SMP-CONS-2026-ADR-RAD

SMP-CONS-2026 is a Single Market Programme call providing action grants to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) bodies and RAD Qualified Entities to strengthen consumer protection and access to redress across the EU. The total budget is €1,500,000 (with possible increase up to 20%), funding rate up to 80% of eligible costs, and projects typically run for 24 months. Eligible applicants are legal entities designated as ADR entities or RAD Qualified Entities, or equivalent bodies in countries associated to the programme, and proposals must be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 21 May 2026, 17:00 CET. Activities may include awareness raising, networking, capacity building, digital case-handling tools and methodologies for managing mass claims, while direct financing of specific litigation is not eligible.

What it funds

Scope summary

Grants to support organisations that represent consumer interests or assist consumers in Member States by strengthening Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) systems and building capacity of RAD Qualified Entities to bring representative actions under Directive (EU) 2020/1828. Funded activities include awareness campaigns, networking, digital case-handling tools, staff training, studies and methodologies to manage mass-harm cases (note: funding specific litigation actions is not eligible).

Who can apply:Legal entities (public or private) established in eligible countries that are, at the time of submission, designated ADR bodies or RAD Qualified Entities as defined by the call (or equivalent bodies in associated countries with written confirmation by competent national authorities). Joint applications and cross-border consortia involving ADR and/or RAD entities are strongly encouraged ¹.

1. 1Eligible applicants: designated ADR bodies; RAD Qualified Entities; equivalent designated bodies in associated countries
2. 2Project duration: normally 24 months (extensions possible with justification)
3. 3Permitted activities: capacity building, networking, digitalisation, awareness, training, methodological work for representative actions; direct financing of individual litigation is not allowed

Budget and deadlines

Total call budget:€1 500 000 (may be increased by up to 20%). Funding rate typically up to 80% of eligible costs; grants are budget-based (actual costs with unit and flat-rate elements). Single-stage submission.

Applications must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Part A (online) and Part B (PDF technical description, max 70 pages) plus mandatory annexes (detailed budget, proof of designation where applicable). Use the submission templates in the Portal.

Footnotes

1. 1Full call document, application templates and model grant agreement are on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page Call documentation.

Programme:Single Market Programme (SMP) — Consumer strand. Managing Agency: European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). Type of action: SMP-PJG SMP Project Grants. Model Grant Agreement: SMP Action Grant Budget-Based [SMP-AG]. Call identifier: SMP-CONS-2026. Opening date: 24 February 2026. Deadline: 21 May 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time. Deadline model: single-stage. Total call budget: €1,500,000, with a possible increase by up to 20%. Submission portal: EU Funding & Tenders Portal Topic page.

Scope and Objectives

The call supports organisations representing consumer interests in EU Member States or assisting consumers in Member States, including Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) entities and RAD Qualified Entities designated under the Representative Actions Directive (EU) 2020/1828. It aims to facilitate consumer access to effective and efficient ADR systems compliant with Directive 2013/11/EU as amended by Directive (EU) 2025/2647, and to build the capacity of Qualified Entities to protect collective consumer interests under Directive (EU) 2020/1828. The call is a response to the modernisation of ADR (e.g., coverage of pre-contractual obligations, digital content/services, non-monetary contracts, engagement of non-EU traders, 20-day trader response requirement, establishment of ADR contact points) and to the operational needs of Qualified Entities in representative actions (e.g., identifying mass harm, legal/economic analysis, quantifying damage, managing complex litigation and consumer communications).

Priority areas and expected improvements:Awareness-raising on ADR and representative actions; protection of vulnerable consumers; networking among ADR entities and/or RAD Qualified Entities at national and EU levels; capacity building and staff expertise; adoption of transparent and innovative digital tools, efficient case handling and good governance; improved cross-border ADR handling; facilitation of bundled ADR disputes; improved cooperation with consumer protection bodies; setting up ADR networks; alignment with the reformed ADR framework effective from 20 September 2028.

Eligible Activities (non-exhaustive)

• Awareness campaigns, communication activities, and translations concerning ADR and representative actions.
• Creation and support of networks among ADR entities and/or RAD Qualified Entities, including cross-border cooperation (strongly encouraged).
• Development, improvement or procurement of digital case-handling tools; adoption of accounting tools and services.
• Staff trainings; seminars; exchange of best practices; study visits between ADR entities and/or RAD Qualified Entities.
• Statistical analysis of consumer complaints and dispute trends.
• Studies or trainings (including via procurement) on identifying mass harm, legal and economic analyses in representative actions, and quantification of consumer damage.
• Design of methodologies for litigation strategies and tools for effective management of mass claims in judicial/administrative actions or collective out-of-court settlements.

