Call Town Twinning 2026
EU Town Twinning 2026 supports local citizen exchanges to foster European identity, inclusion, and democratic participation.
This call funds projects that promote exchanges between citizens of different countries through town twinning. It aims to strengthen mutual understanding, inclusion, and active citizenship at the local level. Projects should raise awareness of EU values and encourage cultural participation and social resilience.
Likely relevant for
- Local authorities
- Municipalities
- Cultural organizations
- NGOs working on inclusion and democracy
- Community groups focused on social cohesion
Project signals
What it funds
- Projects promoting exchanges between citizens of different countries via town twinning
- Activities fostering intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding
- Initiatives raising awareness of EU values, rights, and democratic standards
- Community-based actions preventing violence and promoting inclusion
- Cultural participation and heritage awareness activities
- Efforts to improve accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities
Expected outcomes
- Strengthened mutual understanding and friendship among citizens at local level
- Increased sense of belonging to the EU
- Long-lasting bonds between municipalities and citizens
- Enhanced cross-border cooperation on democratic participation
- Improved prevention policies against domestic violence and violence against children
- Greater inclusion of marginalized and disadvantaged groups
- Increased citizen participation in cultural activities and heritage appreciation
Who can apply / participate
- Local authorities
- Municipalities
- Non-governmental organizations
- Community-based organizations
- Cultural organizations
- Single-stage submission model
- Check call document for consortium requirements
- Eligible countries as described in the call document
- Applicants must meet admissibility conditions including page limits and layout
- Financial and operational capacity requirements apply
- Refer to call document for detailed eligibility conditions
- Exact list of eligible countries
- Specific consortium composition rules
Must check before shortlisting
- Eligibility of applicant types and countries
- Specific budget and lump sum grant conditions
- Detailed evaluation criteria and thresholds
Money
Total budget of approximately EUR 6,000,000 for 2026 under lump sum grants.
- Total budget — 6000000EURFor the year 2026
Application notes
- Single-stage submission model. Proposal page limits and layout described in call document and application form.
- Call document and annexes
- Application form templates
- Model Grant Agreements
- Calculator for lump sum grants
- CERV Work Programmes and Regulations
- EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509
- Rules for Legal Entity Validation and Financial Capacity Assessment
- Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual and Terms and Conditions
- Prepare proposal according to call document and application form guidelines
- Submit proposal via Funding & Tenders Portal before deadline
- Attend info sessions and consult FAQs for support
- Check eligibility conditions carefully
- Evaluation criteria and scoring thresholds detailed in call document
- Grant agreement signature expected June 2027
Derived from official EU Funding portal source · updated 22 Jun 2026, 13:44 UTC. Use this as a shortlisting aid; the official call text remains authoritative.
Official source text
Fine print from the EU source record. Expand when you need the original wording.
Topic description
Expected Outcome: Expected results: Strengthened mutual understanding and friendship among citizens at local level; Better opportunities for citizens to experience and appreciate the added value of the EU through a grassroots, community-based approach; An increased sense of belonging to the EU; Long-lasting bond between municipalities and between citizens; Increased cross-border cooperation on similar practical issues of democratic participation between municipalities and between citizens, going beyond cultural exchanges; Increased effectiveness of prevention policies at local level aimed at preventing against domestic violence and violence against children; • Increased inclusion of marginalised communities, disadvantaged groups and groups at risk of discrimination; Improved accessibility for persons with disabilities and better inclusion in the community; Increased citizen participation in inclusive and meaningful cultural activities and organisations and increased citizens’ contact with Europe’s rich cultural heritage, particularly of people belonging to disadvantaged and marginalised communities or to groups at risk of discrimination and children Objective: The programme helps to promote intercultural dialogue by bringing people of different nationalities and different languages together and giving them the opportunity to participate in common activities. In this context, Town-Twinning projects will raise awareness of the richness of Europe's cultural and linguistic environment and promote mutual understanding and respect, contributing to the development of a respectful, dynamic and multifaceted European identity and the respect of common values, democracy and fundamental rights. In view of this overall objective, the projects may address the following priorities: Fostering active citizenship and democratic participation at local level. Promoting inclusion, equality and respect for diversity. Raising awareness of EU values, rights and democratic standards. Strengthening social resilience and addressing local challenges. Supporting community-based action to prevent and raise awareness of violence, including domestic violence and violence against children, and promoting inclusive approaches to local well-being. Encouraging cultural participation and heritage. Raising awareness of accessibility and participation for persons with disabilities. Scope: Promote exchanges between citizens of different countries, in particular through town twinning, to give them practical experience of the wealth and diversity of the common heritage of the Union and to make them aware that these constitute the foundation for a common future.
Conditions and documents
Conditions
1. Admissibility conditions: Proposal page limit and layout
described in the call document.
Proposal page limits and layout: described in Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.
2. Eligible countries
described in the call document.
3. Other eligibility conditions
described in the call document.
4. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion
described in the call document.
5a. Evaluation and award: Submission and evaluation processes
described in the call document.
5b. Evaluation and award: Award criteria, scoring and thresholds
Evaluation criteria, scoring, threshold and process are described in the call document.
5. Evaluation and award: Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement
described in the call document.
Publication of the call: 28/04/2026.
Deadline for submitting applications: 23/09/2026 17:00 (Brussels time).
Evaluation period: October 2026 - February 2027.
Information to applicants: March 2027.
Signature of grant agreement: June 2027.
6. Legal and financial set-up of the grants
n/a
Call document and annexes:
Application form templates
Standard application form (CERV) — the application form specific to this call is available in the Submission System
Model Grant Agreements (MGA)
Additional documents:
Support information
For help related to this call, please contact EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu or the CERV contact point of your country (the contact details available: CERV National Contact Points ). Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ – Submission of proposals ) IT Helpdesk – Contact the IT helpdesk for questions such as forgotten passwords, access rights and roles, technical aspects of submission of proposals, etc. Online Manual – Step-by-step online guide through the Portal processes from proposal preparation and evaluation to reporting on your ongoing project. Valid for all 2021-2027 programmes.
Raw budget overview
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