Frequently Asked Questions

The EEA Grants Fund is a financial mechanism known as the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (EEAFM) through which Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein provide financial support to the European Union Member States with the greatest deviations from the European average GDP per capita, which includes Portugal.

Since the entry into force of the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement in 1994, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, as Donor Countries, have contributed to the economic and social development of Portugal through different multi-annual mechanisms.

The legal framework of the EEAFM 2014-2021 is comprised of the Regulation on the implementation of the European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism 2014-2021, Protocol 38C of the European Economic Area Agreement, the Memorandum of Understanding, the Programme agreements and the Guidelines adopted by the Financial Mechanism Office, without prejudice to the applicable national and European legislation.

Please access the documents here

It is a document signed between Portugal and the Donor Countries (Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) with a view to the application in Portugal of the EEAFM 2014-2021 and where the promoting entities, the Programmes, the Donor Countries' partners, the bilateral ambitions and the amounts of funding are established. 

Please access the documents here

The Donor Countries are Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein, countries belonging to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) that have signed the Agreement on the European Economic Area, in 1992, in the city of Porto, and that contribute financially to the EEAFM, in exchange for their participation in the Internal Market.

The 15 Member States of the European Union with the greatest deviations from the European average GDP per capita, where Portugal is included, are eligible as beneficiaries of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism.

In the EEAFM 2014-2021 these countries are:

• Bulgaria 
• Croatia
• Cyprus 
•  Czechia
• Estonia
• Greece
• Hungary
• Latvia
• Lithuania 
• Malta
• Poland
• Portugal 
• Romania 
• Slovakia
• Slovenia

The FMC is the Committee created by the Donor Countries to manage the EEAFM, comprised of representatives of the respective Ministries of Foreign Affairs.

The FMO is the Office that technically assists the FMC in the management of the EEAFM and serves as contact point.

Among other roles, the National Focal Point of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (NFP-EEAFM) undertakes the responsibility of National Focal Point with national and international representatives and has the overall responsibility to ensure compliance with the objectives of the EEAFM 2014-2021 and the implementation of the MoU.

The National Management Unit of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (NFP- EEAFM) was created through the Resolution of the Council of Ministers No. 39/2017, of March 10^th, amended by the Amendment Statement No. 14/2017, of April 24^th. On 17^th of July 2023 the Resolution of the Council of Ministers N.º 73/2024, of July 14^th, entered into force, creating the NFP-EEAFM 2021-2027, with the aim of continuing NFP mission during the next financial mechanism.

Please access the documents here

The Audit Authority is a national public entity responsible for verifying the effective compliance with the previously approved Management and Control Systems.

In Portugal, the entity that takes on this role is the General Finance Inspectorate (IGF) and is functionally independent of the NFP-EEAFM, the Certification Authority and the Programme Operators.

The Certification Authority is a national public entity independent from the NFP-EEAFM, the Audit Authority and the Programme Operators, responsible for certifying the financial reports.

In Portugal, the Agency for Development and Cohesion (AD&C) was designated to fulfil these functions.

The Irregularity Authority is a national public entity independent from the NFP-EEAFM, the Certification Authority and the Programme Operators. In Portugal, the entity that takes on this role is the General Finance Inspectorate (IGF) and is responsible for recording and reporting irregularities detected to the FMO.

The Programme Operator is a public or private entity with close link to the funded sector, designated in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), responsible for preparing and implementing the Programmes agreed with Donor Countries. 

The Programme Operators are the following:

• Blue Growth Programme: Directorate-General for Maritime Policy (DGPM);
• Environment Programme - General Secretariat for Environment (SGA);
• Work-life Balance Programme: Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality (CIG);
• Culture Programme: Cultural Heritage, Public Institute (PC, I.P.), with the Directorate-General for the Arts as Programme Partner;
• Active Citizens Programme: consortium between the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and the Bissaya Barreto Foundation.

The programme partner of Donor Countries is a public institution in Norway, Iceland and/or Liechtenstein that plays a key role in the planning and implementation of the programmes through knowledge exchange, cooperation, strategic advice, helping project promoters to find project partners in the donor countries.

The Promoter is the entity responsible for implementing the project or bilateral initiative approved for funding. In the case of partnerships, it will always be the liaison body for providing information and/or clarifications.

It will also be the entity responsible for reporting on the material and financial execution, regardless of whether the activities and/or expenses have been implemented by the Promoter or by the Partners of the initiative.

