Setting up of Cross-Border Coordination Points

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal has released a call for proposals under the Pilot Projects & Preparation Actions (PPPA) Programme, titled "Establishment of Cross-Border Coordination Points (CBCP) to facilitate cross-border solutions to administrative and legal barriers." The official identifier for this opportunity is PPPA-2025-BRIDGEFOREU. The funding mechanism is structured as PPPA Project Grants, specifically classified as PPPA-PJG and PPPA Action Grant Budget-Based.

The call is currently open and underwent a single-stage submission process, with applications being accepted from August 14, 2025, until November 13, 2025, at 17:00 Brussels time. The project's aim is to support the operational establishment of approximately 15 CBCPs, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2025/925, which seeks to address and reduce legal and administrative barriers affecting cross-border matters.

Eligible applicants include EU Member States, specifically focusing on regions that share land or maritime borders. The initiative encourages joint applications from neighboring countries, allowing for the creation of joint CBCPs. The funding amount allocated for this call totals €1,800,000, with individual grants ranging from €1 to a maximum of €120,000.

Applications must detail the potential operational set-up of the CBCP, outlining activities such as leasing or purchasing properties, acquiring equipment, conducting studies, and establishing legal and communication frameworks. The project is particularly geared towards enhancing public administration and governance through increased cooperation across borders.

Important details about the application process include that proposals must be comprehensive and submitted in full by the deadline, and the evaluation will occur once. The anticipated success rate is estimated to be between 40 to 79%, reflecting a favorable environment for well-prepared applications.

Co-funding is not explicitly required as per the initial documentation, but applicants are advised to confirm details in the complete call documents. Overall, this call presents a significant opportunity for EU Member States to enhance their cross-border administrative capabilities through dedicated coordination points.

The EU Funding & Tenders Portal presents a call for proposals under the Pilot Projects & Preparation Actions (PPPA) Programme, specifically targeting the establishment of cross-border coordination points to facilitate cross-border solutions to administrative and legal barriers. The call is designated as PPPA-2025-BRIDGEFOREU.

The type of action is a PPPA Project Grant (PPPA-PJG), utilizing a PPPA Action Grant Budget-Based [PPPA-AG] Model Grant Agreement. The call is currently open for submission with a single-stage deadline model. The opening date for submissions was August 14, 2025, and the deadline for submissions is November 13, 2025, at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

The expected impact of this call is to support the setting up of approximately 15 Cross-Border Coordination Points (CBCP) in accordance with the relevant Regulation. The expected outcome is the actual setting up of these 15 CBCPs, adhering to Regulation (EU) 2025/925 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 May 2025, known as the "Border Regions’ instrument for development and growth (BRIDGEforEU)", involving at least 15 Member States of the European Union.

The objective of the call is to support the operational setting up of CBCPs within the BRIDGEforEU framework. It aims to facilitate Member States in establishing these points by providing financial support. Applicants are required to present proposals detailing the process of operational setting up of the CBCPs. The call also acknowledges Article 4(2) of the Regulation, which allows neighboring Member States to create "joint cross-border coordination points," thus proposals may be submitted by already set joint CBCPs or prospective joint CPCPs. In the case of joint CBCPs, only one of the Member States co-creators needs to provide the letter of Acknowledgment, as referred to in section 5 of the call document.

The scope of the call focuses on CBCPs and prospective CBCPs that aim to provide solutions to legal and administrative obstacles in a cross-border context, specifically in land or maritime border regions of neighboring Member States. Eligible activities include any activity for the operational setting-up of CBCP, such as, but not limited to, rent or purchase of real estate, of digital equipment or systems, of furniture and office equipment; procurement of studies and advise to define the CBCP functioning model; purchase of office supplies; purchase of design and development of web pages; legal consulting; legal assessment of the first files (as defined in articles 7 and 8 of the Regulation) received by the CBCP, and any communication activity related to the CBCP.

Regarding conditions, admissibility conditions related to proposal page limits and layout are described in section 5 of the call document and Part B of the Application Form available in the Submission System. Eligible countries are detailed in section 6 of the call document, as are other eligible conditions. Financial and operational capacity and exclusion criteria are outlined in section 7 of the call document. The submission and evaluation processes are described in section 8 of the call document and the Online Manual. Award criteria, scoring, and thresholds are described in section 9 of the call document. The indicative timeline for evaluation and grant agreement is described in section 4 of the call document. Finally, the legal and financial set-up of the grants is described in section 10 of the call document.

The call document and annexes include the call document itself, application form templates (available in the Submission System), the PPPA Model Grant Agreement (MGA), a COMMISSION DECISION of 25.6.2025 on the financing of the pilot project “Establishment of cross-border coordination points to facilitate cross-border solutions to administrative and legal barriers” and the adoption of the work programme for 2025, the EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, Rules for Legal Entity Validation, LEAR Appointment and Financial Capacity Assessment, the EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement, the Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual, Funding & Tenders Portal Terms and Conditions, and the Funding & Tenders Portal Privacy Statement.

