About the EEA

The EEA Grants represent the contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway towards a green, competitive and inclusive Europe. 

There are two overall objectives: reduction of economic and social disparities in Europe, and to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor countries and 15 EU countries in Central and Southern Europe and the Baltics. 

The three donor countries cooperate closely with the EU through the Agreement on the European Economic Area (EEA). The donors have provided €3.3 billion through consecutive grant schemes between 1994 and 2014. For the period 2014-2021, the EEA Grants amount to €1.55 billion. The priorities for this period are: 

#1 Innovation, Research, Education and Competitiveness

#2 Social Inclusion, Youth Employment and Poverty Reduction

#3 Environment, Energy, Climate Change and Low Carbon Economy

#4 Culture, Civil Society, Good Governance and Fundamental Rights

#5 Justice and Home Affairs 

The EEA Grants are jointly financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, whose contributions are based on their GDP. 

Eligibility for the Grants mirror the criteria set for the EU Cohesion Fund aimed at member countries where the Gross National Income (GNI) per inhabitant is less than 90% of the EU average.

All projects are co-financed by the State Budget of the Slovak Republic in the amount of 15%.

How does it work?

 
The EU and the Donor States will agree on the total amount of the contribution and distribution of funding per beneficiary state. Country allocations are based on population size and GDP per capita. Within the set national allocation, the donor states negotiate with each recipient state separately and agree on what programs will be set up, their objectives and the size of the allocation for each of the programs. The agreement is based on the needs and priorities of the recipient country and the framework for cooperation with donor countries.

Each National Focal Point is responsible for the overall management of the programmes in its beneficiary country. The Programme Operators (POs) develop and manage the programmes, often in cooperation with a partner from the donor states, and award funding to projects. Projects are mostly selected following calls for proposals launched by the POs.