Call Town Twinning 2026

Call Town Twinning 2026 CERV-2026 under the EU Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme funds transnational town twinning projects to promote intercultural dialogue, active citizenship, inclusion and accessibility. The total call budget is €6,000,000 and grants are awarded as CERV lump-sum payments ranging from €8,455 to €50,745 per project, calculated by the number of invited international participants, with a 100% funding rate. Only single beneficiaries are eligible: legal entities such as towns, municipalities, other levels of local authority or non-profit organisations representing them, and projects must involve municipalities from at least two eligible countries and meet minimum participant thresholds per event. The call opens on 6 May 2026 and the submission deadline is 23 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time, with evaluation planned for October 2026–February 2027 and results notified in March 2027.

What it funds

Transnational town-twinning events and related local activities that bring citizens from at least two eligible countries together to promote intercultural dialogue, active local citizenship, inclusion, accessibility for persons with disabilities, prevention-awareness activities (including on domestic violence and violence against children), cultural participation and awareness of EU values and rights.

Who can apply and key conditions

Single applicants only. Eligible applicants are legal entities (public bodies or non-profit organisations) established in eligible countries and must be towns/municipalities, other levels of local/regional authorities, twinning committees, networks or non-profit organisations representing local authorities. Projects must be transnational and involve municipalities from at least two eligible countries, one of which must be an EU Member State. Events must gather at least 50 direct participants, including a minimum of 25 invited international participants.

Project duration:Normal duration 6 to 12 months; start date after grant signature. ¹

1. 1Grant form: CERV Lump Sum Grants (lump sums calculated per event/number of international participants).
2. 2Per-project lump sum range: approximately €8,455 up to €50,745 depending on number of international participants.
3. 3Total indicative call budget: €6,000,000.
4. 4Minimum consortia requirement: single beneficiary representing municipality(ies) with transnational events (see call for details).

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the CERV application form and the lump-sum calculator. Proposals are limited to the page/layout rules in Part B of the Application Form and must include required annexes (e.g. list of previous projects, municipality letter of support where applicable, child protection policy where children are directly involved). ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Full call document, application templates and submission on the Funding & Tenders Portal: Call Town Twinning 2026 — Portal Topic Page.

Call identifier:CERV-2026. Programme: Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV). Action type: CERV-LS CERV Lump Sum Grants. Type of MGA: CERV Lump Sum Grant [CERV-AG-LS]. Opening date: 06 May 2026. Deadline: 23 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Submission method: single-stage, electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (applications must use the Application Form Part A and Part B templates and the Portal Submission System). Total indicative budget for the topic: €6,000,000. Expected project duration: normally between 6 and 12 months. Project budgets per grant are expected to range between €8,455 and €50,745 per project. The call uses lump sum financing with a pre-defined calculator and lump sum reference table to determine the grant based on the number of international participants and events. Full details and templates are in the call document and annexes on the Funding & Tenders Portal Call document & templates.

What the Call Funds: Purpose, Scope, Objectives and Expected Results

Purpose:Town Twinning projects to promote exchanges between citizens of different countries at the local level to strengthen mutual understanding, friendship, sense of European belonging and cross-border municipal cooperation. The call funds transnational citizen-facing activities organised by towns/municipalities (or non-profit organisations representing them), their twinning committees or other levels of local/regional authorities, including twinning events and related community-based activities.

Scope and priorities:Projects should promote intercultural dialogue and raise awareness of the richness of Europe's cultural and linguistic environment, and contribute to democratic participation, inclusion, equality and respect for diversity. Priorities include: fostering active citizenship and democratic participation at local level; promoting inclusion and equal opportunities; raising awareness of EU values, rights and democratic standards; strengthening social resilience and addressing local challenges (including electoral resilience and media/digital literacy); supporting community-based prevention/awareness of violence including domestic violence and violence against children; encouraging cultural participation and heritage; raising awareness of accessibility and participation for persons with disabilities. Projects are expected to be citizen-oriented, inclusive and to mainstream gender and non-discrimination perspectives.

