The European Union – the media freedom hub

The European Commission calls PPPA-2026 to fund a preparatory action supporting exiled and relocated independent media and journalists from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine operating within the EU. The total budget is €3,000,000 for one project with up to 95% co-financing and at least 70% of EU funding required to be re-granted to third parties. Eligible applications must be submitted by consortia of at least five legal entities including a minimum of three independent entities established in three eligible countries, submitted electronically via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 28 May 2026, 17:00 CEST. Projects normally run 22–24 months, cannot start before September 2027, and must ensure editorial independence and transparent management of financial support to third parties.

The European Union – the media freedom hub (PPPA-2026-MEDIA-FREEDOM-HUB)

What it funds

Scope and purpose

Preparatory action to continue and scale support for independent Russian and Belarusian media in exile and for Ukrainian media relocated to the EU. Eligible activities include mapping needs, capacity building for media hubs, training, strengthening networks and direct financial support to third parties (grants or similar).

Priority requirement:Minimum 70% of the EU grant must be used as financial support to third parties (FSTP) for media organisations, journalists and media workers from Russia, Belarus and relocated Ukrainian media ¹.

Who can apply

Consortia of legal entities established in eligible countries (primarily EU Member States). Applicants include public bodies, non-profit organisations, research centres and similar organisations registered in the Participant Register.

Consortium composition:Proposals must be submitted by a consortium (minimum 5 applicants) with at least 3 independent entities from 3 different eligible countries. Natural persons are not eligible.

Funding and timelines

Total available budget €3,000,000. Expected to fund one project; maximum requested grant up to €3,000,000. EU co-financing up to 95% of eligible costs. Projects normally 22–24 months; activities cannot start before September 2027.

Key dates:Call planned opening 16 April 2026. Submission deadline 28 May 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Evaluation June–August 2026; grant agreement signature anticipated December 2026 ¹.

Important implementation points

FSTP management must be clearly justified in the proposal (objectives, selection criteria, maximum per third party). Projects must protect editorial independence and comply with ethics, security and data protection rules. Applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity; pre-financing, interim and final payments follow standard PPPA grant rules.

1. 1Budget: €3,000,000 total; max grant per selected project €3,000,000; funding rate up to 95%
2. 2Consortium: min 5 applicants, at least 3 independent entities from 3 eligible countries
3. 3FSTP minimum 70% of EU funding; max individual third‑party amounts set in call (may exceed €60,000 if justified)

Apply and read full call documentation on the Funding & Tenders Portal topic page and the call document: Topic page Call document ¹

Footnotes

1. 1Details, eligibility rules, award criteria, payment schedule and templates are in the official call document and on the Portal topic page linked above.

The European Union – the media freedom hub (PPPA-2026-MEDIA-FREEDOM-HUB) – Call for Proposals

Programme: Pilot Projects & Preparatory Actions (PPPA). Granting authority: European Commission, DG CONNECT (CNECT.I – Media Policy; CNECT.I.1 – Audiovisual and Media Services Policy). Type of action: PPPA-PJG PPPA Project Grants. Type of MGA: PPPA Action Grant Budget-Based (PPPA-AG). Topic status: Forthcoming. Planned opening date: 16 April 2026. Deadline: 28 May 2026, 17:00:00 Brussels time. Deadline model: single-stage. Topic page: EU Funding & Tenders Portal – Topic PPPA-2026-MEDIA-FREEDOM-HUB. Call fiche: Call document (PDF). Model Grant Agreement: PPPA Model Grant Agreement.

Purpose, Objectives, Scope and Expected Impact

Purpose: This preparatory action continues and expands the Free Media Hub EAST initiative to sustain and improve financial and practical support to exiled independent media and journalists from Russia and Belarus, and to independent media and journalists from Ukraine that have relocated to the EU due to Russia’s war of aggression. It aims to consolidate a pan-European platform or network of media hubs, preserving a pluralistic media environment and enabling safe, independent content production and distribution to audiences despite censorship and repression.