Ineligible activities:costs to finance specific collective litigation or specific legal actions brought by Qualified Entities under Directive (EU) 2020/1828 are not eligible; however, preparatory methodologies, tools and management solutions for mass claims are eligible.

Funding, Rates, Costs and Duration

Eligibility

Eligible countries:EU Member States (including OCTs); listed EEA countries and countries associated to the Single Market Programme (Consumer pillar) or in ongoing association negotiations where the agreement enters into force before grant signature. Exceptional funding of entities from other countries is possible only if their participation is considered essential for the implementation of the action.

Eligible applicant entities and conditions:Applicants must be legal entities (public or private) established in eligible countries and fall into one of the following: (a) ADR entities notified to the European Commission under Article 20(2) of Directive 2013/11/EU, as amended by Directive (EU) 2025/2647; (b) RAD Qualified Entities designated by an EU Member State pursuant to Article 4 of Directive (EU) 2020/1828, evidenced either by national designation confirmation or presence on the EU list of cross-border Qualified Entities; (c) bodies established in countries associated to the SMP Consumer pillar with written confirmation by the competent national authority of mutatis mutandis conformity with the ADR Directive quality criteria; (d) entities in SMP-associated countries with written confirmation of mutatis mutandis compliance with Article 4 of Directive (EU) 2020/1828; (e) exceptionally, entities in EU Member States eligible for ad hoc designation under national transposition of Article 4(6) of Directive (EU) 2020/1828, with proof of compliance issued by the competent national authority.

Not eligible:natural persons (except self-employed sole traders without separate legal personality), international organisations, EU bodies (except JRC), and entities subject to EU restrictive or conditionality measures. Entities without legal personality may participate exceptionally if they can undertake legal obligations and offer equivalent guarantees for EU financial interests. Associations and interest groupings may participate as sole beneficiaries or beneficiaries without legal personality if conditions are met.

Consortium composition:Single applicants and consortia are both allowed. Each beneficiary in a multi-beneficiary grant must be individually eligible. Joint applications are strongly encouraged in three forms: (1) cross-border ADR-to-ADR cooperation; (2) RAD Qualified Entity cooperation (domestic or cross-border) via EC-REACT to support coherent application of Directive (EU) 2020/1828; (3) ADR + RAD Qualified Entity joint applications to build practical coherence between ADR and representative actions. Cooperation with non-funded associated partners is possible; letters of support and engagement plans strengthen proposals.

Evaluation, Award and Reporting

• Submission and evaluation: single-stage submission; one-step evaluation by an evaluation committee.
• Award criteria (max 100 points): Relevance 40 (threshold 24), Quality—Project design and implementation 30 (threshold 18), Quality—Project team and cooperation 10 (threshold 6), Impact 20 (threshold 12). Overall threshold: 60.
• Priority order for ex aequo proposals: coverage of uncovered themes, then higher Relevance, then Impact, then Quality; portfolio balance for geographical/thematic coverage may apply afterwards.
• Indicative timeline: Evaluation May–August 2026; information on results August 2026; Grant Agreement signature September–November 2026.
• Special deliverables for RAD Qualified Entities: mandatory detailed reporting methodology; periodic reporting via EC-REACT approximately every four months on objectives, progress, and results; regular meetings organised by EISMEA with DG JUST at least every four months throughout the action.

Administration and Financial Provisions (highlights)

• Participant Register: all beneficiaries and affiliated entities must have a PIC and be validated by REA Central Validation Service before grant signature.
• Financial capacity: assessed except for public bodies or where individual requested grant amount ≤ €60,000; remedial measures may be required.
• Operational capacity: assessed under the Quality criterion; applicants must show appropriate know-how, staffing and resources.
• No financial support to third parties; subcontracting should be limited and justified; public procurement rules apply when relevant.
• Budget flexibility: transfers allowed if no substantive changes; subcontracts not foreseen may need amendment or simplified approval.
• Liability for recoveries: liability regime defined in the Grant Agreement Data Sheet (standard options include limited joint and several liability up to each beneficiary’s maximum grant amount).
• IPR and visibility: standard SMP MGA rules apply, including visibility of EU funding with emblem and funding statement; results remain with beneficiaries; rights of use by granting authority for communication and policy purposes.