Types of activities eligible:transnational town-twinning events and series of events (minimum 50 direct participants per event, at least 25 invited international participants), workshops, seminars, conferences, training activities, expert and stakeholder meetings, cultural events, festivals, exhibitions, awareness-raising actions, consultations and participatory/deliberative activities, exchange and dissemination of best practices, communication tools and use of social media, and activities combining in-person exchanges with complementary digital civic tech approaches. Purely online events are not eligible for calculation of the lump sum thresholds (online elements may complement the action but do not contribute to the lump sum participant counts).

Eligible Applicant Types

Lead applicants and associated partners:Only legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries may apply. Lead applicant and associated partners must be public bodies or non-profit organisations with legal personality formally established in an eligible country. Eligible applicants include towns/municipalities and/or other levels of local authorities, twinning committees, federations/associations of local authorities and non-profit organisations representing local authorities. Other participating entities can take roles such as associated partners, subcontractors or third parties providing in-kind contributions. Natural persons as sole applicants are not eligible (self-employed natural persons may participate only if their legal form is compatible). International organisations may participate under specific rules. Programme Contact Points may be eligible under conditions of cost segregation and accounting separation. Affiliated entities linked to beneficiaries can participate under the conditions in the call document.

Eligible applicant types (short list):Towns and municipalities; local and regional public authorities; non-profit organisations representing local authorities; twinning committees; associations/federations of local authorities; NGOs active in citizen engagement, inclusion, cultural participation; international organisations (with specific rules); public bodies (local/regional/national).

Funding Type and Financial Set-up

Primary financial mechanism:Lump-sum grants (CERV Lump Sum Grants). The call uses prefixed lump sums calibrated to event size and number of invited international participants. The grant is not reimbursement of actual costs line-by-line but a pre-fixed lump sum based on the Application Part A work-package/event entries and the lump-sum Calculator (spreadsheet) and reference table. The funding is an EU action grant under the CERV programme.

Funding amounts and scale:Indicative per-project grant range: approximately €8,455 up to €50,745 depending on the number of invited international participants and events; total call budget: €6,000,000. The lump sum calculator and Reference – Lump sums sheet specify discrete lump sums by bands of international participant counts (for example, >205 international participants => €50,745; 25-40 => €8,455). Applicants must use the Calculator spreadsheet supplied with the call to compute the lump sum and fill in Part A accordingly Calculator_CERV-TownTT.

Consortium Requirement and Roles

Consortium model:Single beneficiary (single applicant) is allowed and in fact required; however the project must be transnational in practice: the project must involve municipalities from at least two eligible countries, of which at least one must be an EU Member State. The coordinator (single beneficiary) will sign the grant agreement and will be responsible for project implementation and payments. Associated partners (municipal delegations, associated partners without EU funding) will participate without receiving grant money and invited international participants travel from associated partner countries to host events. Affiliated entities are permitted under conditions described in the call document.

Geographic Eligibility and Mentioned Countries

Beneficiary scope:Applicants must be established in one of the eligible countries listed in the call document. Eligible countries include all EU Member States plus a range of non-EU countries associated to or participating in the CERV programme (the call document and Portal list provide the definitive list and are updated during association negotiations). The Calculator’s 'Country of event' sheet lists eligible countries and examples. Explicitly mentioned countries in the call materials and annexes include: Austria, Albania, Belgium, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Kosovo (Republic of), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia (Republic of), Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine. The call also references EU Member States and associated countries more broadly; applicants must consult the call document and the Portal for the live list of participating countries and any changes.

Target Sectors and Thematic Focus

Primary thematic sectors targeted:civic engagement, culture and heritage, democratic participation and resilience, social inclusion and equality, prevention of violence (domestic violence and violence against children), disability accessibility and participation, intercultural dialogue and community-based cultural activities. Cross-cutting priorities: gender equality, non-discrimination, inclusion of marginalised groups, children’s rights, media and digital literacy, local governance and participatory/deliberative tools.

