Interactions between Climate Action and Defence

The European Commission DG CLIMA is procuring a 12-month policy study (Call EC-CLIMA/2026/OP/0091) to analyse interactions between EU climate action and defence policy, identify synergies, trade-offs and risks, and provide evidence-based recommendations to align rearmament and defence readiness with climate neutrality and resilience objectives. The estimated contract value is €200,000 (fixed-price, travel and subsistence included) and submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (ESUBMISSION) by 2026-08-31 16:00:59 Europe/Brussels. Eligibility is limited to legal entities able to contract with the Commission, bidders must meet exclusion and selection criteria and subcontracting is not allowed. Evaluation will follow a single-stage procedure awarding the most economically advantageous tender based on quality (70%) and price (30%).

Tender summary

What the contract will fund

A 12-month study to analyse interactions between EU climate action and defence policy in the context of Russia’s aggression. The work will identify synergies, trade-offs and risks and provide evidence to align rearmament, defence readiness and climate policy (mitigation, resilience, nature restoration and dual-use clean technologies).

Estimated contract value:€200,000 (estimated overall contract amount) ¹

1. 1Assess how the defence sector can contribute to EU climate goals (mitigation, resilience, nature restoration, dual-use clean tech).
2. 2Examine how climate policies affect defence capabilities, industry, readiness, resilience to hybrid threats, and budget priorities.
3. 3Provide recommendations for aligning defence rearmament and climate neutrality/resilience objectives.

Who can apply:legal entities and consortia able to deliver policy research and applied analysis (consultancies, research institutes, think tanks) that meet the selection and exclusion criteria in the tender documents. Submissions are electronic via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Tender details and documents: Opportunity page.

Administrative and procedural overview

Call identifier EC-CLIMA/2026/OP/0091. Contracting authority:European Commission, Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA). Type: public procurement, services. Main CPV: 90000000. Estimated overall contract value: €200,000. Planned duration: 12 months. Submission method: electronic submission via the Funding & Tenders Portal (ESUBMISSION). Tender evaluation weighting: quality 70% and price 30% (consult procurement documents for details). Open tender event planned on 2026-09-01 at 10:00 (Europe/Brussels). Additional information request period ends 2026-08-21. Tender documentation published and available on the portal, including Tender Specifications, Invitation to Tender, Draft Contract, Annexes (financial tender form and declaration on honour on exclusion and selection criteria). ¹

Key deadlines:Publication date: 2026-07-09. Deadlines published: 2026-01-01T14:00:59.000Z (appears in metadata but not the active submission deadline) and the official submission closing date 2026-08-31T16:00:59+00:00 (closing date for ESUBMISSION). Open tender event: 2026-09-01 10:00+02:00. Additional information request period ends 2026-08-21. Tender validity period: 9 months from award.

Objective and scope of the study

The objective is to analyse interactions between EU climate action and defence policy in the context of Russia’s aggression by identifying synergies, trade-offs and risks. The study must: assess how the defence sector can contribute to EU climate goals, including mitigation, resilience, nature restoration and the development and diffusion of dual-use clean technologies; examine how climate policies can contribute to and impact defence capabilities and readiness, the defence industry, public resilience against hybrid threats, and budgetary priorities; and provide evidence and practical recommendations to align rearmament and defence readiness with EU climate neutrality and resilience objectives while ensuring that climate policy design takes defence needs into account.

Detailed eligibility and applicant requirements

Eligible applicants:legal entities capable of entering into a public service contract with the European Commission. Typical eligible applicant types that can bid include consultancies, research organisations, think tanks, universities, policy analysis institutes, non-profit organisations, and private companies (SMEs and larger enterprises) with relevant expertise. The procurement documentation sets out exclusion and selection criteria; bidders must submit a Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex 2). The procurement is not marked SME-suitable.

Consortium rules, subcontracting and selection

The tender is structured as a single lot (LOT-0001). The call allows for a tenderer to propose teams; consortium bids and use of subcontractors are common in EU service tenders. Selection criteria and requirements are in the tender specifications; bidders must demonstrate technical and professional capacity, experience delivering policy studies on climate, defence, security, resilience, or related fields, and financial capacity. The award criteria show quality carries 70% weight and price 30% weight. Specific mandatory documents include the financial tender form (Annex 6) and the Draft Contract will govern the relationship if awarded.