Key Dates and Budget Snapshot

Who Should Apply and How This Call Fits

• ADR entities designated and notified under Directive 2013/11/EU (as amended by Directive (EU) 2025/2647) seeking to upgrade digital case-handling, improve cross-border resolution capacity, and build consumer/trader awareness.
• RAD Qualified Entities designated under Directive (EU) 2020/1828 needing capacity-building for mass harm case detection, legal and economic analysis, damage quantification, consumer communication, and management of mass claims.
• Consortia combining ADR and RAD actors to strengthen coherence between out-of-court dispute resolution and representative actions, including via EC-REACT collaboration.

Application Package and Templates

Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal. Part A is completed online; Part B and annexes are uploaded. Page limit for Part B: 70 pages (excess pages disregarded). Mandatory annexes include the detailed budget table (Excel) and, where applicable, proof of designation as RAD Qualified Entity. Templates and references:

• Call document (full guidance on objectives, eligibility, evaluation, legal and financial setup) Call fiche PDF.
• Application Form SMP CONS — Part A (administrative) and Part B (technical) structure and guidance Application form (example).
• Detailed budget table templates: standard and low value Budget table (standard) and Budget table (low value).
• Model Grant Agreement (SMP MGA) SMP MGA.
• Reference documents: SMP Work Programmes; SMP Regulation 2021/690; EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509; Rules for Legal Entity Validation and Financial Capacity; EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement; Funding & Tenders Portal Online Manual.

Part B technical description — expected structure:1. Relevance: background, objectives, needs analysis, alignment with EU legislation and added value. 2. Quality: concept and methodology; consortium setup and cooperation; project teams and expertise; management and decision-making; quality assurance, monitoring and evaluation; cost-effectiveness and financial management; risk management. 3. Impact: target groups and benefits; ambition and long-term impact; communication, dissemination and EU visibility; sustainability and continuation. 4. Work Plan: WPs with objectives, tasks, roles (COO/BEN/AE/AP), milestones and deliverables (with due months and dissemination level), timetable up to 24 months, subcontracting details if any. 5. Other: ethics and security (as applicable). 6. Declarations: double funding, higher funding rate (if applicable). Annexes: detailed budget table; CVs; annual activity reports; list of previous projects; other annexes if required by the call.

Call-specific Cooperation and Quality Enhancers

• Regular, structured cooperation among participating entities from the start on objectives, deliverables, progress and results; alignment with other ADR and RAD entities across the EU (preferably using EC-REACT workspaces for RAD entities; ADR entities may request access to justified workspaces).
• Detailed needs analysis aligned with legislative objectives; demonstrate added value over state-of-play and coordination with ongoing/closed EU-funded actions; expand scope or objectives and show complementarity.
• Plan for reusability of results by other entities, ideally facilitating reuse by RAD Qualified Entities via EC-REACT.

Support and Information Session

An online Info Session was held on 10 March 2026 (10:00–12:00 CET), covering policy context (DG JUST), call overview and finance (EISMEA), networking, and Q&A. Session materials are available Info Session page.

Categorisation and Structured Extraction

Eligible Applicant Types:ADR bodies (public or private), RAD Qualified Entities (consumer organisations or public bodies designated under Directive (EU) 2020/1828), nonprofits, public authorities, SMEs and other legal entities meeting the ADR or RAD designation conditions, associations or interest groupings acting as single beneficiaries, entities without legal personality if conditions are met, self-employed sole traders where applicable. International organisations and natural persons (other than self-employed without separate legal personality) are not eligible.

Funding Type:Grant (SMP Action Grant, budget-based mixed actual cost grant with unit cost and flat-rate elements).

Consortium Requirement:Single applicant or consortium are both allowed. Joint applications are strongly encouraged, especially cross-border ADR-to-ADR, RAD-to-RAD via EC-REACT, and mixed ADR + RAD consortia.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):EU Member States (including OCTs); EEA and countries associated to the Single Market Programme Consumer pillar; countries in ongoing association negotiations where the agreement enters into force before grant signature. Exceptional participation of entities from other countries is possible if essential.