Project Stage and Maturity

Expected project stage:implementation-ready local projects and event-based actions at the demonstration/implementation stage. Projects are primarily community-level implementation and exchange activities rather than basic research; projects should be ready to plan and deliver events, workshops and participatory initiatives within 6–12 months. The call allows continuation/follow-up of past activities but requires demonstration of added value for new implementation.

Application and Selection Process

Application type:open call (single-stage submission). Applicants must submit the Application Form via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System: Part A (administrative data and online budget/work-package entries), Part B (technical description narrative uploaded as PDF), Part C (KPI tool online), and mandatory annexes (list of past projects, letter of municipal support where applicable, Child Protection Policy for private entities involving children, etc.).

1. 1Step 1 — Submission: single-stage electronic submission by the deadline (23 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time). Part A is filled directly online; Part B is prepared using the PDF template from the Submission System and uploaded.
2. 2Step 2 — Eligibility & admissibility checks: proposal page limits (Part B max 40 pages for this call), mandatory annexes, Participant Register validation.
3. 3Step 3 — Evaluation: independent experts evaluate admissible proposals against award criteria (Relevance 40 points, Quality 40 points, Impact 20 points). Individual threshold for Relevance: 25/40. Overall pass threshold: 70/100. Evaluation: October 2026 – February 2027.
4. 4Step 4 — Information to applicants: March 2027. Successful proposals invited to grant preparation. Grant agreement signing planned for June 2027.
5. 5Step 5 — Grant preparation and signature: legal entity validation, financial capacity checks (if applicable), signature of the lump-sum Model Grant Agreement and start of project.

Award Criteria, Scoring and Thresholds

Award criteria:1) Relevance (40 points) — alignment with call priorities, needs analysis, transnational and EU added value, clear target groups and gender perspective. 2) Quality (40 points) — clarity, methodology, implementation plan, quality assurance, feasibility, organisational capacity and gender mainstreaming. 3) Impact (20 points) — expected long-term effects, dissemination, sustainability and multiplier potential. Individual threshold: Relevance ≥ 25/40. Overall threshold ≥ 70/100. Proposals passing thresholds will be ranked and funded subject to available budget. Tie-break rules: higher Relevance score, then Quality, then Impact.

Indicative Timeline (from call publication to contract)

Application Templates, Required Documents and Administrative Rules

Mandatory submission components and templates:Application Form Part A (online administrative form and work-package / benefit calculator entries), Application Form Part B (technical description — download template from Submission System, fill and upload as PDF), Part C KPI tool (online), Annexes and supporting documents as specified in the Portal slots and call document. Mandatory annexes include: list of previous projects (last 4 years), letter of support by the Municipality for applicants/partners that are non-profit organisations representing local authorities (must be provided at the latest during grant preparation), Child Protection Policy (private entities involving children) or declaration of honour for public bodies, proof of legal status for Participant Register validation, bank account details and possibly certificates (CFS) depending on grant amount and thresholds. Use the provided Calculator spreadsheet for lump sums and ensure Part A work-package Events correspond exactly to the list of events in Part B. Proposal Part B is limited to 40 pages; excess pages will be disregarded by evaluators.

Templates and annexes to prepare:Standard application form (CERV Part B template), Calculator (CERV LS TownTT Excel), Model Grant Agreement (CERV MGA Lump Sum), Lump Sum MGA, Application Form Part A online screens, Part C KPI tool, List of previous projects template, Declaration of Honour templates, Child Protection Policy guidance (Keeping Children Safe Child Safeguarding Standards), Rules for Legal Entity Validation and Financial Capacity Assessment, CERV Work Programmes and Regulation references.

