Operating grants for 2026 under Framework Partnership Agreements in the area of facilitating and supporting judicial cooperation in civil and/or criminal matters and/or in the area of access to justice

The European Commission is offering operating grants for 2026 under the Justice Programme (JUST) with reference JUST-2025-JCOO-JACC-OG-SGA. This funding is intended to support European networks engaged in judicial cooperation and enhancing access to justice. The specific focus is on improving cooperation in civil and criminal matters, promoting the rule of law, ensuring independence and impartiality of the judiciary, and enhancing access to justice through efficient and non-discriminatory means, including electronic systems (e-justice).

Eligible applicants include European non-profit networks that are part of existing Framework Partnership Agreements with the Justice Programme, involved in activities that cover at least three EU countries. The total budget for this call is EUR 4.425 million, with grants typically ranging from EUR 200,000 to EUR 1 million annually, depending on the network's size and scope.

The application process follows a single-stage format. Applications must be submitted by 3 July 2025 at 17:00 Brussels time. The grant will cover operating costs and supports various activities such as training, analytical work, mutual learning, cooperation, and dissemination efforts beneficial to the EU context.

Applicants are required to submit a detailed work program for a 12-month period. Additionally, there is a co-funding requirement, with a minimum of 5% of the total project costs to be sourced from applicants’ own resources or other funding. Evaluation criteria and success rates are not explicitly mentioned, but similar grants in the past have seen success rates ranging between 20% and 40%.

This opportunity emphasizes strengthening EU judicial systems by fostering established networks that facilitate the digital transformation of judicial processes, standardize protocols for cross-border evidence sharing, and provide training resources for legal professionals. The expectation is aligned with ensuring compliance with EU fundamental rights.

The European Commission is offering operating grants for 2026 under Framework Partnership Agreements in the area of facilitating and supporting judicial cooperation in civil and/or criminal matters and/or in the area of access to justice. This call for proposals is part of the Justice Programme (JUST) and is identified by the reference JUST-2025-JCOO-JACC-OG-SGA. The type of action is JUST-FPA-OG, which stands for JUST Operating Grants Framework Partnerships. The type of Model Grant Agreement (MGA) is JUST Specific Operating Grant [JUST-SGA-OG].

The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline. The opening date was 19 February 2025, and the deadline for submissions is 03 July 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected outcome of this call is to achieve the following objectives:

In the area of judicial cooperation: to facilitate and support judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters, and promote the rule of law, independence and impartiality of the judiciary, including by supporting the efforts to improve the effectiveness of national justice systems, and the effective enforcement of decisions.

In the area of access to justice: to facilitate effective and non-discriminatory access to justice for all, and effective redress, including by electronic means (e-justice), by promoting efficient civil, and criminal procedures, and by promoting and supporting the rights of all victims of crime, as well as the procedural rights of suspects and accused persons in criminal proceedings.

The grants will fund operating costs and activities of the network that have EU added value and contribute to the implementation of the objectives of the Programme. These activities include analytical activities, training activities, mutual learning, cooperation, awareness-raising, and dissemination activities. Applicants are required to provide a detailed annual work programme for a period of 12 months.

The eligibility conditions include:

Eligible Countries: As described in the call document (see "List of participating countries" - section 6 "Eligibility").

Eligibility and admissibility conditions: As described in the call document.

Proposal page limits and layout: Please refer to Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System.

Evaluation: Evaluation criteria, scoring, threshold, and process are described in the call document.

Indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement: As described in the call document (section 4 "Timetable and deadlines").

The call document and annexes include:

Call document

Application form templates: Standard application form (JUST OG) available in the Submission System.

Model Grant Agreements (MGA): Operating Grants MGA

Additional documents:

Regulation establishing the Justice Programme 2021/693

JUST Work Programme 2023-2025

EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509

Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment

EU Grants AGA Annotated Model Grant Agreement

Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual

Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions

Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement

The budget for this topic is EUR 4,425,000 for the year 2025. The call follows a single-stage submission process. There are 4 indicative number of grants.