The Fund for Bilateral Relations (FBR) is a Fund with a minimum of 2% of the total allocation of the Beneficiary Country, aimed at strengthening bilateral relations between Donor Countries and the Beneficiary Country. In Portugal this fund is managed directly by the National Management Unit of the European Economic Area Financial Mechanism (NFP-EEAFM).

The Joint Committee for Bilateral Funds (JCBF) is chaired by the NFP-EEAFM and has overall responsibility for overseeing progress in implementing the FBR. It is through the JCBF that bilateral ambitions, priority areas for bilateral cooperation and concrete initiatives to be funded by the FBR are determined.

The JCBF is composed of representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

A Bilateral Initiative consists of one or more activities, implemented in partnership with Donor Country entities, that clearly contribute to strengthening bilateral relations between Donor Country entities and national entities.

Public or private, commercial or non-profit entities, including any civil society organisations, such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), legally established in Portugal, are eligible as promoting entities.

Individuals are not eligible under the Fund for Bilateral Relations (FBR) Open Call.

EEA Grants have two main objectives, one of which is to strengthen bilateral relations between the three Donor Countries - Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein - and the 15 Beneficiary Countries in Europe. Partnerships are a concrete method to achieve this goal, bringing several benefits: the exchange of experience and knowledge, access to innovative solutions, the creation of new networks and new business opportunities.

You should contact the NFP-EEAFM, indicating the intended area of activity, which will facilitate the identification of a potential partner.

You may also contact the Programme Operator according to the area of the application to be submitted, if applicable.

Regarding databases available for research on Norwegian and Icelandic NGOs, please check the following information:

• Norwegian Helsinki Committee through the NGO Portal (database);
• Icelandic Human Rights Centre, which provides a list of contacts.

To find partners in the area of business development please check:

• Innovation Norway (IN) - and/or Icelandic Centre for Research (RANNIS)

To see the list of projects funded in the previous funding period, with examples of partnerships, you can access here

Public or private, commercial or non-profit entities are eligible as partners, including any civil society organisations, such as non-governmental organisations (NGOs), legally established in the Donor Countries, in Portugal or in the other Beneficiary Countries, as well as any international organisation or subsidiary agencies, that are actively involved in the funded initiative, effectively contributing to the expected results.

Only applications with at least one partner from one of the donor countries are accepted.

Individuals are not eligible as partner entities under the Fund for Bilateral Relations (FBR) Open Call. 

A partner entity is an entity that is actively involved, makes an effective contribution to the implementation of an initiative and shares a common objective with the Promoter of the initiative. Providers or service providers are not partner entities.

There are no limitations on the number of partners in each application.

The partners are not required to receive any funding and the Promoter may be responsible for the entire funding.

On the one hand, the transfer of funds to the partners may only occur in cases where it is foreseen to reimburse the expenses incurred by them within the initiative (expenses foreseen in the budget and duly approved in the application).

On the other hand, the Partnership Agreement, to be signed between the Promoter and the partners, must foresee all the terms of the partnership, namely the financial matters that involve both (see Article 7 of ANNEX IX - Partnership Agreement, in here

In cases where it is foreseen to manage the budget jointly with the Partners, either by reimbursement of expenses or by transferring funds directly to them, for the expenses to be considered eligible, it is mandatory that the expenses have been budgeted and paid by the partner, be submitted by the promotor in the expenses report and comply with FBR and the partner country rules.

Yes, in the framework of the FBR Open Calls each applicant can apply with more than one application as long as they are clearly distinct from each other.

Yes, under the FBR Open Calls each entity can be the beneficiary of more than one funding decision as long as it concerns bilateral initiatives that are clearly distinct from each other, without any other limitation than the merit of the application.

Questions concerning the submission of applications to the open call(s) under the FBR should be sent to bilateralrelations@eeagrants.gov.pt The deadline for reply is 10 working days.

These are initiatives approved by JCBF outside of Open Calls whose implementation is justified by their unique and relevant contribution to strengthen bilateral relations. Its funding rate can be up to 100%, with the reference for maximum funding of 50.000€, notwithstanding that a different maximum funding amount may be recommended by JCBF. As a general rule, these are initiatives promoted by public entities in partnership with counterpart entities from Donor Countries in areas and topics of clear mutual interest.

Proposals for pre-defined bilateral initiatives are submitted to the NFP by completing the form in the FBR Handbook (Annex VIII - Pre-defined Initiative Description Form) available at Link to be assessed by JCBF.