Eligibility Details and Minimum Requirements

1. 1Applicant legal status: must be a legal person (public or private) established in an eligible country.
2. 2Lead applicant type: public body or non-profit organisation representing local authorities or municipalities; projects must be proposed by towns/municipalities, twinning committees, federations/associations of local authorities or non-profit organisations representing local authorities.
3. 3Transnational requirement: the project must involve municipalities from at least two eligible countries, of which at least one must be an EU Member State.
4. 4Geographic execution: activities must take place in eligible countries participating in the project.
5. 5Event minimums: each Town-Twinning event must gather minimum 50 direct participants, of which minimum 25 must be invited international participants (delegations travelling from associated partners' countries).
6. 6Participant Register: beneficiaries and affiliated entities must be registered in the Participant Register and validated prior to signature.
7. 7Page limits and layout: Part B maximum 40 pages; font, margins and layout rules apply as in the Application Form guidance.

Financial and Operational Capacity — Exclusion and Checks

Financial capacity:a financial capacity check may be required for coordinators (except public bodies) or if requested by the Agency; documents such as profit & loss, balance sheet, audit reports for the last closed financial year may be requested during grant preparation. Operational capacity: applicants must demonstrate relevant experience and staff profiles, and provide list of previous projects (key projects over the last 4 years). Exclusion: applicants subject to EU exclusion decisions, or meeting the exclusion grounds in the EU Financial Regulation, are not eligible to participate. Specific additional rules apply to entities subject to EU restrictive measures or conditionality measures (e.g. entities affected by Regulation 2020/2092).

Form of Grant, Payments and Reporting

Form of grant:Lump sum grant (financing not linked to costs). Payments: no pre-financing is foreseen after signature for this call unless specified in the grant agreement; payment of the balance is done after the final report and acceptance of deliverables for the events. Reporting: deliverables must include one mandatory Event Description Sheet per event and attendance lists and proof of travel for international participants must be kept by the coordinator for checks and audits. Deliverables must be uploaded in the Grant Management System and will be reflected in Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement. The call uses the Portal Continuous Reporting tool and standard periodic reporting templates as described in the Model Grant Agreement and the Online Manual.

Nature of Support, Co-funding and Financial Rules

Nature of support:monetary EU grant in the form of a lump sum contribution (pre-fixed amounts calculated via the Calculator). Non-monetary requirements: the call requires provision of documentation, publication of Event Description Sheets on the coordinator's municipal webpage and adherence to accessibility, child protection and ethical standards. Co-funding: the call documents do not require a mandatory beneficiary co-financing percentage for lump-sum awards; applicants must ensure a balanced, realistic project budget and have sufficient resources to implement the action. The grant may be lower than the requested amount and the no-profit rule applies (the grant must not produce profit for profit-making beneficiaries).

Application Stages, Timeline of Evaluation and Grant Preparation

Number of stages:single-stage submission. The overall process includes proposal submission, admissibility and eligibility checks, expert evaluation, ranking, selection and invitation to grant preparation. Grant preparation includes legal entity validation, possible financial capacity checks and finalisation of the Grant Agreement. Indicative evaluation period: October 2026–February 2027; information to applicants: March 2027; signature of Grant Agreement planned for June 2027. The call is single-stage for applicants but includes a second step of grant preparation for selected applicants, so operationally there are two main phases: submission + evaluation and grant preparation + signature.

Success Rates and Likelihood of Funding

Success rates:The call document does not publish a forecasted success rate or the number of expected projects to be funded beyond the total budget. The call’s indicative number of grants is not specified in the public topic page; success depends on quality, relevance and the number of admissible proposals and the final ranking against available budget. Applicants should not rely on any implicit success probability: selection is competitive and subject to thresholds and ranking as described in the award criteria.

Co-funding Requirement

Co-funding:The call does not require co-funding in the form of a fixed percentage contribution from applicants for lump-sum awards. However applicants must demonstrate a balanced project budget and have stable and sufficient resources to implement the project. Proposals may include own resources, income generated by the action or financial contributions from third parties. Projects must respect the no-double-funding rule: the same costs cannot be covered by another EU grant.

