The URBACT IV 2021-2027 Programme opens for proposals

Cities from 34 European countries with access to €80 million for integrated action plans to tackle common challenges

The first call for project proposals under the URBACT IV 2021-2027 Programme, which is managed for Bulgaria by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, has been launched.

Until the end of March, local authorities can submit proposals under the ‘Joint Planning Networks’ measure. The aim is to create networks involving local authorities and their European partners. The call is primarily aimed at city administrations wishing to work with other European cities to develop and implement integrated action plans in response to shared local challenges.

Eligible to participate are cities and other public authorities from the 27 EU Member States, the partner countries Norway and Switzerland, as well as the countries benefiting from the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, the Republic of North Macedonia and Serbia. The programme covers the entire territory of the participating countries and is open to cities of all sizes.

URBACT specifically supports urban authorities from the neighbourhood to the functional urban area level, depending on the topic covered and the impact that can be made. This includes urban-rural linkages and cross-border functional urban areas.

The total budget of the URBACT IV Programme for the period 2021-2027 is close to €106 million, of which almost €80 million is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), €23 million is national co-financing from the Programme Member States and €3 million is provided by the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA).

For Bulgaria, applicants from the South-West planning region will be eligible to receive 70% of the project cost from the ERDF. For the other regions, 80% funding is foreseen. The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works as the National Programme Authority provides 15 % national co-financing.

Detailed information about the call and the conditions of participation can be found on the programme website: https://urbact.eu/get-involved, including a summary info-graphic about the call in Bulgarian.

The deadline for applications is 15:00 on 31 March 2023.