Target Sector:Consumer protection and enforcement; justice and legal services; alternative dispute resolution; collective redress and litigation support methodologies; cross-border consumer redress; digitalisation of case handling and governance. Relevant horizontal areas include ICT tools, data/statistics, training and capacity building.

Mentioned Countries:EU (region-wide), EEA (region-wide), OCTs (region-wide). Specific mention of Hungary in the context of EU conditionality measures for certain public interest trusts; Belgium referenced for applicable law and courts; cross-border scope across EU Member States; associated countries under SMP Consumer pillar (not listed exhaustively in the call text).

Project Stage:Capacity building, development and implementation of tools and services, networking, training, awareness-raising, and operational enhancement. Activities are primarily development, validation, and implementation rather than basic research; demonstration of improved processes and cross-border cooperation is expected.

Funding Amount:Total call budget is €1,500,000, with a possible increase by up to 20%. Individual grant sizes are not specified in the call text; funding rate is 80% of eligible costs with 7% indirect cost flat-rate on eligible direct costs.

Application Type:Open call via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal; single-stage submission.

Nature of Support:Money (grants). No financial support to third parties is allowed. Non-financial facilitation occurs indirectly through networking platforms like EC-REACT and Commission-organised coordination meetings.

Application Stages:1 stage: one-stage submission and one-step evaluation.

Success Rates:Not specified in the call documentation.

Co-funding Requirement:Yes. The standard funding rate is 80% of eligible costs. Applicants must cover the remaining 20% and any ineligible costs (including costs beyond eligibility rules). The no-profit rule applies; revenues must be declared and may reduce the final grant.

Templates — Application Form Outline:Part A (online): general information; participants; budget; declarations; other questions (e.g., countries of implementation). Part B (PDF upload): 1) Relevance (background, objectives, needs analysis, complementarity and innovation, EU added value); 2) Quality (concept/methodology; consortium; teams and experts; management and decision-making; QA/monitoring/evaluation with indicators; cost-effectiveness; risk management); 3) Impact (target groups, ambition, long-term impact; communication/dissemination/visibility; sustainability and continuation); 4) Work plan (work packages with tasks, roles, milestones, deliverables, timetable up to 24 months; subcontracting rationale); 5) Other (ethics and security, if applicable); 6) Declarations (double funding, higher funding rate if applicable). Annexes: detailed budget table (mandatory); CVs if required; annual activity reports if required; list of previous projects; other annexes if specified. Detailed budget templates include personnel (employees; natural persons; seconded; SME owners/natural persons), subcontracting, travel and subsistence, equipment (depreciation), other goods/works/services, and totals with justifications per cost item.

Submission, Help and Contact

• Start submission and manage proposals via the Topic page on the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.
• Read the Online Manual and Portal FAQs for step-by-step guidance.
• IT issues: contact the IT Helpdesk via the Portal.
• Call-specific queries: EISMEA-CONS-grants@ec.europa.eu (no later than 14 May 2026, 17:00 CET).
• Partner search: available to registered users (LEARs, Account Administrators, self-registrants, and users with public profiles) on the Topic page.

Comprehensive Summary

SMP-CONS-2026 finances concrete, practice-oriented improvements in Europe’s consumer redress landscape. It targets Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) entities designated under the ADR Directive and RAD Qualified Entities empowered by the Representative Actions Directive. The call addresses the EU’s modernised out-of-court dispute resolution system and the operational demands of collective redress by funding capacity building, networking, digital case-handling tools, staff training, statistical analyses, and methodologies for mass claims management. Litigation costs for specific cases are excluded, but designing litigation strategies and mass claim tools is eligible. Applicants may apply individually or in consortia; cross-border cooperation is strongly encouraged, including via EC-REACT workspaces for Qualified Entities. Grants cover 80% of eligible costs with a 7% indirect cost flat-rate and typically start with a 70% prefinancing; projects usually run for 24 months. Eligible applicants are legal entities in EU Member States (including OCTs) and countries associated to the SMP Consumer pillar; specific designation or confirmation requirements apply to ADR entities and RAD Qualified Entities. Proposals are evaluated in a single stage against Relevance, Quality, and Impact criteria with explicit thresholds. Successful RAD projects must report progress via EC-REACT and join regular coordination meetings with EISMEA and DG JUST. Applicants should present a strong needs analysis aligned with EU legislation, clear plans for cooperation and reusability of results, and coordination with prior EU-funded initiatives. Submission is via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the SMP CONS templates and the mandatory detailed budget table. The call’s goal is to deliver tangible, reusable, and EU-coherent advancements that raise awareness, strengthen networks, protect vulnerable consumers, enhance cross-border redress, and upgrade the digital and governance capabilities of Europe’s ADR and representative action ecosystems.