The range of bilateral initiatives eligible for funding under the FBR is broad and involves strategic cooperation, networking, exchanges, sharing and transfer of knowledge, technology, experience and good practices between Portuguese and Donor Country entities.

Activities eligible for support may be, for example: matchmaking events; technical cooperation and exchange of experts; short-term internships; training initiatives; workshops and seminars on topics of common interest; study visits; data collection, reports, studies and publications, campaigns, exhibitions and promotional material, etc.

Bilateral initiatives may take place in Portugal and/or in Donor Countries or in any territory of the European Economic Area, provided that they are relevant to the bilateral outcomes of the initiative and approved by JCBF.

As a rule, expenses incurred in Portugal or in the Donor Countries are considered eligible. Expenses incurred in another territory within the European Economic Area, including travel expenses to and from a country other than Portugal and/or the Donor Countries will only be considered eligible if their relevance to the results of the proposed bilateral initiative is recognised by the JCBF.

The minimum amount of financial support in the open calls is €5.000 (five thousand euros) and the maximum is €15.000 (fifteen thousand euros).

The maximum value for pre-defined initiatives is up to €50.000.

Exceptionally, higher amounts may be funded, but only for pre-defined initiatives.

The funding rate under the Open Calls will be set at a maximum of 90% of the total eligible costs. 

The funding rate for pre-defined bilateral initiatives can be up to 100%.

The funding rate will be recommended by JCBF to secure the commitment of the initiative Promoter and taking into account any economic benefits (reduced costs or increased profit) resulting from the financial support and applicable State Aid rules.

Applications should be submitted electronically to bilateralrelations@eeagrants.gov.pt using the application forms available on Link. Applications must be submitted with the completed English application form.

The form must be dated and signed by the head of the applicant entity and the following documents must be sent:

• budget/schedule (excel template provided);
• bylaws of the applying entity;
• up-to-date tax and social security debt clearance certificates;
• certificates proving the VAT regime applicable;
• the partnership commitment declarations of the partners;
• declaration of single/autonomous company (if applicable).

The involvement of the Donor Country Partners must be evidenced by the presentation of a commitment declaration in English, dated and signed by the responsible person of each partner entity, indicating their role. There is no template for this purpose.

Yes, a declaration of commitment must be submitted, dated and signed by the responsible person of each partner entity, indicating their role. There is no template for this purpose.

This declaration should only be submitted in case the entity applying is a company. In that case, it should choose the template that fits the type of company.

The template for these declarations can be found in the FBR Manual (Annexes VI and VII) at here

All initiatives funded by the EEAFM 2014-2021 should follow a Results-Based Management approach that entails defining objectives, measures to achieve the objectives and measuring progress towards achieving the results.

The unit of measurement of indicators can take various forms depending on the nature of the indicator: e.g. number (No.), percentage (%), binary (yes/no), area (Km2), scale (definition of the scale with minimum and maximum limit), etc.

The expected results of the initiatives financed should be translated into tangible products (outputs) that promote cooperation between national entities and entities from Donor Countries (outcome), thus contributing to the strengthening of bilateral relations (impact).

The evaluation of the applications will be done in a sequential manner, following the chronological order, and the financing decisions will be announced in accordance with the provisions of the open calls.

Notification of the final decision is communicated by the NFP-EEAFM to the applicant entities after the JCBF meeting recommending approval or rejection of the applications.

In case of excluded applications, the applicant entities have the possibility to complaint, within 10 working days, under the terms of the Administrative Procedure Code (CPA), in a context of a hearing for interested parties, without prejudice to the other legal measures available.

A Term of Acceptance must be signed by the promoter of the bilateral initiative. The document needs to establish the conditions for the attribution of funding, namely: scope of support, funding conditions, eligible expenses, time schedule, amount allocated and co-financing rate, payment method, the beneficiary banking details, the beneficiary obligations and situations of suspension and/or reimbursement of the payment of the financial support in case of non-compliance.

The draft Terms of Acceptance are attached to the FBR Manual

The legal representative of the initiative promoter.

A Partnership Agreement is an agreement signed between the Promoter of the initiative and the partner(s) for the development of the partnership, regulating the roles and responsibility of the parties, as well as the budget and expenses allocated to the participation of the partner(s), if applicable.

The NFP provides a template in the FBR Handbook (Annex IX):

https://www.eeagrants.gov.pt/en/eea-grants/documents/

The partnership agreement must be signed by the legal representative of each of the partner entities.

