EEA Financial Mechanisms. Poland issues open call for proposals

Poland has issued an open call for proposals for grants under the EEA Financial Mechanisms. The funds available in this round amount to about NOK 1.4 billion. “We are pleased that funds for this extensive co-operation with Poland are now being made available. A number of actors in Norway have already established contacts in Poland and are preparing projects. I am confident that the EEA grants under the financial mechanisms will strengthen relations at many levels between Norway and the largest of the new EU member states,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Jan Petersen.

Over a period of five years Poland will receive nearly half of the EUR 1.17 billion made available by Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein to promote economic and social cohesion in the enlarged European Economic Area. The deadline for applications in this round is 30 November. Applications for grants may be submitted by public institutions, NGOs, research institutions and companies. Applicants will be encouraged to co-operate with Norwegian partners. Once the open call for proposals has been issued, it will be published on www.eeagrants.org.

The open call for proposals covers a number of sectors, such as environment and sustainable development, health and children, protection of the European cultural heritage, training programmes and preparation for Poland’s entry into the Schengen co-operation. Within each of these sectors, the Polish authorities have defined specific focus areas. These are specified in the two Memoranda of Understanding that were signed last autumn – one for the Norwegian Financial Mechanism and one for the EEA Financial Mechanism. More information about the mechanisms can be found on www.dep.no/europaportalen.

Poland is the fourth of the 13 beneficiary countries to issue open calls for proposals under the financial mechanisms, which will be operative in the period 2004-2009. The Czech Republic, Slovenia and Malta have already done so. The funds are channelled through the EEA Financial Mechanism, to which the three EEA countries Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein contribute according to their size and economic weight, and the Norwegian Financial Mechanism, to which only Norway contributes. The two mechanisms are of similar size in terms of funds, and the priority sectors they cover overlap to a certain extent. The mechanisms were established in connection with the EU enlargement on 1 May last year. Norway has pledged a total of NOK 9 billion during the five-year period.