Rule of Law (ROLAW III)

ROLAW III is an EU grant to strengthen the rule of law in the Republic of North Macedonia by improving judicial independence, efficiency and effectiveness and enhancing capacity to fight high-level corruption and organised crime. The call offers €9,500,000 to €10,000,000 in funding, can finance up to 100% of eligible costs, and supports actions with a duration of 48 to 60 months. Eligible lead applicants are non-profit government departments, public bodies or mandated public authorities of EU Member States (pillar-assessed entities and certain international organisations may be eligible under specified conditions). Applications must be submitted online via PROSPECT with lead applicants registered in PADOR/Participant Register by 21 September 2026, 16:00 Brussels time.

What it funds

Scope and objectives

Multi-year EU grant to strengthen the rule of law in the Republic of North Macedonia. Activities target judiciary, prosecution and law‑enforcement capacity (including fighting organised crime, asset recovery and high‑level corruption), delivered through mentoring, peer‑to‑peer exchanges, technical assistance, training and on‑the‑job support.

Budget:Total indicative EU allocation €10,000,000. Individual grants under this call must request between €9,500,000 and €10,000,000; up to 100% EU financing of eligible costs.

1. 1Action duration: minimum 48 months, maximum 60 months (project team based in Skopje with international and national experts)
2. 2Eligible lead applicants: non-profit legal persons such as competent government departments, public bodies or mandated public authorities of an EU Member State or pillar‑assessed entities; leads act alone or with co‑applicants/affiliated entities
3. 3Final beneficiaries: national justice and law‑enforcement institutions in North Macedonia (Supreme Court, Judicial Council, Public Prosecution Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Asset Recovery Office and others)

How to apply:online submission only via PROSPECT; lead applicants, co‑applicants and affiliated entities must register in PADOR/Participant Register prior to application. See official portal for full guidelines and all annexes (logframe, budget worksheets, templates and TORs) and strict procurement and reporting rules. Contact for substantive enquiries: delegation-north-macedonia-ipa-csf@eeas.europa.eu.

Call summary and context

Title:ROLAW III - EU Support for Rule of Law. Contracting authority: European Commission (EU Delegation to the Republic of North Macedonia). Publication reference: EuropeAid. Total indicative budget available: €10,000,000. Grant size allowed under this call: minimum €9,500,000 and maximum €10,000,000. Implementation location: Republic of North Macedonia. Eligible implementation period: actions must run for no less than 48 months and no more than 60 months. This action is linked to IPA III, the Reform Agenda and the EU enlargement process; it supports judiciary, prosecution and law enforcement reforms, anti-corruption, asset recovery and fight against organised crime and money laundering.

Key dates and procedural notes:This is an open call for proposals. Applications must be submitted online in PROSPECT; lead applicants, co-applicants and affiliated entities must be registered in PADOR and the Participant Register (PIC). Corrigenda published change some deadlines and eligibility clarifications; the contracting authority issued a corrigendum extending the deadline for submission of concept notes and full applications and clarifying eligible lead applicant categories. The call documents and annexes (Guidelines ROLAW III, Annex A1 concept note form, Annex A2 full application form, Annex B budget, Annex C logical framework, Annexes G, II, IV, V, VII, IX, K, L and others) must be used as templates and completed exactly as requested.

Current submission deadline:Deadline for submission of applications: as corrected by Corrigendum No.1 the deadline is 21 September 2026, 16:00 Brussels time. See call documents for deadlines for clarifications, publication of answers and indicative timetable.

Who can apply and eligible applicant types

Lead applicant types eligible:legal persons that are non-profit-making and are a competent Government Department, Public Body or relevant mandated body of a Government Department, or public authority of a European Union Member State in fields related to the action; pillar-assessed entities and certain international organisations may also be eligible where specified. Lead applicants must be effectively established in an EU Member State unless otherwise indicated for pillar-assessed international organisations. Co-applicants and affiliated entities may participate and must satisfy the same eligibility criteria as applicable to the lead applicant. Associates and contractors may be involved but do not need to meet applicant eligibility criteria. Civil servants and other employees of the administration of the Republic of North Macedonia cannot be recruited as project staff or support staff in the framework of this project.