Yes. In duly justified cases the NFP-EEAFM may accept modifications to the bilateral initiative, provided that such modification does not imply an increase in the amount to be funded and/or the respective financing rate.

Modification requests are formalised by sending a written document to the NFP-EEAFM, containing detailed information justifying the need for the modification.

In the case of substantial changes these requests are assessed by the JCBF, and the decision is communicated by the NFP by email.

Substantial modifications are, for example:

- Adjustments to the deadlines and eligibility period that allow for the fulfilment of obligations and within the period of execution and eligibility of the Bilateral Relations Fund. This extension must be necessary for the full realisation of the project's objectives and results;

- Justified changes and substitutions to the results framework and objectives that do not affect the scope, quality, bilateral objectives or the approved budget;

- Substantial adaptation of the timetable of activities, deliverables and outputs with an impact on the project budget and implementation timeframe, without altering the scope of the project or the bilateral objectives;

- Justified substitutions in the composition of the partnership that do not alter the scope, budget, quality, timetable and objectives of the approved call, with the corresponding justification of the suitability and guarantees of the substitution, including bilateral objectives;

- Adjustments to budget headings of more than 20 per cent of the total approved budget;

- Inclusion of new partners that improve the quality of the project, but without altering the budget, quality, timetable and objectives of the approved call, with the corresponding justification of the appropriateness of this inclusion, including bilateral interest;

- Modifications that could jeopardise the positioning of the initiative in relation to the selection criteria that served as the basis for the corresponding funding decisions.

In the case of non-substantial changes, the NFP evaluates the proposed changes. If it considers that these do not imply a significant impact on the objectives and results, do not interfere with the implementation timeframe of the initiative and do not affect the budget beyond the 20 per cent rule, approval of acceptance will be communicated via email or when analysing the reports.

The starting date for the eligibility of expenses of a bilateral initiative is the notification date of the final decision of approval communicated by the NFP-EEAFM to the project promoter.

This notification shall be made by electronic communication to the address indicated in the application form to that effect.

Only expenses that have been incurred, invoiced and paid within the defined eligibility period shall be accepted.

The starting date of eligibility of pre-defined initiatives is the date of signature of the Acceptance Agreement.

The final date for the eligibility of expenditure will be defined at the time of contracting the funding of the bilateral initiative and shall be included in point 10 of the Acceptance Agreement.

Only expenses that have been incurred, invoiced and paid within the defined eligibility period will be accepted.

Eligible expenses which incurred in the implementation of the bilateral initiative and meet the following criteria:

a) are incurred within the eligibility period of the approved initiative, as specified in the Term of Acceptance signed by the Promoter;

b) are directly linked to the approved initiative and are duly detailed in the budget included in the Term of Acceptance;

c) are proportional and necessary for the implementation of the approved initiative;

d) are exclusively used to achieve the objectives of the approved initiative and the expected results, respecting the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness;

e) are identifiable and verifiable, namely through the accounting records of the Promoter and/or Partner of the initiative, and are in accordance with the applicable standards of the country where the Promoter and/or Partner of the initiative is established and in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;

f) comply with the requirements of the applicable tax and social security legislation.

As a rule, human resources are not eligible. Only expenses with trainers' fees or services specifically hired for activities foreseen in the approved initiative are eligible, provided that their effective participation is justified and are essential to the implementation of the initiative.

No. As a rule, indirect costs (electricity consumption, water, communications, etc.) are not eligible.

Travel expenses, including per diems, should be calculated according to the terms established in chapter 5.3 and 5.4 of the Bilateral Relations Fund Manual here

The allowances for members of foreign entities participating in bilateral activities correspond to the sum of daily expenses (meals, personal expenses, telephone, internet, etc.) and the cost of accommodation necessary and essential for the travel.

This amount is defined according to the chart adopted by the European Commission on 17/03/2017 and its updates, which in the most recent decision of 31/07/2024 establishes the following daily rate for travels to Portugal:

In the case of missions abroad by Portuguese entities, the legal regime for daily allowances and transport for Public Administration workers, foreseen in Decree-Law 106/98, of April 24^th, with its respective updates, shall apply.

According to the FBR Manual, when nationals are travelling abroad, the legal regime for the granting of allowances and transport for Public Administration workers is applied, as set out in Decree-Law 106/98 of April 24^th, with its respective updates, according to which accommodation in a hotel with more than 3 stars is not permitted, except in duly justified situations (there are no other 3-star options in the area where the activities are taking place or there are no rooms available in the existing 3-star hotels; the activities are taking place in the hotel and there is a need for everyone to stay in the same place for time economy, and there is no 3-star hotel that can guarantee space and accommodation for everyone, the argument having to be based on a logic of saving time and costs).

