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:

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. 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:

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)

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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, 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.

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, 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.