
Read more on the funds, their terms and conditions, and open calls for each fund in the link below the presentation of each fund. Almost all of EU’s funding calls for proposals are published on the European Commission’s application portal Single Electronic Data Interchange Area, SEDIA.
Various EU funds
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Internal Security Fund – ISF
The Internal Security Fund (ISF) aims to promote the implementation of the Internal Security Strategy, increase law enforcement cooperation and the management of the Union’s external borders. The ISF fund finances activities in two different policy areas:
- Borders and visa (ISF Borders and Visa)
- Police cooperation, preventing and combating crime, and crisis management (ISF Police)
The ISF fund is managed by both the Commission and each member state, which entail that the national police authorities in member states manage and allocate funding to actors in their country. Therefore, calls for proposals are published by both the Commission and the Swedish Police Authority, which is the designated managing authority for the ISF-fund in Sweden.
Read more about the fund on the European Commission’s website
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European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
The European Regional Development Fund is one of the four European structural and investment funds (ESI Funds) that shall contribute to the EU’s sustainability goals. The purpose of the funds is to decrease the regional inequalities within the EU. The Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (Tillväxtverket) is responsible for the programmes within the European Regional Development Fund in Sweden.
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Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM)
In order to strengthen the EU’s capability to manage disasters, the EU has established the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). The overall objective of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism is to strengthen the cooperation between EU Member States and 6 Participating States within civil protection to improve prevention, preparedness, and disaster response.
Read more about the fund on the European Commission’s website