Templates and Structure of the Application Form

Application Form structure and templates:Part A (administrative forms) is completed online in the Portal submission screens and contains general information, participant lists, PIC numbers, Part A work-packages/events entries and the summarised lump-sum budget fields (Work packages and Beneficiary Calculation Sheet). Part B is the technical description narrative, prepared using the downloadable PDF template from the Submission System and uploaded as PDF (Part B is limited to 40 pages for this call and includes sections covering Relevance, Quality and Impact, work plan and event deliverables). Part C (KPI tool) is filled online. Annex 1 (for lump sums) requires use of the Calculator spreadsheet with event-by-event lines matching the work-package events in Part B. Mandatory annexes: list of previous projects (last four years), letters of municipal support (where applicable), Child Protection Policy (where children are directly involved) or declaration of honour for public entities, any certificates requested depending on the grant amount. The call document, the application templates and the lump sum Calculator are available on the Funding & Tenders Portal and must be used exactly as provided.

1. 1Application Part A: online administrative form and Work packages entries (use the same order of events as in Part B and the Calculator).
2. 2Application Part B: technical description (download and use the official Part B PDF template from the Submission System), limited to 40 pages for this call.
3. 3Part C: KPI tool — online, all sections required.
4. 4Annexes: list of previous projects template; letter of support by the Municipality (if applicant/partner is a non-profit representing local authorities) to be provided latest at grant preparation; CPP for private entities involving children; Participant Register documents for legal entity validation.

Ethics, Child Protection and Accessibility Requirements

Ethics and EU values:Projects must respect the highest ethical standards and EU values (Article 2 TEU and Article 21 of the EU Charter). Gender equality, non-discrimination and inclusion are cross-cutting requirements. Projects should include a gender analysis where appropriate and gender-responsive indicators in monitoring and evaluation.

Child protection:Private entities directly involving children must have an online Child Protection Policy (CPP) addressing Keeping Children Safe standards (recruitment checks, reporting procedures, training). Public entities must submit a declaration of honour that their child protection measures are in line with the standards. Projects involving children must respect children’s rights and participation.

Accessibility:Applicants must ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities in events, materials and communications and comply with online accessibility requirements for deliverables and communications. Inclusion of marginalised groups and persons at risk of discrimination is expected.

Practical Guidance and Support Contacts

Help and information:use the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual for technical submission guidance, IT Helpdesk for system issues, and EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu for call-specific queries. National CERV Contact Points provide country-level support and can be consulted for advice on eligibility and national procedures. Consult the Portal Topic page frequently for Q&A and updates. Register organisations in the Participant Register (obtain PIC) well before the deadline and ensure the legal and financial documents for validation are available in the Participant Register to avoid delays at grant preparation stage.

Quick Checklist for Applicants

1. 1Confirm applicant legal status and establishment in an eligible country and obtain PIC by registering in the Participant Register.
2. 2Ensure applicant is a town/municipality, local authority, twinning committee or a non-profit representing local authorities (or that municipalities are formal partners and letters of support are provided as required).
3. 3Plan a transnational project involving municipalities from at least two eligible countries (at least one EU Member State).
4. 4Design events that meet the participant thresholds (min 50 direct participants, min 25 invited international participants per event) and ensure detailed Event Description Sheets will be produced.
5. 5Use the lump-sum Calculator spreadsheet to compute the requested EU contribution and enter the same event list/order in Part A and Part B.
6. 6Prepare Part B narrative in line with award criteria (Relevance, Quality, Impact) and keep within the 40-page limit.
7. 7Prepare annexes: list of previous projects, municipal letters of support (where applicable), Child Protection Policy or declaration as required.
8. 8Submit the complete application via the Funding & Tenders Portal before the deadline; keep records and documentation to support reporting and potential audits.

For full procedural, legal, financial and template details consult the Call Document, Model Grant Agreement (CERV Lump Sum MGA), Application Form templates and Calculator, and the Portal Reference Documents. The call document contains mandatory eligibility and exclusion rules, award criteria, timelines, legal and financial set-up and specific reporting and deliverable requirements. Applicants should read the full Call Document carefully before applying Call fiche & documents.