Objectives: Create conditions for exiled independent media and journalists to work safely within the EU without editorial interference; coordinate and strengthen media hubs and support networks across Member States; improve efficiency and predictability of donor funding mechanisms, including bridge and core funding; extend support to independent Ukrainian media and journalists relocated in the EU due to deteriorating working conditions linked to the war against Ukraine.

Scope of eligible activities: Research and mapping of needs and challenges of independent newsrooms and professional journalists who have relocated their operations to an EU Member State; financial support to third parties (sub-granting), which must be the most significant part of the project, accounting for at least 70% of the total EU funding; strengthening media hubs and local support networks for practical support, business model viability, innovative technical and content formats to reach audiences (including those with limited internet access), and networking/sharing best practices; training for media hubs, media organisations, and journalists.

Expected impact: Two-fold core support outcome. First, provision of core funding for exiled Russian and Belarusian media to produce and distribute accurate information free from censorship and editorial influence. Second, provision of core funding for Ukrainian media relocated to the EU to operate within a safe working environment. Additional impact includes more effective and efficient use of European Union and other donors’ resources, better bridge and core funding practices, and enhanced financial and economic viability of media outlets.

Timing constraints: The funded preparatory action can start only after the ongoing project ends, i.e. not before September 2027. Activities cannot start before this date. Typical project duration: 22 to 24 months.

Budget and Funding Conditions

• Total call budget: €3,000,000
• Indicative number of grants: 1
• Maximum EU co-financing rate: up to 95% of total eligible costs
• Grant form: Budget-based mixed actual cost grant (with possible unit costs and flat-rate elements)
• Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP): mandatory and predominant; at least 70% of EU funding must be re-granted to third parties; maximum amount per recipient up to €300,000; amounts above €60,000 per recipient are permitted and justified by the action’s objectives; no co-funding is required from third-party recipients
• Indirect costs: 7% flat-rate of eligible direct costs (categories A–D, excluding volunteers and any exempted specific cost categories)
• Subcontracting: must not cover core tasks; use best value for money and avoid conflicts of interest
• Equipment: depreciation as default; travel, accommodation, subsistence may use EU unit costs where applicable
• VAT eligibility: non-deductible/non-refundable VAT is eligible (with standard exceptions for public bodies acting as public authority)

Eligibility and Consortium

Eligible applicants: Legal entities (public or private) established in EU Member States, including overseas countries and territories (OCTs). The call is open in particular to non-profit organisations, international organisations, public bodies, and research centres. Natural persons are not eligible. Entities without legal personality may participate if they meet the specified conditions. EU bodies (except the Commission’s JRC) cannot be part of the consortium. EU restrictive and conditionality measures apply (e.g., entities under restrictive measures are not eligible; specific conditions apply to certain Hungarian public interest trusts). International organisations are eligible and are not bound by eligible country rules.

Consortium composition: Proposals must be submitted by a consortium of at least 5 applicants (beneficiaries; affiliated entities do not count) and include a minimum of 3 independent entities from 3 different eligible countries. Associated partners may participate without funding but do not count towards minimum composition. A consortium agreement is required.

Evaluation, Award Criteria and Timeline

• Single-stage submission and one-step evaluation
• Award criteria and weights: Relevance 40 points (min threshold 24), Quality 40 points (min threshold 28), Impact 20 points (min threshold 12). Overall threshold stated as 70 points ¹
• Priority order in case of ex aequo scores: coverage of themes not otherwise covered; higher Quality score, then Relevance, then Impact; portfolio considerations and synergies
• Indicative timeline: Evaluation June–August 2026; information on results September 2026; Grant Agreement signature December 2026; earliest project start September 2027

Application Process and Templates

Submission: Electronic only via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System on the topic page. Paper submissions are not accepted. The specific application form is available in the Submission System after the call opens. Applicants must register in the Participant Register and obtain a PIC before submission.