Eligible applicant types (summary list):government department, public body, mandated body of a government department, public authority of an EU Member State, pillar-assessed entities, international organisations (where explicitly eligible), affiliated entities with structural link (control or membership). Nonprofit status and legal personality are required for lead applicant unless specific exceptions apply in the call documents.

Funding instrument and financial model

Funding type:grant. Form of grant: the call allows cost-based financing and simplified cost options where explicitly authorised in the Guidelines, and may allow financing not linked to costs (FNLC) where indicated. For this specific ROLAW III award the overall procurement and award process described in the Guidelines indicates the grant will be awarded under standard grant contract modalities (Annex G) and General Conditions (Annex II). Maximum EU contribution for an awarded grant under this call may be up to 100% of total eligible costs. The balance between total costs and EU contribution must be financed from sources other than the general budget of the Union; therefore other co-financing or in-kind contributions are expected to cover the rest of the action cost where applicable.

Consortium, partnership and consortium requirement

Consortium requirement:the lead applicant may act individually or with co-applicant(s). The call supports action implemented through a grant agreement with partnership between government departments or public bodies of an EU Member State (the EU Member State beneficiary) and the action will include mobilisation of a project team based in North Macedonia with part-time technical assistance. Co-applicants participate in preparation and implementation and must sign a mandate (Annex A.2 Section 5). Affiliated entities with structural links may be included and must sign affiliated entity statements. Associates and contractors have defined roles and do not need to sign mandates. The call restricts the number of applications and grants per entity: lead applicants may submit only 1 application and may be awarded only 1 grant under this call; co-applicants or affiliated entities may not participate in more than one application.

Geographic eligibility and beneficiary scope

Beneficiary scope:actions must take place in the Republic of North Macedonia. Lead applicants must be effectively established in a Member State of the European Union except for pillar-assessed international organisations where exceptions are stated. Eligible applicants are primarily EU Member State public authorities, government departments or public bodies or pillar-assessed entities. Final beneficiaries (institutions to be targeted by implementation) are listed and include Supreme Court, Judicial Council, Court Budget Council, Council of Public Prosecutors, Public Prosecution Office, Constitutional Court, Bar Association, Academy for Judges and Prosecutors, Ministry of Justice, ICT Council for the Judiciary, Directorate for Execution of Sanctions, Ministry of Interior and law enforcement bodies, Financial Intelligence Unit, Agency of Management of Confiscated Assets, Financial Police Office, Asset Recovery Office (ARO).

Target sector and thematic focus

Target sector:rule of law, judiciary, prosecution, law enforcement, anti-corruption, organised crime, asset recovery, anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing, prison/execution of sanctions, reform of legal framework and institutional capacity building. The action supports Chapters 23 and 24 of the acquis, judicial independence and efficiency, judicial council functioning, prosecutorial capacity, and operational cooperation with EU law enforcement bodies.

Project maturity and expected stage

Project stage:implementation and institutional capacity building; expected maturity of proposals is at the operational programme/project design stage with readiness to deliver a complex institutional support project including long-term in-country team, technical assistance, peer-to-peer coaching and mentoring, legislative and institutional assessments, software solutions, trainings, study visits and on-the-job support. Actions must be ready to implement institutional reform and operational assistance (not an idea-phase grant).

Funding amount and scale

Overall indicative amount made available under this call:€10,000,000. Individual grants requested must be between €9,500,000 and €10,000,000. The contracting authority reserves the right not to award all available funds. The grant may cover up to 100% of eligible costs for the action. Indirect costs may be claimed as flat rate up to 7% of eligible direct costs where applicable. A contingency reserve up to 5% of direct eligible costs may be included but only used with prior written authorisation of the contracting authority.

Application process and method

Application type:open call for proposals, single-stage online submission via PROSPECT. Applicants must submit concept note and full application together (Annex A.1 concept note and Annex A.2 full application). The evaluation is two-step: first only concept notes are assessed; pre-selected applicants are invited to submit full applications (but in this call both concept note and full application are submitted together; only concept notes are evaluated first). PADOR registration is mandatory for lead applicants, co-applicants and affiliated entities; registration in the EU Participant Register (PIC) is also required.

Application stages:Step 1: Opening and administrative checks and concept note evaluation. Step 2: Evaluation of the full application (quality, budget, capacity). Step 3: Verification of eligibility of applicants and affiliated entities and of requested supporting documents before award and contract signature. Three stage process in total.

