Capacity development and networking for the youth structures of EU macro-regional strategies (2025CE160AT046)

The European Commission's Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) has issued a call for tenders for a project titled "Capacity development and networking for the youth structures of EU macro-regional strategies" with identifier 2025CE160AT046. This procurement opportunity focuses on enhancing youth involvement in macro-regional strategies across Europe, specifically targeting youth councils and structures within these strategies.

The overall aim is to strengthen the capacities and promote networking among youth councils while raising their understanding of macro-regional strategies and relevant EU policies. The contractor is expected to implement three key activities: capacity building to enhance technical and advocacy skills, networking activities to facilitate cooperation among youth structures, and visibility initiatives to promote their strategies and activities.

The estimated total value of the contract is €200,000, with a maximum duration of 24 months. This tender is categorized under a single-stage application process, with submissions required to be made electronically by October 31, 2025. A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is necessary for participation as either a sole applicant or as part of a consortium, though no specific consortium requirements are mandated.

While specific countries are not detailed, the project will involve regions associated with the four EU macro-regional strategies: the Alpine Region, the Baltic Sea Region, the Danube Region, and the Adriatic and Ionian Region, implying that applicants should have the capacity to operate across these areas.

Eligible applicants will likely include larger organizations, consultancies, nonprofits, and academic institutions familiar with youth engagement and international cooperation projects, as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are not considered suitable based on the tender's specifications.

Submissions will be evaluated primarily on quality, accounting for 70% of the decision criteria, while cost will account for the remaining 30%. There are no co-funding requirements specified, and the tender represents a procurement rather than a traditional grant, implying that services will be paid for through the contract awarded. The expected outcomes include increased understanding of relevant policies among youth council members, enhanced networking opportunities, and improved advocacy capabilities.

The project is expected to contribute positively toward raising awareness of EU policies and cohesion actions among young people, thus playing a crucial role in regional development and cooperation across the European Union.

The European Commission, DG REGIO - Regional and Urban Policy is offering a call for tenders with procedure identifier EC-REGIO/2025/OP/0029 titled "Capacity development and networking for the youth structures of EU macro-regional strategies (2025CE160AT046)". The TED reference for this call is 186/2025 634714-2025. This is an open procedure, and submissions must be sent electronically to the address provided.

The overall objective of this purchase is to enhance the involvement and inclusion of young people in macro-regional strategies. The specific objective is to strengthen the Youth Councils/structures of the four macro-regional strategies by enabling their networking and raising their understanding of macro-regional strategies, territorial cooperation, and related policy and decision-making processes. The members of these macro-regional youth structures are multipliers among young people in their respective regions, which should contribute to raising awareness about cohesion policy and cooperation actions among stakeholders.

The contractor will implement the following activities:
Capacity building activities: These activities aim to increase the technical understanding and advocacy capacities of macro-regional youth structures, as well as their understanding of relevant EU policies.
Networking activities: These activities enable cooperation, networking, and exchanges of practices between macro-regional youth structures.
Visibility activities: These activities support representatives of macro-regional youth structures in their efforts to promote and publicize their respective activities, structures, and strategies.

The expected results of the contract are:
Increased understanding of macro-regional strategies, territorial cooperation, and related policy- and decision-making processes amongst Youth Council members.
Increased thematic understanding of topics related to the thematic sub-groups within macro-regional strategies amongst Youth Council members.
Increased understanding of EU policies relevant for young people and their education, training, and professional opportunities.
Increased number of opportunities for networking and exchange of practices across different macro-regional Youth Councils.
Increased advocacy capacities of the Youth Council members.
Improved outreach of macro-regional strategies to young people in their respective regions.

The estimated total value of this contract is 200,000 EUR. The TED publication date is 29/09/2025. The maximum contract duration is 24 months. The award method will be based on the best price-quality ratio. There is no framework agreement associated with this tender.

Key milestones include:
TED publication date: 29/09/2025
Date and time of public opening: 03/11/2025 10:00 Europe/Brussels
Deadline for receipt of tenders: 31/10/2025 16:00 Europe/Brussels
Deadline for submitting questions: 23/10/2025 06:00 Europe/Brussels (The contracting authority is not bound to reply to questions submitted after this date).

The following documents are available for download:
ENEN-Invitation to tender EC-REGIO2025OP0029 Invitation letter (Published on 29/09/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENMRS Youth Councils Technical specifications part 2 Tender specifications (Published on 29/09/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENMRS Youth Councils admin specifications part 1 Tender specifications - adm. part (Published on 29/09/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENdeclaration-on-honour-tenders EC-REGIO2025OP0029 Declaration on honour (tender) (Published on 29/09/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENcontrat-direct-service-2024 FR Recast-en Draft contract (Published on 29/09/2025, Version 1, No translations available)
ENAppendix 2 Security requirements - 2025CE160AT046 Draft contract annex (Published on 29/09/2025, Version 1, No translations available)

Submission terms require that submissions must be sent exclusively via electronic means to the provided address.

