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AccessionRadar

Issue #4: EU funding calls for the enlargement region

Published 22 days ago • 5 min read
Issue #4 · Monday 19 October 2026
A media call worth three weeks, and the cross-border rules in black and white
Hi there,
Two things this week. A new call for independent media in the Western Balkans, with real money for business development and a deadline three weeks out. And the full guidelines for the North Macedonia–Albania cross-border call, which we flagged last week before the details were public. The grants are bigger than we expected, and the partnership rule is stricter.
2 calls scored 15 deadlines in 45 days 1 correction
■ GO   ■ MAYBE   ■ TRAP  ·  The score rates practical fit for a typical small or medium organisation in the region, not the odds of winning.
Coverage: Albania, Georgia, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine.
01 / Last call · Scored in earlier issues, deadlines re-checked 17 Oct
30 OCT EIT Culture & Creativity: Skills-based CPD Courses
Up to €75k for online professional courses, 75% funded. Training providers from all 9 countries can apply alone. 17:00 CET.
Official call → 		4/5 GO
31 OCT IMPACT NETWORKS: Moldova–Ukraine cooperation
Up to €50k, 100% funded, for hubs, clusters and development agencies paired across the border.
Official call → 		4/5 GO
3 NOV NLnet: NGI Restack and CodeSupply
€5k–€50k for open-source internet tools, short form, anyone can apply.
Official call → 		4/5 GO
9 NOV FIERCE 2nd Open Call: SMEs using space data
Up to €50k per SME, light application, but only if your service already uses satellite data. 17:00 CET. How-to-apply webinar 27 Oct.
Official call → 		3/5 MAYBE
02 / New this week · Scored with our framework
AL · XK · ME · MK · RS
01 #SustainMedia grants for independent media in the Western Balkans
4/5 · GO DEADLINE 8 NOV
For independent media outlets
Who
Independent private media companies and non-profit media outlets established in the Western Balkans. Public broadcasters and state-linked media can't apply
Money
Lot 1: up to €70,000 (about 10 grants, 24 months). Lot 2: up to €20,000 (about 15 grants, 12 months). Co-financing to be confirmed
Effort
Medium
Consortium
Optional (encouraged)
Lot 1 covers business models, revenue and digital transformation. Lot 2 covers thematic journalism on either democracy resilience and EU integration, or climate and the green transition. One application per organisation. Funded by the EU and Germany's BMZ, run by GIZ with DW Akademie. Online info session 20 Oct, 10:00.
RADAR TAKE
Business development money for media is rare, and Lot 1 pays for what most small outlets can't fund themselves: a revenue plan and the tools to carry it out. You can only apply once, so pick one lot. Lot 1 also asks for an action plan and a KPI form, so it needs the full three weeks. Request your 2025 financial statements and tax certificate now, because they're part of the package and take time to get.
✓ VERIFIED 17 OCT 2026
VIEW OFFICIAL CALL →
North Macedonia + Albania · programme area
02 IPA III Cross-border Programme North Macedonia–Albania, 2nd call: the rules, confirmed
4/5 · GO DEADLINE 15 JAN
For partnerships with a public authority on each side
Who
Non-profit bodies in the programme area (MK: Pelagonia, Polog, Southwest; AL: Dibër, Elbasan, Korçë): municipalities, development agencies, CSOs, chambers, schools and universities, cultural and heritage bodies, national parks, public utilities
Money
€600,000–€1,000,000 per grant, covering 60–85% of costs. €3.43M in total
Effort
High (concept note first, full application if shortlisted)
Consortium
Required: 1–4 co-applicants, at least one from the other country, and a public authority from each country
Two priorities: environment, climate adaptation and risk management; and tourism with cultural and natural heritage, including small tourism businesses and rural women and youth. Projects run 24–36 months. Concept notes due 15 Jan 2027, 12:00 CET. Each lead applicant can submit only one application. Restricted call EuropeAid/187670.
RADAR TAKE
These are large grants with a strict partnership rule. Every application needs a public authority from both North Macedonia and Albania, so a CSO or agency without a municipality on board can't apply. The 15–40% co-financing is a real cost: Albanian partners pay it from their own budget, while in North Macedonia the Ministry of Local Self-Government can cover up to 15%. If you already have the municipalities, start the concept note now. If you don't, have that conversation first.