What the study should cover — science, technology and policy topics

Required analytical areas and deliverables (as described in the tender specification):

1. 1Assessment of how the defence sector can contribute to EU climate goals: mitigation (including decarbonisation of defence assets and logistics), resilience to climate change impacts, nature restoration opportunities within defence-managed lands, and the role of dual-use clean technologies (technologies applicable to both civilian climate objectives and defence needs).
2. 2Examination of reciprocal impacts: how climate policies (regulation, standards, incentives, infrastructure and investments) can affect defence capabilities and readiness, defence industry supply chains, industrial base resilience, and budgetary priorities for rearmament and preparedness.
3. 3Analysis of risks, trade-offs and synergies between rapid rearmament/defence readiness and long-term climate neutrality objectives, including timing of procurement cycles, lifetime emissions, infrastructure needs and maintenance under climatic stressors.
4. 4Evaluation of hybrid threats and how climate policy and climate-related impacts can influence societal resilience and information environment relevant to defence and security.
5. 5Policy recommendations and operational measures to align rearmament and defence readiness with climate neutrality and resilience objectives, and to adapt climate policy design to defence requirements where appropriate.
6. 6Identification of priority technologies, pathways for dual-use technology development and diffusion, and implications for research, industrial policy, and funding instruments.

The tender specifications will define required deliverables, reporting cadence, stakeholder engagement (including consultations with defence stakeholders and Member States where relevant), confidentiality handling, and expected methodological approach (mixed methods likely: literature review, stakeholder interviews, case studies, scenario analysis, quantitative assessment of emissions and resilience impacts).

Funding, contract and financial conditions

Estimated total procedure value:€200,000. Currency: EUR. The Draft Contract is provided in the procurement documents and contains contractual clauses, payment schedule, intellectual property provisions, confidentiality, data protection and liability. Bidders must complete the financial tender form (Annex 6). The award is a paid service contract with payments against deliverables; the precise payment milestones are in the Draft Contract. Co-funding: no co-funding from the bidder is required as this is a fee-based contract; costs must be fully reflected in the tendered price.

Application method and templates

Submission:Electronic submission via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal (ESUBMISSION). Bidders must upload all required documents described in the Invitation to Tender and Tender Specifications before the deadline. The portal eForms interface will be used for submission and procedural communication.

1. 1Mandatory documents to prepare and submit (check Tender Specifications for exact list): financial tender form (Annex 6), Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex 2), technical offer (methodology, team CVs, relevant experience), proof of legal status, and any requested capacity documents (previous contract references, staff qualifications).
2. 2Draft Contract: bidders should review and note any contractual clauses that require confirmation; the Draft Contract is binding upon award and contains deliverable/payment schedules.
3. 3Tender Specifications: provide the detailed statement of work, deliverables, evaluation criteria and administrative rules — bidders must follow the structure required for the technical offer as set out in that document.

Template and structure highlights (how application forms look and how to structure the bid): the procurement documentation includes the formal financial template (Annex 6) and the Declaration on Honour (Annex 2). The technical proposal should typically be structured as follows, consistent with EU service tenders: 1) Understanding of the assignment and summary of approach; 2) Detailed methodology (work plan, tasks, deliverables, timeline and quality assurance); 3) Team composition and CVs showing relevant experience; 4) Past performance and references (similar studies, defence and climate projects); 5) Risk management and mitigation; 6) Dissemination and stakeholder engagement plan; 7) Ethics, security and confidentiality handling; 8) Any subcontracts and allocation of tasks. Price proposal must be presented using the provided Annex 6 format.

Evaluation, stages and success likelihood

Application stages:single-stage tender process (1 main submission stage). There is an open tender event after the submission deadline where clarifications may be discussed. Evaluation: tenders are evaluated against exclusion/selection criteria first, then award criteria (quality 70% / price 30%).

Success rates:the tender notice does not publish numerical success rates. As a competitive EU service tender with an estimated budget of €200,000, success depends on meeting eligibility, demonstrating outstanding technical capacity, presenting a convincing methodology and offering competitive pricing. Typical public procurement success rates vary widely and are not specified for this procedure.

Geographic and sectoral scope

Beneficiary scope:the contracting authority is the European Commission; bidders from EU Member States and eligible countries that can contract with the Commission may apply through the Funding & Tenders Portal. The procurement is EU-focused; selection rules and participation eligibility follow Commission procurement rules and the portal guidance. The lead authority is DG CLIMA.