• Parts to submit: Part A (online administrative data and summary budget); Part B (technical description, uploaded PDF using the system template); mandatory annexes
• Page limit: Part B maximum 70 pages; excess pages will not be evaluated
• Mandatory annexes: detailed budget table/calculator; CVs of core project team (standard template); applicants’ activity reports of last year; list of previous key projects over the last 3 years (template in Part B)
• Admissibility, eligibility, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion are assessed per the call document and EU rules
• Contact for call-related questions: CNECT-I1-CALLS@ec.europa.eu; IT issues: Funding & Tenders IT Helpdesk
• Key references: Online Manual; EU Grants AGA — Annotated Model Grant Agreement; Rules for Legal Entity Validation and LEAR

Financial and Legal Set-up

• Funding rate: up to 95% across all eligible cost categories
• Payments: initial prefinancing (typically 50%), one interim payment (up to a ceiling, typically total prefinancing + interim not exceeding 80–90%), and balance at the end; prefinancing guarantees may be required case-by-case
• Reporting: continuous reporting (deliverables, milestones) via Portal; periodic technical and financial reporting; Certificates on Financial Statements if the requested EU contribution per beneficiary ≥ €325,000
• Record-keeping: at least 5 years after final payment (3 years for grants ≤ €60,000)
• IPR: beneficiaries own results; granting authority receives rights of use for policy, information, communication, dissemination and publicity
• Visibility: European flag and funding statement mandatory in all communications and on major project-funded assets
• Ethics and values: compliance with EU, international and national law; respect of EU values required
• Security and confidentiality: apply as per MGA; special handling for classified information if relevant

Categorisation and Structured Extraction

Eligible Applicant Types:Nonprofit; international organisation; public body; research institute/centre; university or higher education institution; SME and large enterprise as legal entities established in EU Member States (where relevant to consortium roles and capacity-building tasks); networks/associations; foundations. Natural persons are not eligible. Entities without legal personality may be eligible under conditions. EU bodies (except JRC) are not eligible as beneficiaries.

Funding Type:Grant (PPPA Project Grant). Includes mandatory Financial Support to Third Parties in the form of sub-grants to media organisations and journalists.

Consortium Requirement:Consortium. At least 5 beneficiaries with a minimum of 3 independent entities from 3 different eligible countries. Associated partners possible without funding. Consortium agreement required.

Beneficiary Scope (Geographic Eligibility):Applicants must be established in EU Member States, including OCTs. International organisations are eligible irrespective of country establishment. Third-party recipients of sub-grants are expected to be exiled media organisations and journalists from Russia, Belarus, and media and journalists who have relocated from Ukraine, operating from within EU Member States.

Target Sector:Media freedom and pluralism; journalism support; communications and media policy; digital content; democracy and human rights; civil society support; training and capacity building; innovation in media business models and content/technical formats; information resilience against censorship and disinformation.

Mentioned Countries:Russia; Belarus; Ukraine; Moldova; Latvia; Germany; Netherlands; Czechia; Hungary; United States of America; EU Member States broadly referenced. Cities mentioned as media hub examples include Riga, Berlin, Amsterdam, Prague (hence countries listed accordingly).

Project Stage:Other. Implementation, coordination, and capacity-building with significant sub-granting to third parties for core operations, business model development, content production, and safety measures. Includes research and mapping, training, and network strengthening rather than R&D maturation stages.

Funding Amount:Total call budget is €3,000,000 with the intention to fund one project for up to €3,000,000 in requested EU contribution at a maximum 95% funding rate.

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

Nature of Support:Money (grant to the consortium; sub-grants to third parties as FSTP). The action may also deliver non-financial services such as training, networking, legal and psychological support through project activities.

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

Success Rates:Not specified in the call documentation.