Summary statement:Town Twinning 2026 is a lump-sum grant call under the CERV programme that funds transnational, municipal-level citizen exchange events and related participatory activities to strengthen intercultural dialogue, democratic participation, inclusion, prevention of violence at the local level, accessibility and cultural participation. It targets towns, municipalities and their representative non-profits to create meaningful, community-based EU-level engagement and longer-lasting cooperation across municipalities. Projects must be transnational, include minimum participant thresholds per event, and follow strict administrative and ethical requirements. Funding is allocated via pre-defined lump sums determined by the event configuration and number of international participants; applicants must use the official Calculator and Portal templates and submit electronically before the single-stage deadline. The call aims to deliver grassroots experiences of European heritage and values, increase local democratic engagement, inclusion and accessibility and foster long-term municipal partnerships.

Key contact and support channels:EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu; CERV National Contact Points (see the CERV national contact points list on the Commission website). Portal technical helpdesk for submission issues and the Online Manual for step-by-step guidance.

Note:Applicants must consult the published Call Document and annexes for all formal requirements, definitions of roles (beneficiary, affiliated entity, associated partner), detailed lump-sum calculation rules, participant eligibility and data protection requirements. The full call documentation provides the legal basis and Model Grant Agreement to be signed by successful applicants CERV programme overview.

Additional reference:full lump-sum calculation methodology and the reference table with lump-sum amounts by number of international participants are provided in the Calculator worksheet and the Call Annexes; applicants must use those to compute the requested EU contribution and ensure consistency between Part A, Part B and the Calculator entries. The call document specifies that there is one work package for Town Twinning projects mapping to one or more events and that each event must have a deliverable in the Grant Management System (Event Description Sheet and attendance lists). ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Primary sources: Call fiche and Call Document: Call for proposals for Town Twinning CERV-2026, EU Funding & Tenders Portal (publication 28/04/2026). Application templates, Calculator (Calculator_CERV-TownTT), Model Grant Agreement and reference documents available on the Portal Reference Documents pages and the Call topic page.

Funding Opportunity Overview

The Call Town Twinning 2026 is a European Union funding opportunity under the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) designed to promote intercultural dialogue and citizen engagement through town twinning projects. This call supports exchanges between citizens of different countries to strengthen mutual understanding, foster European identity, and address local challenges through grassroots community-based approaches.

Key Funding Details

Total Budget Available:€6,000,000 for the 2026 call year

Project Budget Range:€8,455 to €50,745 per project. The grant is awarded as a lump sum based on the number of international participants and events organized.

Funding Rate:100% of eligible costs in lump sum financial model

Grant Type:CERV Lump Sum Grants (CERV-LS) - Action grants with financing not linked to detailed cost reporting

Timeline and Deadlines

Call Opening:6 May 2026

Application Deadline:23 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time (single-stage submission)

Evaluation Period:October 2026 to February 2027

Results Notification:March 2027

Grant Agreement Signature:June 2027

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants

Only single beneficiaries are allowed (mono-beneficiary grants). Applicants must be legal entities that are either towns, municipalities, other levels of local authorities, their twinning committees, networks, or non-profit organisations representing local authorities. Lead applicants and associated partners must be public bodies or non-profit organisations with legal personality formally established in eligible countries.

Eligible Countries:All EU Member States, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Ukraine. Projects must be transnational and involve municipalities from at least two eligible countries, with at least one being an EU Member State.