✓ VERIFIED 15 OCT 2026
VIEW OFFICIAL CALL →
03 / Also on the radar · Not scored this week
Georgia: up to €9,000 for cultural intermediary organisations · EU4Culture II, run by Goethe-Institut Georgien. For non-profits registered in Georgia for at least two years that represent or serve the cultural and creative sector. Apply in English. Deadline 26 Oct · Details →
Moldova: ODA grant window for SMEs · The November window covers micro-producers, digital and tech start-ups, technological modernisation, digital transition and business launch for returning migrants, with about MDL 25.9M in total. It stays open for five working days or until the money runs out. Grant sizes per programme are to be confirmed on ODA's site. Deadline 2–6 Nov · Details →
European Prize for Women Innovators 2027 · Prizes of €20k–€100k for women founders from the EU and Horizon Europe associated countries, which include all 9 we cover. A separate category is for women under 35. This is a prize, not a project grant. Deadline 1 Dec, 17:00 Brussels time · Details →
04 / Coming up · Start planning now
Western Balkans Fund: regional cooperation grants · Still not published as of 17 Oct. The Fund's 2026 page only says the scheme will open in autumn. The previous round paid €20k–€30k, needed partners from 4+ Western Balkan economies and 20% cash co-financing. We'll flag it the day it opens · Details →
Kosovo–North Macedonia cross-border programme, 2nd call · Not launched as of 17 Oct. The programme's open-calls page still lists only the 1st call, and the monitoring committee was preparing the 2nd in June · Details →
Erasmus+ 2027 · The 2027 Programme Guide isn't out yet. Last year's was published on 12 November, with deadlines in February–March. Start forming consortia now
Visegrad+ grants · Next window 1 January–1 February 2027. Up to 100% funded; needs partners from V4 countries plus the Western Balkans or Eastern Partnership · Details →
Horizon Europe Excellence Hubs · €1.5–4.5M per project for innovation ecosystems in widening countries, deadline 4 March 2027 · Details →
05 / Deadline radar · Next 45 days
20 OCT GOTOTWIN experiments
AL · ME · MK · RS 		3/5
22 OCT Perform Europe
Creative Europe countries 		–
26 OCT EU4Culture II intermediaries
Georgia 		–
28 OCT COST Open Call
All covered countries 		3/5
30 OCT EIT C&C CPD Courses
All 9 		4/5
30 OCT EIT C&C Innovation Projects
All 9 		3/5
31 OCT IMPACT NETWORKS
Moldova + 4 UA oblasts 		4/5
3 NOV NLnet Restack / CodeSupply
Worldwide 		4/5
3 NOV CERV DAPHNE
AL · XK · ME · MK · RS · MD · UA 		–
6 NOV ODA SME grants (window opens 2 Nov)
Moldova 		–
8 NOV #SustainMedia grants
AL · XK · ME · MK · RS 		4/5
9 NOV FIERCE 2nd Open Call
All 9 		3/5
12 NOV POLICY ENLARGE
Enlargement countries only 		–
13 NOV Interreg Euro-MED Call 8
Trap: associated partner only 		TRAP
1 DEC Women Innovators prize
All 9 		–
◎ RADAR TIP
Read the "NB" lines before anything else. In EU guidelines, the rules that rule you out are often in short notes under the eligibility list, not in the list itself. In the North Macedonia–Albania call, the requirement for a public authority on each side is one of those lines. Before you plan activities, read section 2.1.1 (who can apply) and every NB under it, and check your partnership against them.
CORRECTIONS & NOTES
• North Macedonia–Albania cross-border call. In Issue #3 we listed the grant size as to be confirmed and quoted €400k–€800k from the 1st call. The guidelines now confirm €600,000–€1,000,000 per grant, 60–85% of eligible costs, with a public authority from each country in every partnership. Full details are in this issue.
• FIERCE. The FAQ on the call page still shows the old cut-off dates (28 Feb and 31 Mar 2026). The deadline on the main page is 9 November 2026, 17:00 CET. If in doubt, ask helpdesk@project-fierce.eu.
Not sure whether a call fits your organisation? Reply with your country and organisation type, and we'll tell you what to watch.
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AccessionRadar

The weekly EU funding radar for the EU enlargement region. Every Monday: open EU and donor calls for the Western Balkans, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia and Türkiye, filtered by country and scored go/no-go by a practitioner with 25 years in EU-funded development. Read it in 10 minutes.

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