Two funding opportunities for European cities focused on EU rights and values

The Town Twinning call deadline for applications is 20 September.

The Objective of the call is to promote exchanges between citizens of different countries, in particular through town twinning, to give them practical experience of the wealth and diversity of the common heritage of the Union and to make them aware that these constitute the foundation for a common future.

The priorities of the call are:

• The EU is built on solidarity: solidarity between its citizens, solidarity across borders between its Member States, and solidarity through support actions in and beyond the EU.
• Town-Twinning projects will give citizens the opportunity to express what kind of Europe they want. Debates supported under the Town-Twinning measure should be based on the EU's specific achievements and on lessons learnt from history and from European integration.

Activities related to Town-Twinning may include, among others: cultural events, festivals, exhibitions.

An Info session for potential applicants will be organised mid-June 2023 (detailed information will be published on the EACEA website). Potential applicants can contact the National Contact Points of their country in order to receive information and support on the preparation of their application. In the Netherlands, the National Contact Point is the Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland.

The deadline for applications is 20 April 2023.

The objectives of the Network of Towns call are to promote exchanges between citizens of different countries, in particular through networks of towns, to give them practical experience of the wealth and diversity of the common heritage of the Union and to make them aware that these constitute the foundation for a common future. Networks of Towns will give towns and municipalities the possibility to deepen and intensify their cooperation and debate, develop sustainable networks and outline their long-term vision for the future of European integration.

Among the priorities of the call are:

• To promote exchanges between citizens of different countries;
• To give citizens the opportunity to discover the cultural diversity of the European Union and to make them aware that European values and cultural heritage constitute the foundation for a common future;
• To guarantee peaceful relations between Europeans and to ensure their active participation at the local level;
• To reinforce mutual understanding and friendship between European citizens;
• To encourage cooperation between municipalities and the exchange of best practices;
• To support good local governance and reinforce the role of local and regional authorities in the European integration process.

The call was published on 15 December 2022. The deadline for submission is 20 April 2023. Potential applicants can contact the National Contact Points of their country in order to receive information and support on the preparation of their application.

The Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme provides funding for citizens’ engagement, promoting equality for all and implementing EU rights and values. It aims to protect and promote the rights and values enshrined in the EU Treaties, in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union and in the applicable international human rights conventions. It does this by supporting civil society organisations and other stakeholders active at local, regional, national and transnational levels and by encouraging civic and democratic participation. This helps to sustain and further develop open, rights-based, democratic, equal and inclusive societies based on the rule of law. It pays particular attention to encouraging the participation of national, regional and local civil society organisations. Town Twinning and Networks of Towns projects are funded under the strand Citizen engagement and participation.