Participant Requirements

• Minimum 50 direct participants per event, of which at least 25 must be invited international participants from associated partner countries
• Projects must have a transnational dimension involving at least two eligible countries
• At least one participating municipality must be from an EU Member State
• Activities must take place in eligible countries participating in the project

Project Scope and Objectives

Town Twinning projects aim to promote exchanges between citizens of different countries to reinforce mutual understanding and tolerance, develop a sense of European belonging and identity, and address EU priorities at the local level. Projects should foster active citizenship, promote inclusion and equality, raise awareness of EU values and democratic standards, strengthen social resilience, support violence prevention initiatives, encourage cultural participation, and ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Eligible Activities

• Workshops, seminars, conferences, and training activities
• Expert meetings and awareness-raising campaigns
• Cultural events, festivals, and exhibitions
• Data gathering and citizen consultations
• Development and exchange of good practices
• Communication tools and social media activities
• Participatory and deliberative dialogue initiatives
• Digital tools and civic tech solutions supporting citizen engagement

Online-only events are not eligible for funding, though online activities may complement in-person exchanges. Projects should demonstrate added value through innovation and best practices. Repeated projects from the same applicant must show clear added value compared to previous actions.

Project Duration

Projects should normally range between 6 and 12 months. Extensions are possible if duly justified through an amendment to the grant agreement.

Lump Sum Calculation and Budget

The lump sum amount is calculated automatically based on the number of invited international participants. The budget calculator provided by the European Commission determines the exact funding amount according to predefined thresholds. Projects with more international participants receive higher lump sums, ranging from €8,455 for projects with 25-40 international participants to €50,745 for projects with over 205 international participants. ¹

Lump Sum Thresholds:25-40 participants: €8,455; 41-55: €12,690; 56-70: €16,910; 71-85: €20,300; 86-100: €24,530; 101-115: €27,905; 116-130: €30,450; 131-145: €33,830; 146-160: €37,210; 161-175: €40,590; 176-190: €43,975; 191-205: €47,360; over 205: €50,745

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Proposals are evaluated against three main criteria with a maximum of 100 points. Proposals must achieve a minimum score of 25 points in the Relevance criterion and an overall score of at least 70 points to be considered for funding.

1. 1Relevance (40 points maximum): Alignment with call priorities and objectives, clearly defined needs and target groups, contribution to EU strategic context, European transnational dimension, potential for transfer of good practices, and synergies with other EU programmes
2. 2Quality (40 points maximum): Clarity and consistency of project design, logical links between problems and solutions, appropriate methodology with gender perspective, ethical compliance, feasibility within proposed timeframe, and risk management
3. 3Impact (20 points maximum): Ambition and expected long-term impact on target groups, appropriate dissemination strategy, potential for multiplier effects, and sustainability of results after EU funding ends

In case of equal scores, priority is determined first by Relevance scores, then Quality scores, then Impact scores. Successful proposals are invited for grant preparation, which may involve dialogue to fine-tune technical or financial aspects.

Application Requirements

Mandatory Documents and Information

• Application Form Part A (administrative information, filled online)
• Application Form Part B (technical description, maximum 40 pages, downloaded template completed as PDF)
• Part C KPI Tool (key performance indicators, filled online)
• List of previous projects for the last 4 years (template provided)
• Letter of support from municipality (for non-profit organisations representing local authorities)
• Child Protection Policy or declaration of honour (if activities involve children)
• Budget calculator (CERV LS TownTT) showing lump sum calculation

All participants must register in the EU Participant Register before proposal submission and obtain a 9-digit participant identification code (PIC). Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Paper submissions are not accepted.

Admissibility Conditions

• Proposal submitted before the deadline via the Portal Submission System
• All required documents and annexes included and properly uploaded
• Proposal is complete with all requested information
• Application Form Part B does not exceed 40 pages
• Documents are readable, accessible, and printable
• Applicant confirms mandate to act for all participants and accuracy of information

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must demonstrate stable and sufficient resources to implement the project. Financial capacity checks are normally conducted for all coordinators except public bodies and international organisations, and except when the requested grant does not exceed €60,000. The granting authority may require enhanced financial responsibility regimes, prefinancing paid in instalments, prefinancing guarantees, or propose no prefinancing if financial capacity is not satisfactory.

Operational capacity is assessed together with the Quality award criterion based on the competence and experience of applicants and their project teams, including operational resources and measures to obtain necessary skills. Public bodies, Member State organisations, and international organisations are exempted from operational capacity checks.