The budget overview indicates that the topic PPPA-2025-BRIDGEFOREU - PPPA-PJG has a total budget of 1,800,000 EUR for the year 2025. The call follows a single-stage submission process. The opening date is August 14, 2025, and the deadline is November 13, 2025. The expected contribution ranges from 1 to 120,000 EUR, and the indicative number of grants to be awarded is 15.

There are currently no partner search announcements. However, 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 must access the Electronic Submission Service via the submission button, selecting the appropriate type of action and model grant agreement. Existing draft proposals can be accessed by logging into the Funding & Tenders Portal and navigating to the "My Proposals" page.

For help related to this call, applicants can contact REGIO-CONTRACTS@EC.EUROPA.EU. Additional resources include the Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ, the IT Helpdesk for technical issues, and the Online Manual for step-by-step guidance.

In summary, this call for proposals aims to establish 15 cross-border coordination points within the EU to address legal and administrative obstacles in border regions. It provides financial support to Member States for the operational setup of these points, encouraging joint initiatives between neighboring countries. The call covers a wide range of activities related to setting up the coordination points, from renting office space to developing web pages and providing legal consulting. The application process involves submitting a detailed proposal through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, adhering to specific guidelines and deadlines. The call is part of the broader BRIDGEforEU initiative and seeks to foster greater cooperation and problem-solving in cross-border regions.

Eligible Applicant Types: The eligible applicants are Member States of the European Union. Article 4(2) of the Regulation allows for neighboring MS to create “joint cross-border coordination points”. Proposals may be submitted by joint CBCP already set, or prospective joint CPCP. In such cases, only one of the MS co-creators of the joint CBCP must provide the letter of Acknowledgment, referred to in section 5.

Funding Type: The funding type is a grant, specifically a PPPA Project Grant (PPPA-PJG) and PPPA Action Grant Budget-Based [PPPA-AG].

Consortium Requirement: The opportunity allows for both single applicants and consortia. Proposals may be submitted by individual Member States or by joint CBCP (Cross-Border Coordination Points) already set up or prospective joint CPCP.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility): The geographic eligibility is focused on Member States of the European Union, particularly those in land or maritime border regions of neighboring Member States. The initiative involves at least 15 Member States of the European Union.

Target Sector: The target sector is regional development and cross-border cooperation, specifically addressing legal and administrative obstacles in border regions. This includes activities related to public administration, legal consulting, and the establishment of coordination points.

Mentioned Countries: The opportunity is open to Member States of the European Union, with a focus on neighboring countries with land or maritime borders. At least 15 Member States of the European Union must be involved.

Project Stage: The project stage is focused on the operational setting up of Cross-Border Coordination Points (CBCP). This includes activities necessary for establishing and running these coordination points, such as renting or purchasing real estate, procuring digital equipment, and defining the CBCP functioning model.

Funding Amount: The total budget for the topic PPPA-2025-BRIDGEFOREU - PPPA-PJG PPPA Project Grants is EUR 1,800,000. The indicative number of grants is 15, suggesting that each grant could be in the range of EUR 1 to 120,000.

Application Type: The application type is an open call, with a single-stage submission process. The submission session opened on 14 August 2025, and the deadline for submission is 13 November 2025 at 17:00:00 Brussels time.

Nature of Support: The beneficiaries will receive money in the form of grants to support the operational setting up of CBCP. This financial support is intended to cover activities such as renting or purchasing real estate, procuring equipment, and obtaining legal consulting.

Application Stages: The application process is single-stage. Applicants must submit their full proposal by the deadline.

Success Rates: The success rate cannot be determined from the provided text. The call aims to support approximately 15 CBCP, but the number of applications is not specified.

Co-funding Requirement: The text does not explicitly mention a co-funding requirement.

Summary: This EU funding opportunity, under the Pilot Projects & Preparation Actions (PPPA) Programme, aims to support the establishment of Cross-Border Coordination Points (CBCP) within the European Union. The call, titled "Establishment of cross-border coordination points to facilitate cross-border solutions to administrative and legal barriers (PPPA-2025-BRIDGEFOREU)", seeks to fund the operational setup of approximately 15 CBCPs in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2025/925, known as BRIDGEforEU. The primary objective is to provide financial support to EU Member States, particularly those sharing land or maritime borders, to facilitate the creation and operation of these coordination points. Eligible activities include renting or purchasing real estate, acquiring digital equipment, procuring studies to define the CBCP functioning model, and conducting communication activities. The call is open to both individual Member States and consortia of neighboring Member States forming joint CBCPs. The total budget is EUR 1,800,000, with an indicative 15 grants to be awarded. The application process is single-stage, with a deadline of 13 November 2025. This initiative is designed to address legal and administrative obstacles in cross-border regions, fostering greater cooperation and development.