Some frequently asked questions (FAQ) and their answers related to the eSubmission system are:
How to proceed if the system is slow or doesn’t work while uploading/downloading documents? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. If the issue persists, clear the cache and cookies.
Which Internet browsers does eSubmission support? Use the latest versions of Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Refer to the System Requirements link for technical recommendations.
Is it possible to view the details of the submission after the deadline? No, the content is not accessible after the deadline due to system encryption.
Where can I find my submissions in Manage My Area, in the Funding & Tenders portal? Submissions can be found in ‘My Submission(s)’ for open calls for tenders.
Which size should attachments have? Attachments must be less than 50 MB in size.
How should I name attachments in eSubmission? Follow the System Requirements for attachment names.
Can I submit a video in eSubmission? Which formats are supported? Check the System Requirements of eSubmission.
I received an invitation from the F&T Portal but cannot view the procurement documents. Select an organization in the F&T Portal under “My Invitations”.
Do I need to validate my PIC in order to submit a tender in eSubmission? A Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory for participation as a sole candidate/tenderer or as part of a consortium.
I have an issue uploading a file in eSubmission and it’s giving me an error. What do I do? Ensure the file follows the technical requirements of the system.
How many attachments can I upload per submission? The system allows a maximum of 200 files per tender.
Why do tenderers need a PIC? It is mandatory to register for a PIC to submit a tender or a request to participate.
How do I register my organisation and get a Participant Identification Code (PIC)? Check if the organization is already registered using the Search PIC tool under 'How to Participate' > Participant Register.
How many languages does the system support? The system supports all 24 official EU languages.
Which is the character set encoding in the system? The character set encoding is UTF-8.
Does the system use encryption to ensure the integrity and the confidentiality of the information? Yes, the system encrypts all uploaded documents using an asymmetric key.
Which file types does the system support? The supported file types depend on the type of submission and are specified within the system requirements.
Can I view and edit my draft submission? Yes, until the submission deadline.
In the submission report, under the name of our entity, "Legal form: UNKNOWN" is displayed while in the system, our legal form was correctly displayed. Is this a problem for the submission? No, it is just a display issue and is not blocking for submission.
I sent my submission on time and a few days later, I received an automatic email informing me that the deadline for the reception of submissions had been reached. Does this mean that my submission was not correctly sent? No, this is an auto-generated notification.

In summary, this is a call for tenders by the European Commission, DG REGIO, seeking a contractor to enhance the involvement of young people in EU macro-regional strategies. The project aims to strengthen youth councils by providing capacity building, networking, and visibility activities. The contractor will be responsible for implementing these activities to increase the understanding of macro-regional strategies and EU policies among youth council members, improve networking opportunities, and enhance their advocacy capacities. The tender is valued at 200,000 EUR, and the deadline for submissions is October 31, 2025. The submission must be done electronically. Interested parties should download the provided documents, prepare their tenders according to the specifications, and submit them before the deadline. A PIC code is mandatory for participation. The eSubmission system supports various file types and languages, and provides FAQs to assist applicants with technical issues.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated, but based on the nature of the tender, it is likely that eligible applicants include organizations with experience in capacity building, networking, and visibility activities, particularly those related to youth engagement and macro-regional strategies. This could include consulting firms, NGOs, research institutes, or other entities with relevant expertise.

Funding Type: This opportunity is a procurement, specifically a call for tenders. The European Commission, DG REGIO, is seeking a contractor to provide services.

Consortium Requirement: The text mentions that a Personal Identification Code (PIC) is mandatory to participate in a call for tenders as a sole candidate/tenderer or as a member of a group (consortium). This suggests that both single applicants and consortia are eligible to apply.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is implied to be within the EU macro-regional strategies, as the project aims to strengthen Youth Councils/structures of the four macro-regional strategies. The specific geographic eligibility is not explicitly stated, but it can be inferred that applicants should be based in or have a strong connection to the EU macro-regional areas.

Target Sector: The target sector is youth engagement, regional development, and EU cohesion policy. It focuses on capacity building, networking, and visibility activities related to macro-regional strategies and the involvement of young people. The CPV code 79000000 indicates a focus on business services, law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security.

Mentioned Countries: No specific countries are mentioned, but the focus is on EU macro-regional strategies, implying that the relevant regions within the European Union are the target area.

Project Stage: The project stage is implementation. The tender seeks a contractor to implement capacity building, networking, and visibility activities.

Funding Amount: The estimated total value of this opportunity is 200,000 EUR.

Application Type: The application type is an open call for tenders, with electronic submission.

Nature of Support: Beneficiaries will receive money in exchange for services. The selected contractor will be paid to implement the specified activities and achieve the expected results.

Application Stages: The number of application stages is not explicitly mentioned, but it is likely a multi-stage process involving submission of a tender, evaluation, and contract award.

Success Rates: The success rates are not mentioned in the provided text.

Co-funding Requirement: The co-funding requirement is not explicitly stated.

Summary:

This opportunity is a call for tenders issued by the European Commission, DG REGIO, with the aim of enhancing the involvement and inclusion of young people in EU macro-regional strategies. The project, titled "Capacity development and networking for the youth structures of EU macro-regional strategies (2025CE160AT046)," seeks to strengthen the Youth Councils/structures of the four macro-regional strategies by enabling their networking and raising their understanding of macro-regional strategies, territorial cooperation, and related policy and decision-making processes. The selected contractor will be responsible for implementing capacity building, networking, and visibility activities. The estimated total value of the contract is 200,000 EUR, and the maximum contract duration is 24 months. The deadline for receipt of tenders is October 31, 2025. Submissions must be sent electronically. The overall objective is to enhance youth involvement in macro-regional strategies, increase their understanding of EU policies, and improve outreach to young people in their respective regions. The tender is open to both single applicants and consortia.