In the case of stays by representatives of the donor country's partner entities, although the same limitation is not applicable, it should be taken into account that the eligibility of expenses is conditional upon their proportionality, adequacy and respect for the principles of economy, efficiency and effectiveness.

VAT is only eligible when it cannot be recovered by the entity. The certificate proving the VAT regime applicable to the entity is one of the mandatory documents in the application.

The realization of expenses under the FBR is subject to compliance with national and EU law regarding public procurement, both at the level of the Promoter and partners, so the rules of the Public Procurement Code (CCP), Decree-Law No. 111-B/2017 of August 31^st and subsequent amendments must be followed with the necessary adaptations.

As a general rule, funded initiatives are not expected to generate revenue.

However, if there are activities that generate revenue, such as, for example, the sale of tickets for an event held under the funded initiative, the revenue should revert to the initiative itself and the funding rate will have to be adjusted accordingly.

Any financial contributions generated under the initiatives, which were not foreseen and approved in the application, must be previously communicated to and approved by the NFP.

For the purposes of reimbursement of expenses incurred by non-national partners, they must submit the respective proof of expenditure.

Given the difficulty of verifying compliance with national laws in force in other countries, as an alternative to submitting the public procurement procedures carried out as part of the implementation of the initiative, it is recommended that entities report expenditure in the form of a report in English, drawn up by a certified independent auditor or by a recognised official with powers of financial control of that entity, as provided for in article 8.12.4 of the EEAFM Regulation.

Another option will be, for example, for the partner to issue an invoice, in English, detailing the expenses charging and indicating that were carried out in compliance with the EEAFM Regulation 2014-2021, the FBR Manual and other relevant national and European legislation, according to Article 8.12 of the Regulation.

Yes, the Promoter must justify 100% of the costs incurred, regardless of the percentage of funding approved.

Only expenses incurred will be considered, and the imputation of costs that do not represent actual expenses will not be accepted.

The funding is paid to the initiative Promotor by bank transfer to the IBAN indicated in the Term of Acceptance of the bilateral initiative.

For initiatives with an implementation period of up to 12 months and funding up to €15.000, payment shall be made in two instalments (initial advance and final balance);

For initiatives with an implementation period of more than 12 months and/or funding of more than €15.000, payment shall be made in three instalments (initial advance, interim payment and final balance);

In case of pre-defined bilateral initiatives, a different payment plan may be applied, if approved by JCBF.

The initial advance is paid after the Term of Acceptance is duly signed, together with the Partnership Agreement(s), proof of IBAN and updated tax and social security debt clearance certificates are sent to the NFP.

The interim payment and final balance are paid after the submission and validation of the interim and final reports, respectively, when payment is due.

Yes. Funds may be returned in two situations: when the verification of the expenditure has resulted in an unfavourable assessment and determines it, in whole or in part, as ineligible, because the eligibility rules laid down in the Regulation and the FBR Manual have not been met; or when sufficient expenditure has not been incurred for the provision granted to the promoter by means of the advance payment. In the event that the above-mentioned conditions are met, the promoter of the initiative is regularly notified by electronic means of the request for voluntary payment, by the deadline set and indicating the bank account earmarked for such payment.

The implementation of bilateral initiatives is subject to regular and continuous monitoring by the NFP, to follow the progress and compliance with the objectives and targets agreed.

In addition to the analysis of the reports regularly sent by the Promoters, the NFP will also carry out follow-up meetings and on-site verifications of the documents of the bilateral initiative.

The Promoters of the bilateral initiatives are subject to audits carried out by the Certifying Authority, the Audit Authority, the FMO and/or the EFTA Board of Auditors.

Validation of expenses is carried out by the NFP-EEAFM or by an entity accredited for this purpose by means of a formal procedure whereby it is stated that the expenses submitted for reimbursement are eligible, are justified by paid invoices, or other accounting documents of equivalent probative value, or physical indicators of achievement in the case of simplified costs and were incurred within the scope of the activities duly approved for funding.

An irregularity is a violation of the legal framework of the EEAFM 2014-2021, and of other applicable legislation, namely regarding public procurement.

