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General Introduction

What are the objectives of the Grants?
What are the differences between the EEA and Norway Grants?
How does financing work?
Which areas are supported by the Grants?
Which are the Programme Areas?
Who can apply?
How to apply?
How to develop a partnership?
Who manages the calls for application?
Who are the actors of the institutional setup of the Grants?


What are the objectives of the Grants?

The EEA and Norway Grants are financial mechanisms established by Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. The Donor States are not members of the European Union, but are members of the European Economic Area (EEA). Therefore they do not contribute financially to the common policies of the EU, but thinking in terms of solidarity they help reducing the differences between the countries of the European Economic Area with these separate Grants. The overall objectives of the EEA and Norway Grants are reduction of economic and social disparities and strengthening bilateral relations between the Donor States and the beneficiary states, including Hungary. The beneficiary states of the Norway Grants are the 13 states that joined the European Union since 2004; the EEA Grants additionally gives support to Greece and Portugal.

What are the differences between the EEA and Norway Grants?

Norway Grants is a financial mechanism established by Norway; EEA Grants is established by Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. In the framework of EEA Grants it is cooperation, exchange of knowledge and know-how with Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtensteiner organisations that might contribute to strengthening bilateral relations. In the framework of Norway Grants partnerships might materialize in common initiatives with Norwegian institutions and organisations.

How does financing work?

The above mentioned funds are also called EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms. Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein signed the Memoranda of Understanding with Hungary on 21 December 2020 that make 214 million EUR available.  The 2014-2021 financing period, in spite of its name, will not terminate in 2021. The implementation period of the winning projects should have ended until 30 April 2024.

Which areas are supported by the Grants?

Hungary and the Donor States jointly selected 8 areas to the development of which the Donor States are willing to contribute. These are called Programmes for which the responsible Programme Operators were also designated in the Memoranda of Understanding.

Which are the Programme Areas?

The 4 Programmes supported by the EEA Grants are the following: Education and Scholarships, Climate change and energy, Culture, Civil society. The 3 Programmes supported by the Norway Grants are the following: Business development, innovation and SMEs; Local development and poverty reduction; Social dialogue – decent work. Fund for bilateral relations and Roma inclusion and empowerment are supported by EEA and Norway Grants as well. Further information on each Programme Area can be found within the menu Programmes. Two of the above mentioned programmes are implemented outside the institutional set-up covered by this website, with contribution of the Fund Operators designated directly by the Donor States. These areas of the EEA Grants are Civil Society, which is also called ‘Civil Alap' and within the Norway Grants, Social dialogue - decent work.  Further information is available directly on the Fund Operators' websites.

Who can apply?

The circle of eligible applicants is always determined in the given calls. There are calls to which only municipalities, or non-profit organisations, companies, or in certain cases individuals can apply.

How to apply?

To be uploaded.

How to develop a partnership?

In certain calls Hungarian applicants will be required to implement their project in cooperation with a Norwegian/Icelandic/Liechtensteiner partner institution. If an applicant has no connection with a donor state institution and wants to find a partner to be able to apply, they can express their interest on project partner seeker events organized by the Programme Operators. These events / online conferences are usually published between the News of this website.  You can find out more information about partnership opportunities here.

Who manages the calls for application?

The Implementing Agency which is under selection procedure, manages launching and handling calls and keeps contact with the applicants of the Programmes for which Hungary is responsible. To each Programme a ‘Programme Operator' is appointed who determines the Programme's objectives and the content of the calls, takes decisions on the granting of financial assistance, and monitors the technical implementation.

Who are the actors of the institutional setup of the Grants?

National Institutions

1. National Focal Point (NFP)
Prime Minister’s Office – Deputy State Secretariat for Development Policy Services

Tasks: overall responsibility for implementing the Programmes regularly and in accordance with the objectives stated in the Memoranda of Understanding, supervision of implementation, establishing the Monitoring Committee, establishing institutional, financial and procedural rules and regulations in order to allocating and utilizing grants, reporting to the Donor States. 

2. Programme Operators (POs)
Fund for Bilateral Relations Prime Minister’s Office – Deputy State Secretariat for Development Policy Services Climate change and energy Ministry for Innovation and Technology  Culture Ministry of Human Resources – State Secretariat Responsible for EU Development Policy Education and Scholarships Tempus Public Foundation Local development and poverty reduction Prime Minister’s Office – Deputy State Secretariat for Development Policy Services Business development, innovation and SMEs Prime Minister’s Office – Deputy State Secretariat for Development Policy Services Roma inclusion and empowerment Ministry of Interior Civil Society Financial Mechanism Office Social dialogue – decent work Innovation Norway Tasks: developing Programmes and calls, taking decision on granting of financial assistance, concluding project contracts, approval of disbursement requests, conducting monitoring visits, controlling, managing irregularities, ensuring publicity of the Programmes. 

3. Implementing Agency (IA)

Tasks: answering the questions of the project promoters, establishing and managing the IT system for applications, admission of applications, admission and formal check of progress reports, admission and check of payment requests, preparing disbursement of granting, conducting monitoring visits.

4. Audit Authority (AA)
Directorate General for Audit of European Funds

Tasks: Controlling the implementation of the Grants, developing an audit strategy, conducting system, programme and project level audits, reporting to the Donor States.

5. Certifying Authority (CA)
Hungarian State Treasury

Tasks: Submission of requests for payment to the Donor States, supplying data about financial implementation, certifying compliance of the financial and accounting procedures. 

6. Operative Committee (OC)

Tasks: Regularly examines the progress of the implementation of the Financial Mechanisms in relation to the achievement of objectives and outcomes. Its full members are the NFP, representatives of the line-ministries, and organisations representing the municipalities, private sector, social partners and civil society. 

7. Cooperation Committee (CC)

Tasks: Advisory body that supports the given Programme Area's preparation and implementation to which members are delegated by the Programme Operator, the Donor Programme Partners, and other entities determined by the Memoranda of Understanding or the Programme Operator.

Donor Institutions

1. Financial Mechanism Office (FMO) – Brussels

Tasks: FMO is an organisation supporting the Donor States in the operative implementation of the financial mechanisms and is their primary focal point towards the beneficiary states. 

2. Donor Programme Partners (DDPs)

  • The Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (DIKU),
  • Liechtenstein National Agency for International Education (AIBA),
  • The Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNIS)
  • Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE),
  • The Icelandic National Energy Authority (OS)
  • Directorate for Cultural Heritage (RA),
  • Norwegian Arts Council (ACN)
  • Icelandic Research Centre (RANNIS)
  • European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)
  • Innovation Norway
  • The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities (KS)

Tasks: Donor States' institutions or intergovernmental institutions appointed by the Donor States that have advisory role in programme preparation and implementation.