Nature of support and payment modalities

Nature of support:monetary grant. Grant modality: cost-based reimbursement (actual costs and/or simplified cost options) and FNLC modalities where authorised. The grant may finance actual eligible costs and/or simplified cost options. Where FNLC is applied the payment is linked to achievement of pre-agreed results/indicators. Financial support to third parties is not allowed under this call unless explicitly authorised in the published guidelines; for ROLAW III the Guidelines state applicants may not propose financial support to third parties.

Co-funding and matching requirements

Co-funding requirement:the balance between total cost of the action and requested EU contribution must be financed from sources other than the general budget of the Union or the European Development Fund. While the contracting authority can fund up to 100% of eligible costs, the call still requires information on other funding and the applicant must justify financing sources. If simplified cost options are used, the total amount that may be authorised in SCO by the contracting authority for any applicant individually cannot exceed €60,000.

Number of application attempts, grants per applicant and exclusivity

Lead applicant may submit only one application under this call and may not be a co-applicant or affiliated entity in another application under this call. A co-applicant/affiliated entity may not be a co-applicant or affiliated entity in more than one application for this call and may not be awarded more than one grant under this call.

Evaluation, selection and success rates

Evaluation process:Concept notes are scored out of 50 (Relevance and Design), threshold to be pre-selected is at least 30/50. Full applications are evaluated on selection and award criteria with maximum score 100 (financial and operational capacity, relevance, design, implementation approach, sustainability, budget and cost-effectiveness). If Section 1 financial and operational capacity scores less than 12, application is rejected. Ranking and provisional selection is by score until available budget is reached; a reserve list is drawn. Indicative timetable for information to applicants and contract signature is provided in the Guidelines. Success rates: not provided in the call documents; historically success rates depend on call oversubscription—applicants should assume competitive selection and prepare high-quality applications aligned to priorities.

Administrative, reporting and control requirements

Reporting:inception report within three months of kick-off; semi-annual progress reports; monthly brief updates; ad-hoc reports as requested; annual narrative and financial reports; final report with lessons learned. Language: English is mandatory; selected inception and semi-annual reports must be provided in Macedonian as well for steering committee use. Contractual expenditure verification report and third party assessment requirements apply for high-value grants or FNLC components as stated in Annexes VII-A and VII-B and in the General Conditions. Beneficiaries must keep original supporting documents for at least five years after payment of the balance (three years for grants <= €60,000). The contracting authority and EU institutions (OLAF, EPPO, Court of Auditors) have inspection and audit rights. Visibility and communication obligations apply (use of EU emblem and funding statement), except in exceptional security-sensitive cases where derogations can be granted.

Human resources, staffing and procurement rules

A Team Leader and component leaders (Judiciary, Prosecution, Law Enforcement) must be proposed; indicative project staff profile and minimum seniority and experience (senior EU Member State experience preferred) are detailed in the Guidelines. Civil servants of North Macedonia may not be recruited as project staff. Administrative/support staff working locally are eligible as direct costs. No back-stopping or administrative support staff from EU Member State Grant Beneficiary offices can be funded as direct costs; these costs are covered by indirect costs. Procurement and subcontracting must respect the procurement rules in Annex IV; contracting authority reserves right to conduct ex post checks. Where the action requires procurement of equipment with unit purchase cost over €5,000 origin rules and certificates may apply.

Application templates and structure

Application forms and templates to be used are the Annexes published with the Guidelines. Mandatory templates and their structure include Annex A.1 Concept note (summary table, 2-page description, 3-page relevance), Annex A.2 Full application (detailed description up to 18 pages, methodology, action plan, sustainability, logical framework Annex C, Annex B budget worksheets 1a/€1B/1c, Annex F PADOR registration form, Annex H declaration on honour, Annex L SEA-H self-evaluation), Annex C logical framework matrix template, Annex B budget spreadsheets with worksheets for cost-based, combined cost-based + FNLC and FNLC-only. Annex G standard grant contract and Annex II General Conditions apply. Additional annexes provide special templates for contractual expenditure verification (Annex VII-A), third party assessment Terms of Reference (Annex VII-B), transfer of assets template (Annex IX), visibility and communication guidance, daily allowance tables and practical guides.