Co-funding Requirement:Yes. EU co-financing up to 95% of total eligible costs implies a minimum 5% co-funding from beneficiaries and their affiliated entities at project level. For Financial Support to Third Parties, no co-funding is required from recipients.

Templates:Applicants must use the Submission System templates. Core elements: Part A (online) includes administrative details for coordinator, beneficiaries and affiliated entities, and summary budget; Part B (uploaded PDF) includes the technical description with objectives, background, methodology and work plan, consortium description and roles, risk management, impact and sustainability, communication and dissemination, ethics and security where relevant, and complementarity with other EU projects; Annexes include the detailed budget table/calculator, CVs of core team, applicants’ last-year activity reports, and a list of key projects from the last 3 years. Part B has a 70-page limit. Proposals must clearly specify the FSTP scheme with types of activities eligible for support, categories of eligible recipients, selection and award criteria, maximum amount per third party, management processes, and expected results. The consortium agreement is required and should cover internal governance, access to the Portal, IPR and results handling, payment distribution, liability and dispute resolution, and roles in managing the FSTP scheme.

Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP) – Mandatory Features

• Must represent at least 70% of the total EU funding in the project budget
• Focus of sub-grants: address needs of exiled media organisations, journalists and media workers from Russia, Belarus, and those relocated from Ukraine, established and operating in EU Member States; support may also target EU-based media hubs
• Allowable maximum per recipient: up to €300,000; higher than €60,000 justified by action’s nature
• No co-funding from ultimate beneficiaries (recipients) required
• Proposal must include: closed list of activity types to be supported; definition of recipient categories; transparent selection and award criteria; maximum amount/criteria for determining it; management and monitoring processes; prevention of double funding across EU instruments; expected outputs/outcomes

Administrative Essentials and Compliance

• Participants must register and be validated in the Participant Register (REA Validation); upload legal status and origin documents
• Declarations of honour required before grant signature; proposals must confirm eligibility, financial and operational capacity, and exclusion compliance
• Operational capacity evidenced through staff profiles, consortium description, activity report, and track record of key projects
• Financial capacity check may apply; measures in case of weak capacity include guarantees, staged prefinancing, or rejection
• Non-eligible activities include directed advocacy to EU institutions or their members concerning specific political content/outcome
• Geographic location of activities: within eligible countries (EU Member States and OCTs). Target beneficiaries are exiled/relocated media operating from the EU

Key Dates and Contacts

Comprehensive Summary

This call funds one large-scale, pan-European project to act as a media freedom hub that coordinates, strengthens, and finances support for exiled and relocated independent media and journalists from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine operating within the EU. With a total budget of €3 million and up to 95% EU co-financing, the project must channel at least 70% of its budget as sub-grants to third parties, offering core and bridge funding to sustain independent operations, enable safe working conditions, and facilitate audience reach free from censorship and editorial interference. The project will map needs, deliver training, promote viable business models and technical/content innovations, and connect and reinforce EU-based media hubs and local support networks. The action continues and expands the Free Media Hub EAST endeavour, explicitly adding Ukrainian media and journalists relocated to the EU amid war-driven deterioration of working conditions. Applicants must form a robust consortium of at least five beneficiaries from at least three EU countries, demonstrate strong operational capacity, and design a transparent sub-granting scheme with clear eligibility, award criteria, and monitoring to avoid double funding. Applications are submitted in a single stage via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the specific templates, with a strict 70-page limit for Part B. Evaluation prioritises relevance and quality, with defined thresholds, and foresees grant agreement signature by December 2026 and a project start no earlier than September 2027. The opportunity is tailored to experienced European non-profits, international organisations, public bodies, research and academic actors, and networks able to efficiently deploy financial and non-financial support across EU Member States to uphold media plurality and safeguard freedom of expression for exiled and relocated independent media.

Footnotes

1. 1The call document specifies individual thresholds for Relevance (24/40), Quality (28/40), Impact (12/20) and states an overall threshold of 70 points. In one location of the document, an overall pass score row shows 64/100; applicants should follow the stated overall threshold of 70 points in the narrative text of the award criteria section. See the official call fiche: PPPA-2026-MEDIA-FREEDOM-HUB Call Fiche.