Exclusion Grounds

Applicants subject to EU exclusion decisions or in exclusion situations cannot participate. These include bankruptcy or winding up, breach of social security or tax obligations, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, links to criminal organisations, money laundering, terrorism-related crimes, child labour, human trafficking, significant deficiencies in complying with main obligations under EU contracts, irregularities, creation under different jurisdiction to circumvent legal obligations, or intentional resistance to investigations or audits.

Grant Agreement and Payment Terms

Payment Schedule:No prefinancing is provided. The full lump sum amount is paid as a single balance payment after project completion and approval of the final report.

Reporting Requirements:Single reporting period at the end of the project. Beneficiaries must submit a final periodic report including technical description and financial statements within 60 days after project end.

Project Duration for Reporting:Unlike typical lump sum grants with multiple work packages, Town Twinning projects have one work package with one or more events and a single reporting period at project end, simplifying administrative requirements.

Deliverables:One deliverable per event (Event Description Sheet) must be submitted after each event. Deliverables must include event agendas, signed attendance lists, evaluation reports, quality control reports, and proof of travel and subsistence for international participants.

Special Conditions and Requirements

Gender Equality and Non-Discrimination

Projects must integrate gender equality and non-discrimination considerations throughout design and implementation. Applicants should conduct gender analysis of topics addressed, ensure gender-balanced representation in project teams and activities, use gender-sensitive language in communications, and collect sex-disaggregated data whenever possible. Projects should promote equal empowerment of women and men in all their diversity and reduce discrimination suffered by particular groups.

Children's Rights and Protection

Projects involving children must ensure respect for children's rights including their right to be heard and participate. Private entities directly involving children must provide a Child Protection Policy covering recruitment, background checks, staff procedures, and reporting rules in line with Keeping Children Safe Child Safeguarding Standards. Public entities may submit a declaration of honour confirming alignment with these standards.

Accessibility and Inclusion

Accessibility for persons with disabilities must be ensured in project design and implementation. All deliverables, events, travel, documents, and communications materials must comply with online accessibility requirements and include various means to accommodate different disability needs. Attention should be paid to inclusion of people subjected to racism and racial discrimination.

Ethics and EU Values

Projects must comply with the highest ethical standards and EU values based on Article 2 of the Treaty on the European Union and Article 21 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. Projects must respect fundamental rights, democracy, equality, rule of law, and human rights including rights of minorities. Applicants must address privacy and data protection issues related to data collection, analysis, and dissemination in compliance with GDPR.

Communication and Visibility

Beneficiaries must promote the action and its results through targeted information to multiple audiences in a strategic, coherent, and effective manner. All communication activities must acknowledge EU support and display the European flag and funding statement. Communications must use factually accurate information and include the disclaimer that views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or granting authority.

Support and Contact Information

For non-IT related questions, applicants should contact EACEA-CERV@ec.europa.eu. For IT-related issues with the Portal Submission System, contact the IT Helpdesk. Many EU Member States have CERV National Contact Points that provide guidance on applications and programme implementation. ² Applicants are encouraged to consult the EU Funding and Tenders Portal Online Manual, the EU Grants AGA (Annotated Grant Agreement), and the call documentation regularly for updates and clarifications.

Key Strategic Context

This call supports multiple EU policy initiatives including the European Democracy Action Plan, Anti-racism Strategy (2026-2030), EU Roma strategic framework, Gender Equality Strategy (2026-2030), LGBTIQ+ equality strategy, Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, EU Strategy on the rights of the child, and the European Democracy Shield. Town twinning is recognized as a vital instrument for European integration, peace, democracy, and sustainable development, particularly empowering small and medium-sized municipalities in rural and border regions.

Footnotes

1. 1The exact lump sum amount is calculated using the official CERV LS TownTT budget calculator available on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. The calculator automatically determines the funding amount based on the number of invited international participants declared in the application.
2. 2CERV National Contact Points are available in most EU Member States and eligible non-EU countries. Contact details are published on the European Commission website and updated regularly. These contact points provide free guidance on eligibility, application procedures, and programme requirements.