Complaints and alerts on suspected irregularities can be submitted directly, by any person, to any entity involved in the implementation of EEA Grants 2014-2021.

The NFP also makes available on the EEA Grants Portugal website (www.eeagrants.gov.pt.com) information on how to submit a complaint or denunciation about suspected non-compliance with the principles of good governance in relation to the implementation of the MFEEE 2014-2021, including the possibility of anonymous reports, having created a dedicated email address (alerta@eeagrants.gov.pt) for this purpose.

Any amounts that have already been paid but are considered ineligible by the audit shall be returned by the promoter to the NFP-EEAFM. These amounts shall be deducted from the value of the assistance and may not be substituted by other eligible expenses within the scope of the same initiative.

Depending on the seriousness of the irregularities detected, the NFP-EEAFM may proceed to cancel the funding of the initiative. Without prejudice to the causes of unilateral termination set in the applicable legislation, the cancellation of funding may occur, namely due to:

1. non-compliance with the obligations stipulated in the Term of Acceptance and/or Partnership Agreement, by the Promoter or its partners;
2. provision of false information about the promoter or partners, or misrepresentation of data in the submission, evaluation or monitoring.

In case of cancellation of funding, the Promoter must return all amounts already received plus interest at the legal rate in force, within 30 days after the NFP notification. After this deadline, if the voluntary return of the referred amounts has not been done, it will take place a procedure of compulsory recovery by the competent services of the Certification Authority.

Yes. Initiative Promoters when publicising their activities should comply with the guidelines in the EEA Grants Communication and Graphic Standards Manual 2014-2021 (link).

The general communication objectives of EEA Grants are:

• To raise awareness of EEA Grants and its priorities to the general public in a clear and attractive way;
• To increase the visibility and recognition of the EEA Grants brand in Portugal;
• Inform current and potential partners and beneficiaries;
• To publicise the results and impacts of projects and initiatives;
• Convey a message of assurance and transparency.

The promoters of the initiatives should contribute to these communication objectives.

It is mandatory to produce at least two news items referring to the start and the end of the initiative, respectively. The strategic guidelines to follow when writing news about the initiatives financed under the Bilateral Relations Fund can be found here.

In addition, it is mandatory to create a digital communication dossier accessible to the NFP.

No. The creation of new websites for the initiatives is not allowed, however it is mandatory to make available the information on the approved initiative on a page integrated in the promoter's website.

Yes, promoters are encouraged to create pages referring to their initiatives on social networks or use those of their entities to disseminate their initiatives. In addition to the dissemination, they should:

• Identify @EEAGrantsPortugal and @EEANorwayGrants
• When publishing or sharing content and retweets, the following hashtags should be used: #EEAGrants #EEAGrantsPT #BilateralFund #FundoRelaçõesBilaterias

For communication purposes, it should be used the short name of the initiative, in English or Portuguese.

It is suggested to create simple and short names easily understood by the general public.

The approval or reference codes of the organisational part of the initiative should not be used.

No. The main logo of any initiative is the EEA Grants logo. It is not allowed to create logos for funded initiatives. However, the creation of a lettering of the initiative's name is permitted.

All dissemination materials and outputs of the initiative must include the EEA Grants logo and follow the "Communication and Graphic Standards Manual - EEA Grants Portugal 2014-2021".

Please download the logos here

Yes. The following text should be inserted in all documents/information produced in the initiatives, and can be inserted in the footer or as a footnote:

"Through the European Economic Area (EEA) Agreement, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein are partners in the internal market with the Member States of the European Union.

As a means of promoting a continued and balanced strengthening of economic and trade relations, the parties to the EEA Agreement have established a multi-annual financial mechanism, known as EEA Grants.

EEA Grants are aimed at reducing social and economic disparities in Europe and strengthening bilateral relations between these three countries and the beneficiary countries.

For the period 2014-2021, a total contribution of €2.8 billion has been agreed for 15 beneficiary countries. Portugal will benefit from a sum of €102.7 million.

Find out more at eeagrants.gov.pt"

This is only necessary if the funding has a material component. In this case, the EEA Grants logo and the reference to the FBR funding must be clearly visible.

Given the exceptional context we live in, expenses for activities that cannot be implemented for reasons beyond the promoters' control may be eligible, if the associated costs cannot be avoided or recovered. This could be the case of the cancellation of travel or hotel stays. However, the promoting organisations should do everything in their power to avoid the loss and impact on the approved initiative. When sending the physical and financial execution Reports, this situation must be duly reported and documented.