The European Union – the Media Freedom Hub

Funding Opportunity Overview

This is a preparatory action call for proposals supporting exiled and relocated independent journalists from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine who are carrying out their work within the European Union. The initiative aims to sustain and improve financial and practical support to these media organizations, strengthen coordination through a pan-European network of media hubs, and promote media plurality and independence in Europe. ¹

Call Identifier:PPPA-2026

Total Budget:€3,000,000 with expectations to fund 1 project

Application Deadline:28 May 2026 at 17:00 CEST (Brussels time)

Project Start Date:Not before September 2027

Project Duration:Normally 22 to 24 months with possible extensions if justified

Eligibility and Applicant Requirements

Who Can Apply

Applications must be submitted by consortia comprising at least five (5) legal entities, with a minimum of three (3) independent entities established in three (3) different eligible countries. Eligible applicant types include public authorities, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and research centers. ²

Eligible Countries

All 27 EU Member States are eligible. Additionally, the following non-EU countries can participate: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, and Ukraine. Eligibility is determined by residency rather than nationality of the participating organizations.

Ineligible Applicants

• Natural persons (only legal entities are eligible)
• EU bodies (with exception of European Commission Joint Research Centre)
• Entities subject to EU restrictive measures
• Entities subject to EU conditionality measures, including Hungarian public interest trusts
• Entities in bankruptcy, liquidation, or similar situations
• Organizations with grave professional misconduct, fraud, corruption, or terrorism-related involvement
• Entities with significant deficiencies in complying with previous EU contracts or agreements

Funding Details

Maximum Grant Amount:€3,000,000 for one project

Funding Rate:Maximum 95% of eligible costs

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

Financial Support to Third Parties (FSTP):Must represent a minimum of 70% of total EU funding (minimum €2,100,000). Maximum amount per third party recipient can exceed €60,000 because the nature of actions under this call makes this necessary to achieve objectives. No co-funding required from ultimate beneficiaries receiving support. ³

Project Activities and Scope

Projects must address the needs and challenges faced by independent media from Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine that have relocated to EU Member States. Support focuses on creating conditions for these organizations to work, produce accurate information, and reach audiences without censorship or editorial interference.

Eligible Activities

• Research and mapping of needs and challenges of independent newsrooms and professional journalists who have relocated to Member States, including identification of short-term and mid-term/long-term needs
• Financial support to third parties (minimum 70% of EU funding) to Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian media and journalists established in EU Member States
• Strengthening existing media hubs and local support networks to provide practical support, focusing on viable business models, innovative technical and content solutions, best practices sharing, and networking
• Training activities for media hubs, media organizations, and journalists on relevant topics and skills development

Objectives and Expected Outcomes

• Ensure provision of core funding for Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian media in exile to enable them to work, produce and distribute accurate information, and reach audiences avoiding censorship and editorial influence
• Support independent media and journalists who have relocated from Ukraine due to precarious working conditions arising from the ongoing war to continue operations within a safe working environment
• Achieve more effective and efficient use of financial resources from different donors, including the EU, improving use of bridge and core funding and enabling financial and economic viability of media outlets
• Foster coordination and consolidation of a pan-European platform or network of media hubs to promote preservation of pluralistic media environment
• Support continued work of exiled independent media and journalists producing content for Russian, Belarusian, and Ukrainian audiences without any editorial interference