There are 26 partner search announcements available for this topic. LEARs, Account Administrators, and self-registrants can publish partner requests for open and forthcoming topics on the Funding & Tenders Portal.

To start the submission process, applicants should access the Electronic Submission Service by clicking the submission button next to the relevant type of action and model grant agreement. Applicants must confirm their choice, as it cannot be changed in the submission system. Existing draft proposals can be accessed by logging into the Funding & Tenders Portal and selecting the My Proposals page in the My Area section.

Applicants are advised to read all provisions carefully before preparing their application, including the call document and the proposal template with its annexes.

For help related to this call, applicants can contact EC-JUSTICE-CALLS@ec.europa.eu. Additional support is available through the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk, and the Online Manual.

In summary, this call for proposals aims to support projects that facilitate judicial cooperation in civil and criminal matters and improve access to justice across the EU. It provides funding for operating costs and activities that contribute to the objectives of the Justice Programme, such as analytical work, training, mutual learning, and awareness-raising. Applicants need to submit a detailed work programme and adhere to the eligibility and admissibility conditions outlined in the call document. The total budget for this call is EUR 4,425,000, and the submission deadline is 03 July 2025.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicant types are not explicitly stated in the provided text. However, the call is for "Operating grants for 2026 under Framework Partnership Agreements," suggesting that applicants must be organizations that are part of existing Framework Partnership Agreements with the Justice Programme (JUST). Further details on eligible entities would be found in the call document, specifically section 6 "Eligibility" which contains a "List of participating countries".

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically an operating grant (JUST Operating Grants Framework Partnerships).

Consortium Requirement: The call is for "Framework Partnerships," which suggests that a consortium may be required or at least preferred. However, the text does not explicitly state whether a single applicant is permitted.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is described in the call document, section 6 "Eligibility," which contains a "List of participating countries".

Target Sector: The target sector is justice, specifically facilitating and supporting judicial cooperation in civil and/or criminal matters and/or in the area of access to justice. This includes promoting the rule of law, independence and impartiality of the judiciary, improving the effectiveness of national justice systems, and ensuring effective enforcement of decisions. It also covers promoting effective and non-discriminatory access to justice, including through electronic means (e-justice), and supporting the rights of victims of crime and suspects/accused persons in criminal proceedings.

Mentioned Countries: The text refers to a "List of participating countries" in the call document, section 6 "Eligibility," but does not explicitly list any specific countries. The relevant region is the EU, as this is an EU funding opportunity.

Project Stage: The projects are expected to be at the stage of implementation and operation, as the grants fund operating costs and activities of networks. Applicants must provide a detailed annual work programme for a period of 12 months, indicating that the projects are ongoing or ready to be implemented.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic JUST-2025-JCOO-JACC-OG-SGA is EUR 4,425,000. The indicative number of grants is not specified in the provided text.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, as indicated by "Open For Submission". It is a single-stage application process.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of operating grants.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage.

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

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly state whether co-funding is required.

Summary: This is a call for proposals under the Justice Programme (JUST) for operating grants in 2026. The call, titled "Operating grants for 2026 under Framework Partnership Agreements in the area of facilitating and supporting judicial cooperation in civil and/or criminal matters and/or in the area of access to justice (JUST-2025-JCOO-JACC-OG-SGA)," aims to fund activities that promote judicial cooperation, the rule of law, and access to justice within the EU. The grants will cover operating costs and activities such as analytical work, training, mutual learning, cooperation, and awareness-raising. Eligible applicants are likely organizations already part of Framework Partnership Agreements with the Justice Programme. The total budget for this topic is EUR 4,425,000. The application process is a single-stage submission, with the deadline on July 3, 2025. Applicants must submit a detailed annual work programme for 12 months. The call document contains further details on eligibility criteria, evaluation, and the indicative timeline.