Funding Opportunity Overview

This call for proposals provides financial contributions to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) bodies and Representative Actions Directive (RAD) Qualified Entities to strengthen consumer protection mechanisms across the European Union. The call is part of the Single Market Programme (SMP) Consumer strand and aims to facilitate consumers' access to effective dispute resolution while building capacity for collective consumer protection actions.

Key Funding Details

Total Budget Available:€1,500,000 with potential increase of up to 20 percent depending on proposal quality and evaluation outcomes.

Funding Rate:80 percent of eligible costs for all beneficiaries and affiliated entities.

Project Duration:Normally 24 months, with extensions possible if duly justified through an amendment to the grant agreement.

Call Opening and Deadline:Call opened 24 February 2026. Submission deadline is 21 May 2026 at 17:00 CET (Brussels time). Proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal; paper submissions are not accepted.

Eligible Applicants

Applicants must be legal entities (public or private bodies) established in eligible countries and must meet one of the following conditions on the date of proposal submission:

• Be an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) entity notified to the European Commission pursuant to Article 20(2) of Directive 2013/11/EU on consumer ADR, as amended by Directive (EU) 2025/2647. Applicants should verify their status by consulting the public list of ADR entities.
• Be a Qualified Entity designated by an EU Member State to bring representative actions pursuant to Article 4 of Representative Actions Directive (EU) 2020/1828, with proof of designation from the competent national authority or presence on the EU list of Qualified Entities for cross-border representative actions.
• For entities in countries associated with the Single Market Programme covering the Consumer pillar: have written confirmation from the competent national authority of mutatis mutandis conformity with ADR Directive quality criteria or designation compliance with the Representative Actions Directive.
• In exceptional cases only in EU Member States where ad hoc designation is allowed: comply with criteria set out in national legislation transposing Article 4, paragraph 6 of the Representative Actions Directive, with proof of compliance issued by the competent national authority.

Eligible Countries

Applicants must be established in one of the following:

• EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories)
• Listed EEA countries
• Countries associated with the Single Market Programme
• Countries in ongoing negotiations for association agreement participation, provided negotiations conclude before grant signature and the association covers the call retroactively

Entities from other countries may exceptionally participate if the granting authority considers their participation essential for action implementation.

Call Objectives and Scope

The call supports concrete improvements in five key areas:

• Awareness-raising on ADR and/or representative actions among consumers and traders
• Protection of vulnerable consumers through improved access and safeguards
• Networking of ADR entities and/or Qualified Entities at national and EU-wide levels
• Capacity building and expertise development of staff
• Use of transparent and innovative digital tools, efficient case handling and good governance

Eligible Activities

A wide range of activities are eligible provided they link to the call objectives and expected results. Examples include:

• Awareness raising campaigns, communication activities and translations
• Creating and supporting networks among ADR entities and/or RAD Qualified Entities
• Development, improvement or procurement of case handling tools
• Accounting tools and services
• Staff training and capacity building
• Study visits to other ADR entities or Qualified Entities
• Organisation of seminars to exchange best practices
• Statistical analysis of consumer complaints
• Studies or trainings on identifying mass harm situations and quantifying consumer damage
• Development of methodologies for litigation strategies and tools for managing mass claims

Costs to finance specific collective litigation are not eligible. However, costs to elaborate methodologies for litigation strategies and solutions for effective management of mass claims in judicial, administrative or collective out-of-court settlement contexts are eligible.

Consortium Requirements

Mandatory partnership is not required. Proposals may be submitted by a single applicant or by a consortium. Joint applications are strongly encouraged in the following configurations:

• Two or several ADR entities promoting cross-border cooperation
• Two or several RAD Qualified Entities from the same or different Member States promoting domestic or cross-border cooperation via EC-REACT
• ADR entities and RAD Qualified Entities building practical coherence between out-of-court dispute resolution and representative actions

Applicants may submit multiple applications but must clearly explain how each proposal differs from others. If several proposals for very similar projects are submitted, only one will be accepted and evaluated; applicants will be asked to withdraw others or they will be rejected.

