EU announces EUR 1.5 million grant competition to strengthen civil society’s role in Ukraine’s EU accession process

During the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC) in Rome on 10 July, the European Union and Ukraine announced a EUR 1.5 million grant competition for project proposals under the flagship Ukraine2EU initiative – a programme to support Ukraine’s integration into the EU.

The grant competition, set to launch on 1 August 2025, aims to empower Ukrainian civil society organisations to directly contribute to Ukraine’s broader EU integration efforts and align Ukrainian legislation with the EU acquis.

The announcement underscored the shared belief that sustainable progress towards EU membership requires strong partnerships between state institutions and civil society.

Marta Kos, EU Commissioner for Enlargement, highlighted the importance of this collaboration, stating that Ukrainians were making significant progress in reforms aimed at EU accession, largely due to a robust civil society that collaborated with, and sometimes challenged, the government. She noted that the sector was rich with experienced and skilled individuals and that the initiative would fund civil society proposals to ensure EU accession remained a project engaging the entire society.

Olha Stefanishyna, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice, welcomed the initiative: “We are making Ukraine’s EU accession process more open and practical, ensuring reforms are not only driven by institutions but shaped with civil society’s involvement. Through this competition, we invite civil society to become active participants in Ukraine’s path to EU membership.”

Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Danish Foreign Minister, emphasised the value of civil society’s contribution to Ukraine’s EU accession, highlighting that Denmark was delighted to support Ukraine’s EU accession process. He pointed out that Denmark had strong civil society traditions contributing to decision-making and shaping the country’s future, and he expressed admiration for the dedication of Ukrainian civil society in its efforts to inform and influence decision-making, which he said reflected a strong democratic spirit in Ukraine.

Katarína Mathernová, EU Ambassador to Ukraine, noted civil society’s ability to align reforms with citizens’ interests, stating that civil society played a pivotal role in Ukraine’s EU integration journey. She pointed out that the competition was a clear signal of EU countries’ commitment to working with civil society to ensure European integration was understood, supported, and embraced by all Ukrainians.

The competition aims to support 8–15 projects, each eligible for funding of up to EUR 200,000 (with an optimal limit of EUR 125,000) and a duration of up to 24 months.

The competition is open to a wide range of activities, including advocacy, public consultations, communication, legislative analysis and development, contributions to negotiation processes, and other EU integration initiatives.

Preference will be given to proposals targeting agriculture, industry, energy, free movement of workers, and the environment (within Clusters 2–5). Proposals under Cluster 1 (“Fundamentals”) and Cluster 6 (“External Relations”) will also be considered if their relevance is clearly justified.

The competition will proceed in two stages. Concept notes must be submitted by 1 September 2025. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit full project proposals. Project implementation is expected to begin in December 2025 or January 2026.

Background

The Ukraine2EU Programme is a key EU initiative designed to help Ukraine successfully complete its accession process and prepare for EU membership. It is implemented by the Lithuanian Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) with funding from the European Commission, Denmark, Lithuania, and Sweden.

Detailed information about the competition will be published on the CPVA website and Ukraine2EU Programme social media accounts (LinkedIn, Facebook, X) on 1 August 2025.

For media inquiries: delegation-ukraine-press@eeas.europa.eu