Application form templates: recommended structure:Applicants must follow Annex A.1 and Annex A.2 exactly. Key sections to prepare: 1) Concept note summary table (objectives, beneficiaries, outputs, activities, target groups, budget and duration); 2) 2-page Description of the Action, 3) 3-page Relevance (alignment with call priorities, needs analysis, synergies), 4) Lead applicant and partner information (PADOR and PIC), 5) Logical Framework Annex C (indicators, baselines, targets, sources, assumptions), 6) Detailed workplan and activity matrix, 7) Budget Annex B (detailed costings and justification), 8) Monitoring & reporting arrangements, 9) Risk analysis and sustainability, 10) CVs and team structure (functions, not individuals until selection), 11) Supporting documents: statutes, declaration on honour, audit report or self-declaration for financial capacity, PADOR forms and any other requested documents.

Templates and specific requirements to prepare

1. 1Annex A.1 Concept note: cover page, summary table, 2-page action description, 3-page relevance
2. 2Annex A.2 Full application: detailed description (max 18 pages), methodology (max 5 pages), 4-page action plan, sustainability (max 3 pages), logical framework (Annex C), budget (Annex B), experience tables and declarations (Annex H, L), mandates for co-applicants and affiliated entities
3. 3Annex B Budget: complete worksheets 1a cost-based, €1Bcost-based + FNLC (if applicable), 1c FNLC-only (if applicable), worksheet 2 justification and worksheet 3 expected sources of funding
4. 4Annex C Logical Framework template and Annex E3d activities matrix: ensure indicators chosen for FNLC (if used) are transposed in Annex B and clearly defined with baselines, targets and sources
5. 5Annex G Standard Grant Contract and Annex II General Conditions: read thoroughly and accept contractual obligations if applying
6. 6Annex VII-A Contractual expenditure verification ToR and Annex VII-B Third party assessment ToR: required for high-value grants or FNLC components as stated
7. 7Annex IV Procurement rules: ensure procurement documentation and procedures will meet ex post checks
8. 8Annex IX Transfer of Ownership template and Annex J tax regime information: prepare documentation for asset ownership transfer and VAT/tax treatment evidence

Evaluation tips and technical advice

Align the proposal tightly with call priorities:improved efficiency against organised crime and high-level corruption; enhanced impartiality, accountability, efficiency and professionalism of the judiciary. Emphasise institutional outcomes and sustainability, clear monitoring and evaluation arrangements, and a realistic staffing plan. Provide robust logical framework with RACER indicators, credible baselines and targets, and sound justification for budget items. For FNLC indicators (if used), ensure indicators are contractable, measurable during the implementation period, have reliable data sources and specify partial payment rules in the budget. Prepare PADOR and PIC registration well in advance and ensure financial documents (audit or self-declaration) are ready for the financial capacity assessment. Do not wait until the last day to submit via PROSPECT.

Selection criteria and scoring snapshot

Co-financing, ineligible costs and tax treatment

Co-financing:the contracting authority requires the applicant to show the balance of financing sources. Contributions in kind are normally not eligible as costs unless accepted and listed in Annex III and justified; volunteers’ work may be declared as unit cost if allowed. Ineligible costs include debts and interest, provisions for losses, double-financed costs, purchases of land or buildings (except under specific circumstances), currency exchange losses, in-kind contributions (except volunteers as specified), and bonuses in staff costs. VAT and taxes are eligible only when not recoverable; applicants must demonstrate inability to recover taxes or follow country-specific guidance in Annex J.

For more information see the Guidance ROLAW III and the published Annexes available from the call page and the documents list. The Guidelines document contains the full legal and administrative rules, forms and annexes to be used for application preparation and contract implementation GUIDELINES ROLAW III ANNEX A1 Concept note ANNEX A2 Full application ANNEX B Budget Corrigendum No.1 - deadlines Corrigendum No.2 - eligibility clarification. ¹

Summary: what this opportunity is about and how to explain it

This open EU call funds a single, large grant to deliver a major institutional rule-of-law support programme in the Republic of North Macedonia (ROLAW III). The action focuses on strengthening judicial independence and professionalism, increasing efficiency and effectiveness in prosecuting organised crime and high-level corruption, improving inter-institutional cooperation (judiciary, prosecution, law enforcement), and building operational capacity for investigations and asset recovery. The contracting authority expects an EU Member State government department, public authority or pillar-assessed entity to lead the action and to implement a multi-year project with an in-country project team and part-time technical assistance. The call requires detailed project design, strong operational and financial capacity, robust monitoring and high-quality reporting. The grant amount is large (EUR ~9.5–€10.0 million) and the call is competitive; applicants must comply with strict eligibility, procurement, reporting and audit requirements as set out in the Guidelines and Annexes.