• Mentioned country or region references: the metadata explicitly references the EU and DG CLIMA. The study context explicitly references Russia’s aggression (as the geopolitical context to be analysed).
• Target sector(s): climate policy, defence and security, defence industry, resilience and hybrid threats. Cross-cutting technology issues include dual-use clean technologies, decarbonisation technologies relevant to defence (energy efficiency, alternative fuels, electrification, nature-based solutions on defence lands).

Project maturity and expected outputs

Project stage:analytical policy study — research, analysis and policy recommendations. Expected maturity: synthesis of existing evidence, new analysis (quantitative and qualitative), and actionable recommendations for policymakers. Deliverables will include interim reports, a final report, policy recommendations, and possibly workshops or stakeholder consultations as specified in the Tender Specifications.

Co-funding, money vs services and contract nature

Nature of support:paid service contract — beneficiaries receive monetary payment for providing the contracted services. Co-funding requirement: none required; bidders propose a price for delivering the contract. The bidder must absorb costs until payments are made according to the contract schedule.

Evaluation weighting and scoring

Award criteria weighting provided in the procurement metadata:quality 70% and price 30%. Further sub-criteria, thresholds and scoring rules are specified in the Tender Specifications. Bidders should consult the Tender Specifications for scoring of sub-criteria (methodology, team, past experience, impact, deliverables quality assurance etc.).

Practical recommendations for bidders

1. 1Carefully review Tender Specifications and Draft Contract to ensure acceptance of contractual terms and to capture required deliverables and payment schedule.
2. 2Follow the technical proposal structure requested in the invitation and Tender Specifications; allocate most effort to demonstrating high-quality methodology and team capacity since quality accounts for 70% of the score.
3. 3Use Annex 6 financial template to present pricing; ensure price is realistic and aligned with the proposed work plan.
4. 4Prepare Declaration on Honour (Annex 2) and gather evidence for selection criteria (past contracts, CVs, legal and financial documents) well before the portal deadline.
5. 5Plan stakeholder engagement steps (defence authorities, industry, Member State representatives, climate experts) and document access to data or networks that will enable timely delivery.
6. 6If forming a consortium or using subcontractors, define roles and responsibilities clearly and include relevant capacity evidence for each partner.

Mentioned documents and where to find them

Documents published on the Funding & Tenders Portal for this tender include:Invitation to Tender EC-CLIMA2026OP0091 Climate Action and Defence, Tender Specifications (A2_TS_EC-CLIMA2026OP0091), Draft Contract (EN_Direct_Service_Contract_EC-CLIMA2026OP0091_FINAL_V1.pdf), Annex 2 (Declaration on Honour), Annex 6 (Financial tender form), and other annexes. These documents contain the full requirements, templates and contractual clauses and must be consulted and used for preparing the bid. ¹

Mentioned organisations and context

Lead contracting authority:European Commission, DG CLIMA (Directorate-General for Climate Action). The study is positioned to inform EU policy coherence between climate and defence in light of Russia’s aggression and to advise on aligning defence readiness and rearmament with climate neutrality and resilience.

Concluding summary

This procurement commissions a 12-month expert policy study to map interactions between EU climate action and defence policy, identify synergies and trade-offs, and produce evidence-based recommendations to align defence rearmament and readiness with EU climate neutrality and resilience objectives and to adapt climate policy design to defence needs where appropriate. The contract is estimated at €200,000, evaluated on a single-stage ESUBMISSION process with quality weighted at 70% and price at 30%. Bidders must be legal entities able to contract with the Commission, demonstrate strong technical capacity in climate and defence policy analysis, submit the required administrative forms (including Annex 2 and Annex 6), and follow the Tender Specifications and Draft Contract. Full procurement documents are available on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and must be followed precisely to produce an admissible and competitive tender. ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Tender documents and the full notice are published on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal: Interactions between Climate Action and Defence EC-CLIMA/2026/OP/0091 Tender details.

Opportunity Summary and Strategic Objective

This EU tender seeks a study to analyze the interaction between EU climate action and defence policy in the context of Russia’s aggression, identifying synergies, trade-offs, and risks ¹. The study aims to assess how the defence sector can contribute to EU climate goals (mitigation, resilience, nature restoration, dual-use clean technologies) and how climate policies impact defence capabilities, readiness, industry, public resilience against hybrid threats, and budgetary priorities ².

Call Identifier:EC-CLIMA/2026/OP/0091 ³.