Eligible and Ineligible Costs

Eligible Budget Categories

• Personnel costs: salaries, social security contributions, taxes, and other remuneration-related costs for employees and natural persons under direct contract assigned to the action, calculated on daily rate basis
• Subcontracting costs: for action tasks, awarded using beneficiary's usual practices ensuring best value for money and no conflict of interests, limited to certain portion of action
• Purchase costs: travel and subsistence (using unit costs or actual costs per beneficiary's practices), equipment (using depreciation method), and other goods, works and services
• Financial support to third parties: in the form of grants or similar support to media organizations and journalists (minimum 70% of total EU funding), with maximum €300,000 per recipient
• Indirect costs: flat-rate of 7% of eligible direct costs (categories A-D excluding volunteers and exempted specific cost categories)

Ineligible Costs

• Costs or contributions declared under other EU grants (except Synergy actions where total does not exceed 100% of eligible costs)
• Costs or contributions for staff of national administration for activities part of normal administration
• Travel and subsistence for EU institution staff or representatives
• Debt service charges, provisions for future losses, interest owed, currency exchange losses
• Deductible or refundable VAT
• Costs incurred during grant agreement suspension
• Return on capital and dividends paid by beneficiary
• Excessive or reckless expenditure
• Bank costs charged by beneficiary's bank for transfers from granting authority

Application and Evaluation Process

Submission Requirements

• Applications must be submitted electronically via EU Funding and Tenders Portal; paper submissions are not accepted
• Proposal must not exceed 70 pages (Part B)
• All beneficiaries and affiliated entities must be registered in the Participant Register before submission
• Proposal must include Application Form Part A (administrative information) and Part B (technical description)
• Mandatory annexes required: detailed budget table, CVs of core project team, activity reports from last year, list of previous projects
• Consortium agreement is required ⁴

Evaluation Timeline

Award Criteria and Scoring

Proposals are evaluated against three award criteria with a maximum total of 100 points. Individual thresholds per criterion and an overall threshold must be met for funding consideration. ⁵

For Relevance, evaluators assess clarity and consistency of the action, how objectives match call themes and priorities, contribution to EU strategic and legislative context, European or trans-national dimension, and impact across multiple countries. For Quality, evaluators examine logical links between problems and solutions, consortium and project team quality, cooperation procedures, project methodology, and cost-effectiveness. For Impact, evaluators consider ambition and long-term results, dissemination strategy, and sustainability after EU funding ends.

Payment and Reporting

Prefinancing Payment:Approximately 50% of maximum grant amount normally, paid 30 days from entry into force or 10 days before starting date, whichever is latest (subject to provision of financial guarantee if required)

Interim Payments:One interim payment for maximum 30% of maximum grant amount, subject to approval of periodic report

Final Payment:Balance paid 90 days from receiving final periodic report after calculation of final grant amount

Interim Payment Ceiling:Prefinancing and interim payments combined may not exceed 90% of maximum grant amount

Reporting must be submitted according to the schedule in the Grant Agreement Data Sheet. Financial statements must detail eligible costs and contributions for each budget category. For the final payment, all revenues for the action must be declared. The no-profit rule applies: grants may not produce profit (surplus of revenues plus EU grant over costs). For-profit organizations must declare revenues and any profit will be deducted from final grant amount.

Grant Administration and Compliance

Consortium Obligations

• Beneficiaries are jointly responsible for technical implementation; if one fails, others must ensure implementation without increase to maximum grant
• Each beneficiary must keep Participant Register information updated, immediately inform granting authority of events affecting action implementation, and submit required documents to coordinator
• Coordinator must monitor proper action implementation, act as intermediary for all communications with granting authority, request and verify document quality, and distribute payments to beneficiaries without unjustified delay
• Affiliated entities participate with similar rights and obligations as beneficiaries but do not sign grant and do not count towards minimum consortium composition requirements
• Associated partners implement action tasks but may not charge costs; beneficiaries retain responsibility for their compliance

Record-Keeping Requirements

Beneficiaries must keep adequate records and supporting documents for at least 5 years after final payment (or 3 years for grants not exceeding €60,000) to prove proper action implementation and justify declared amounts. Records must enable direct reconciliation between declared amounts, amounts recorded in accounts, and amounts in supporting documents. Time worked for personnel must be supported by monthly signed declarations unless another reliable time-record system is in place.