Footnotes

1. 1Full Guidelines ROLAW III and all annexes are published on the FTs Portal call page and the prospect documents repository: GUIDELINES ROLAW III (document id 2194924 EN) and Corrigenda (documents ids 2194916 and 2194958). These documents contain the exact application forms, templates and mandatory clauses to be used for submission and for contract implementation.

Overview and Objectives

The ROLAW III grant aims to strengthen the rule of law in North Macedonia by improving the independence, efficiency, and effectiveness of the justice system and enhancing the country’s capacity to fight high-level corruption and organised crime ¹.

Global Objective:To strengthen the rule of law in North Macedonia.

Specific Objectives:Improve independence, efficiency, and effectiveness of the justice system; enhance the fight against high-level corruption and organised crime ¹.

Who Should Apply

The lead applicant must be a legal, non-profit Government Department, Public Body, or mandated body of a European Union Member State in fields related to the action, effectively established in an EU Member State ². Co-applicants and affiliated entities must meet the same eligibility criteria ².

1. 1Competent Government Departments or Public Bodies of EU Member States
2. 2Relevant mandated bodies of Government Departments or public authorities of EU Member States
3. 3Pillar-assessed entities (if applicable)
4. 4International organisations (if eligible and pillar-assessed)

Key Eligibility Highlights

Applicants must be directly responsible for preparing and managing the action, not act as intermediaries, and comply with EU values and exclusion criteria ². The action must take place exclusively in North Macedonia and last between 48 and 60 months ¹.

Grant Size:Minimum €9,500,000; Maximum €10,000,000 (100% of eligible costs) ¹.

Deadline for Submission:21 September 2026 at 16:00 Brussels time (updated via Corrigendum No. 1) ³.

Priority Areas and Outputs

The project focuses on two priority areas:(1) improved efficiency of the justice system against organised crime and high-level corruption, and (2) enhanced impartiality, accountability, efficiency, and professionalism of the judiciary ¹.

1. 1OUTPUT 1: Improved efficiency of the criminal justice system against organised crime and high-level corruption
2. 2OUTPUT 2: Enhanced impartiality, accountability, efficiency, and professionalism of the judiciary

Project Components and Beneficiaries

The project comprises three components:Judiciary, Prosecution, and Law Enforcement. Final beneficiaries include the Supreme Court, Judicial Council, Public Prosecution Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, Financial Intelligence Unit, and Asset Recovery Office ¹.

How to Apply and Evaluation Process

Applications must be submitted online via PROSPECT, with lead applicants registered in PADOR and the Participant Register ¹. The process includes three steps: (1) administrative checks and concept note evaluation (min. score 30), (2) full application evaluation (max score 100), and (3) eligibility verification of applicants and affiliated entities ¹.

Evaluation Criteria Weighting:Financial/operational capacity (20%), Relevance (20%), Design (15%), Implementation approach (15%), Sustainability (15%), Budget/cost-effectiveness (15%) ¹.

Important Conditions and Reporting

Applicants must provide coaching, mentoring, and peer-to-peer exchanges with EU Member States experts. The project requires an inception report (3 months after kick-off), semi-annual progress reports, monthly briefs, and a final report with success stories and lessons learned ¹.

Environmental considerations, gender equality, and zero tolerance for sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEA-H) must be integrated. A self-evaluation questionnaire on SEA-H is required for grants above €60,000 ¹.

Footnotes

1. 1Guidelines for Grant Applicants – ROLAW III, published 13 May 2026, European Commission, EuropeAid GUIDELINES ROLAW III.
2. 2Eligibility criteria for lead applicants, co-applicants, and affiliated entities as amended in Corrigendum No. 2, 26 June 2026 CORRIGENDUM 2.
3. 3Updated deadline for submission of concept notes and full applications per Corrigendum No. 1, 22 June 2026 CORRIGENDUM 1.