Contracting Authority:European Commission, Directorate-General for Climate Action (DG CLIMA) ⁴.

Key Deadlines and Timeline

Submissions must be made electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the ESUBMISSION method ⁵. An open tender event is scheduled for 2026-09-01 at 10:00 ⁵.

Funding Amount and Contract Value

Estimated Contract Amount:€200,000 (excluding VAT) ⁶.

This is a fixed-price service contract; travel and subsistence expenses must be included in the lump sum and will not be refunded separately ⁷. Offers exceeding the maximum budget will be automatically excluded ⁷.

Who Can Apply – Eligibility Criteria

1. 1Legal entities (public or private) with economic and financial capacity to perform the contract
2. 2Annual turnover of the last two financial years above €60,000
3. 3Compliance with selection criteria on exclusion and selection (Declaration on Honour required)
4. 4No subcontracting allowed for this procurement

Tenderers must submit a Declaration on Honour on exclusion and selection criteria (Annex 2) before contract signature ⁸. Subcontracting is explicitly not allowed ⁹.

Award Criteria and Evaluation Method

The contract will be awarded to the most economically advantageous tender based on the best price-quality ratio ¹⁰.

Quality is evaluated on a maximum of 100 points, with detailed criteria outlined in the procurement documents ¹⁰.

Required Deliverables and Scope

1. 1Assessment of defence sector contributions to EU climate goals (mitigation, resilience, nature restoration, dual-use technologies)
2. 2Analysis of climate policy impacts on defence capabilities, readiness, industry, and budgetary priorities
3. 3Evidence-based recommendations for aligning rearmament with climate neutrality and resilience objectives
4. 4Alignment of climate policy design with defence needs
5. 5High-quality deliverables with rigorous language and technical standards

The study must provide actionable evidence to support policy alignment between defence readiness and climate objectives, reflecting the EU’s Climate and Defence Roadmap ².

Key Documents and Resources

1. 1Tender Specifications (A2_TS_EC-CLIMA2026OP0091 FINAL_V1.pdf)
2. 2Draft Contract (EN_Direct_Service_Contract_EC-CLIMA2026OP0091_FINAL_V1.pdf)
3. 3Invitation to Tender Letter
4. 4Annex 2: Declaration on Honour
5. 5Annex 6: Financial Tender Form

All documents are available in English on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal ⁸. Applicants must consult the procurement documents for full award criterion details ¹⁰.

Strategic Context and Policy Alignment

This tender aligns with the EU’s Climate Change and Defence Roadmap, which emphasizes enhancing climate resilience for missions, reducing carbon footprints, and maintaining operational effectiveness ². It also supports the European Green Deal’s goal of climate neutrality by 2050 ².

Relevant Policy Frameworks:European Green Deal, Strategic Compass, Climate-Security Nexus Joint Communication (2023), and PESCO initiatives on energy resilience ²⁵.

The study will inform policy coherence in a polycrisis context, addressing tensions between defence industrial expansion and climate goals ¹¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Institut Delors, Reconciling European Defence and the Energy Transition (2026), p. 2–3 [[institutdelors.eu.
2. 2CNV Defence, Defence, security and climate change: How far has the European ... (2026) [[cnv-defence.eu.
3. 3EU Funding & Tenders Portal, Call Identifier EC-CLIMA/2026/OP/0091 [[ec.europa.eu.
4. 4DG CLIMA – Directorate-General for Climate Action, European Commission [[ec.europa.eu.
5. 5EU Funding & Tenders Portal, Tender Submission Deadline and Open Event Details [[ec.europa.eu.
6. 6EU Funding & Tenders Portal, Estimated Overall Contract Amount: €200,000 [[ec.europa.eu.
7. 7Tender Specifications, EU Climate Action, Maximum Budget €70,000 (note: discrepancy with €200,000; official portal states €200,000) [[climate.ec.europa.eu.
8. 8EU Funding & Tenders Portal, Cft Documents: Tender Specifications, Draft Contract, Annex 2, Annex 6 [[ec.europa.eu.
9. 9EU Funding & Tenders Portal, Procurement Project Lot Details: Subcontracting not allowed [[ec.europa.eu.
10. 10EU Funding & Tenders Portal, Awarding Terms: Quality 70%, Price 30%, Best Price-Quality Ratio [[ec.europa.eu.
11. 11Franziska Baucks, Policy Coherence in a Polycrisis Context (2026) [[cadmus.eui.eu.