Liability and Recoveries

The coordinator is fully liable for recoveries at final payment. After final payment or at beneficiary termination, recoveries are made directly against beneficiaries concerned. Beneficiaries are fully liable for repaying debts of their affiliated entities. In case of enforced recoveries, beneficiaries may be jointly and severally liable up to their maximum grant amount, and affiliated entities may be held liable for their beneficiaries' debts. Joint and several liability regime is applied unless otherwise specified in the Grant Agreement.

Special Conditions and Restrictions

Beneficiaries must maintain full editorial independence without any editorial interference. Financial support to third parties must be distributed according to transparent, objective criteria clearly specified in the proposal. Projects must comply with highest ethical standards and applicable EU, international and national law. All communication activities must acknowledge EU support and display the European flag with the funding statement: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Commission. ⁶

Security and confidential information must be handled in accordance with applicable EU law. Sensitive information must be kept confidential during implementation and for 5 years after final payment. Beneficiaries must take measures to prevent conflicts of interest and formally notify the granting authority of any situation constituting or likely to lead to conflicts of interest.

Important Application Considerations

• Do not wait until deadline: submit application sufficiently in advance to avoid technical problems. Problems due to last-minute submission are entirely applicant's responsibility, and call deadlines cannot be extended.
• Balanced project budget required: ensure sufficient resources to implement project successfully, including own contributions, income generated by action, or financial contributions from third parties
• Dual funding prohibited: it is strictly prohibited to cumulate funding from EU budget outside Synergy actions. Each action may receive only one grant from EU budget and cost items may not be declared under two EU grants.
• Completed or ongoing projects: proposals for already completed projects will be rejected. Proposals for already started projects assessed case-by-case with no reimbursement for pre-start activities.
• Subcontracting limitations: subcontracting may not cover core action tasks and subcontracting exceeding 30% of total eligible costs must be justified
• Minimum FSTP requirement: financial support to third parties must be minimum 70% of total EU funding (€2.1 million minimum)
• Language flexibility: proposals can be submitted in any official EU language, but project abstract/summary must be in English. English recommended for entire application for efficiency.

Contact and Support

For non-IT related questions about this call, contact CNECT-I1-CALLS@ec.europa.eu. For IT helpdesk support regarding Funding and Tenders Portal access, passwords, or technical submission issues, contact the IT Helpdesk through the Portal. Consult the Portal Topic page regularly for updates and additional information on the call. The Online Manual provides step-by-step guidance through Portal processes. ⁷

This is the third edition of the Media Freedom Hub initiative. The first edition (2023) awarded over €2.2 millioneuros in grants to exiled Russian and Belarusian media; the second edition (2025) provided over €2 millioneuros with additional funding for training, visa and legal support, psychological support, and networking.

Applications must be submitted by a consortium of at least 5 applicants (beneficiaries only, not affiliated entities), with minimum 3 independent entities from 3 different eligible countries.

The €300,000 maximum per third party recipient is permitted because the nature of actions under this call makes higher amounts necessary to achieve objectives. This is an exception to the standard €60,000 limit.

Consortium agreement should cover internal organization, management of Portal access, different distribution keys for payments and financial responsibilities in case of recoveries, additional rules on rights and obligations related to background and results, settlement of internal disputes, and liability arrangements between beneficiaries.

Overall pass threshold is 64 points out of 100. Proposals must pass individual thresholds (Relevance 24/40, Quality 28/40, Impact 12/20) and overall threshold to be considered for funding within available budget limits.

Communication activities must include factually accurate information with proper visibility of EU support through the European flag (emblem) and funding statement translated into local languages where appropriate. The emblem must remain distinct and separate and cannot be modified or appropriated.

The EU Funding and Tenders Portal can be accessed at EU Funding and Tenders Portal. The Online Manual provides comprehensive procedures and recommendations for application preparation.