Wanted: New Climate Action Projects in Europe 

The European Climate Initiative (EUKI) is launching a new round of project funding, with this year’s call for projects set to be issued on 6 February 2024. Non-profit organisations from civil society, municipalities and the scientific-research, business and education sectors can respond to the Europe-wide call and submit their project proposals via this online platform until 12 March 2024.

The six areas earmarked for funding this year are as follows: Climate-Neutral Mobility; Climate Policy; Carbon Removals and Sinks; Energy Transition and Climate-Neutral Buildings; Just Transition, and Sustainable Economy. The submitted project proposals should include transnational climate-action measures that involve cooperation between partner organisations from several European countries. The EUKI will finance selected project ideas to the tune of between EUR 120,000 and EUR 1 million each. With over half of the total funding required to go to projects in central, eastern and southern European countries, the Baltic states and Western Balkan nations. To be eligible to participate in the call, organisations must be based in an EU member state, an EU candidate country or a Western Balkan nation.

Sven Giegold, State Secretary at the BMWK, on the idea behind the call:

The EUKI has established itself as an effective funding programme since its inception in 2017. It has invested a total of EUR 95 million in European climate action via 210 projects. To date, some 440 organisations, communities, schools, authorities and universities have already helped bring the EU closer to achieving the EU climate targets and the objectives of the Green Deal. These stakeholders are all connected within the EUKI Community. They make use of trainings and web seminars offered by the EUKI Academy to enhance their expertise in climate issues.

The EUKI helps to implement ideas for accelerating climate action and collaboration in Europe, focusing on the process of the EU’s priorities and current challenges and emergencies. With this in mind, the 8^th call for ideas also aligns well with the EU’s Fit for 55 package and REPower Plan, and feeds into efforts to tackle the energy crisis as well as developing the EU climate framework for the period after 2030.

You can find the press release also on the official website of the BMWK (in German only).