Budget Categories and Cost Eligibility

The grant is a budget-based mixed actual cost grant reimbursing only eligible costs actually incurred. Budget categories include:

• A. Personnel costs (employees, natural persons under direct contract, seconded persons, SME owners and natural person beneficiaries)
• B. Subcontracting costs
• C. Purchase costs (travel and subsistence, equipment, other goods/works/services)
• E. Indirect costs (7 percent flat-rate of eligible direct costs)

Financial support to third parties is not allowed under this call. VAT is eligible only if non-deductible or non-refundable. In-kind contributions for free are allowed but cost-neutral (cannot be declared as costs). Project websites for separate presentation are not eligible, but communication costs for presenting projects on participant websites or social media are eligible.

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Proposals are evaluated against the following criteria with maximum points and individual thresholds:

Proposals must pass both individual thresholds for each criterion AND the overall threshold of 60 points to be considered for funding. The evaluation committee will assess all applications for formal requirements (admissibility and eligibility) before evaluating against operational capacity and award criteria. Proposals will be ranked by score, with priority-setting mechanisms applied for ex aequo proposals.

Evaluation Timeline

• Evaluation: May-August 2026
• Information on evaluation results: August 2026
• Grant agreement signature: September-November 2026

Application Requirements and Submission

All proposals must be submitted electronically via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal Electronic Submission System before the deadline. Proposals must include:

• Application Form Part A: Administrative information about participants (coordinator, beneficiaries, affiliated entities) and summarised budget (filled in directly online)
• Application Form Part B: Technical description of the project (downloaded template, completed, and uploaded as PDF)
• Mandatory annexes and supporting documents: detailed budget table (mandatory Excel template), proof of designation as RAD Qualified Entity if applicable

Part B is limited to maximum 70 pages. Evaluators will not consider additional pages. Proposals must be complete, readable, accessible and printable. Before submitting, all beneficiaries and affiliated entities must register in the Participant Register and obtain a 9-digit participant identification code (PIC).

Grant Agreement Terms

Form of Grant:Budget-based mixed actual cost grant (actual costs with unit cost and flat-rate elements).

Prefinancing:Normally 70 percent of maximum grant amount, paid 30 days from entry into force or 10 days before starting date or when financial guarantee is provided, whichever is latest. No interim payments; balance paid at project end.

Prefinancing Guarantee:May be required, set during grant preparation. Amount normally equal to or lower than prefinancing. Must be in euro from approved bank/financial institution in EU Member State. Released at project end per grant agreement conditions.

No-Profit Rule:Grants may not produce profit (surplus of revenues plus EU grant over costs). For-profit organisations must declare revenues; if profit exists, it will be deducted from final grant amount.

Certificates on Financial Statements:Required if requested EU contribution to costs is €325,000 or more at beneficiary level, submitted at interim or final payment if threshold is reached.

Liability for Recoveries:Limited joint and several liability of other beneficiaries up to maximum grant amount of the beneficiary, unless otherwise specified in grant agreement.

Mandatory Deliverables for RAD Qualified Entities

Actions funded under this call should lead to concrete, tangible, well-documented and reported results. Applications must describe reporting methodology in detail. Beneficiaries must report to the European Commission via EC-REACT indicatively every four months throughout the action timeline on objectives, progress and results. Individual or group meetings will be organised by EISMEA in cooperation with DG JUST to discuss progress with participating Qualified Entities at least every four months.

Exclusion Criteria

Applicants subject to EU exclusion decisions or in exclusion situations cannot participate. These include bankruptcy, winding up, breach of social security or tax obligations, grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, links to criminal organisations, money laundering, terrorism-related crimes, child labour, human trafficking, significant deficiencies in complying with main obligations under EU contracts, irregularities, creation under different jurisdiction to circumvent legal obligations, or intentional resistance to investigations or audits.

Special Eligibility Considerations

Natural persons are not eligible except self-employed persons (sole traders) where the company has no legal personality separate from the natural person. International organisations are not eligible. EU bodies cannot be part of the consortium except the European Commission Joint Research Centre. Entities without legal personality may exceptionally participate if representatives can undertake legal obligations and offer equivalent guarantees for EU financial interests protection.

Entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 TEU and Article 215 TFEU are not eligible in any capacity. Entities subject to measures under EU Regulation 2020/2092 are not eligible in any funded role. Currently, such measures apply to Hungarian public interest trusts established under Hungarian Act IX of 2021 or entities they maintain.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must have stable and sufficient resources to successfully implement projects and contribute their share. Financial capacity checks are normally conducted for all beneficiaries except public bodies or if individual requested grant amount does not exceed €60,000. The check is based on neutral financial indicators and considers dependency on EU funding, deficit and revenue in previous years. If financial capacity is unsatisfactory, the granting authority may require further information, enhanced financial responsibility regime, prefinancing in instalments, prefinancing guarantees, no prefinancing, replacement of applicants, or rejection of entire proposal.

Applicants must have know-how, qualifications and resources to successfully implement projects, including sufficient experience in comparable projects. Operational capacity is assessed with the Quality award criterion based on competence and experience of applicants and project teams, including operational resources (human, technical and other) or measures proposed to obtain capacity by task implementation start.

Policy Context and Background

This call responds to significant reforms in EU consumer protection. Directive (EU) 2025/2647, amending Directive 2013/11/EU, was published 30 December 2025 with transposition deadline 20 March 2028 and application date 20 September 2028. The new legislation modernises out-of-court dispute resolution, extending scope to pre-contractual disputes, digital content and services, non-monetary contracts, and non-EU traders engaging in ADR. It introduces 20-day trader response requirements and establishes ADR contact points for cross-border assistance.

The Representative Actions Directive (EU) 2020/1828 enables qualified entities to bring legal actions on behalf of consumer groups affected by same or similar illegal practices. The call recognises that ADR and representative actions remain underused due to low consumer awareness, inconsistent Member State coverage, high costs, limited trader engagement, complex procedures and varying entity competences. The call aims to address these barriers through capacity building, awareness raising, digitalisation and networking.

Expected Impact

The call expects results to impact concrete improvements in four areas:

• Raise awareness among consumers and traders and increase consumer trust in ADR and Representative Actions
• Support cooperation among ADR and/or RAD Qualified Entities at national, regional and EU levels
• Increase accessibility of ADR, Representative Actions and Qualified Entities to consumers, including in cross-border context
• Improve operational capacity and expertise of ADR in resolving consumer disputes and Qualified Entities in bringing representative actions

Application Quality Enhancement Elements

Applications are strengthened by including:

• Regular, structured and well-planned cooperation from action start on objectives, deliverables, progress and results among participating entities and other RAD Qualified and ADR entities across EU (using EC-REACT for RAD Qualified Entities)
• Detailed analyses of needs for specific action demonstrating added value compared to current state-of-play
• Alignment with actions funded through ongoing or closed grants, expanding on subject matter, objectives and/or geographical scope with coordination demonstration
• Detailed plan outlining how action results will be reusable by beneficiaries and, for RAD Qualified Entities, ideally through EC-REACT facilitation

Applicants who previously received funding under Consumer Programme (2018, 2019, 2020) or Consumer pillar of Single Market Programme (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025) must clearly explain how proposed action builds on and differs from previously funded action(s).

Support and Information

An online information session was held 10 March 2026 from 10:00-12:00 CET covering policy context, call overview, operational finance and networking. For non-IT questions, contact EISMEA-CONS-grants@ec.europa.eu no later than 14 May 2026 at 17:00 CET. For IT helpdesk support regarding Portal submission system, use the IT Helpdesk webform. Consult the Portal Topic page regularly for updates and additional information.

Important Submission Notes

• Complete applications well in advance of deadline to avoid technical problems; call deadlines cannot be extended
• Proposals without full support from all applicants will be rejected
• All participants must be registered in Participant Register before submission with valid PIC
• Consortium agreement is required for multi-beneficiary grants
• Balanced project budget with sufficient other resources (own contributions, income, third-party contributions) is mandatory
• No cumulation of funding from EU budget is permitted except under EU Synergies actions
• Combination with EU operating grants is possible if project remains outside operating grant work programme and costs are clearly separated
• Proposals may be changed and resubmitted until deadline
• By submitting, applicants accept call conditions and confirm compliance with all eligibility, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion criteria
• Information about awarded grants is published annually on Europa website including beneficiary names, addresses, purpose and maximum amount, unless waiver is granted for justified reasons

Footnotes

1. 1The call document and all application templates are available on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal. Applicants should consult the Online Manual for detailed step-by-step guidance on proposal preparation and submission procedures. The Model Grant Agreement and EU Grants Annotated Grant Agreement provide comprehensive information on grant terms, conditions and obligations.