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Call key data
EURES Cross-border partnerships and EURES cross-border initiatives
Funding Program
European Social Fund+
Call number
ESF-2025-EURES-CBC
deadlines
Opening
20.02.2025
Deadline
06.05.2025 17:00
Funding rate
95%
Call budget
€ 9,000,000.00
Estimated EU contribution per project
Topic 1: € 300,000.00 - € 1,500,000.00; Topic 2: max. € 200,000.00
Link to the call
Link to the submission
Call content
short description
The overall objectives of the call are to facilitate workers' intra-EU labour mobility, to boost employment opportunities as well as to support the implementation of the EURES Regulation.
The call for proposals for projects with a duration of two years consists of two topics:
- The first topic supports fair mobility for workers in cross-border regions, in particular cross-border partnerships offering comprehensive EURES services;
- The second topic intends to stimulate focused support services for both employers and workers in cross-border regions and in the medium-term the transition towards a fully-fledged EURES cross-border partnership.
Call objectives
Topic 1: ESF-2025-EURES-CBC-ECP — EURES Cross-border partnerships
The overall objectives of this call topic are to facilitate workers' intra-EU labour mobility, to boost employment opportunities as well as to support the implementation of the EURES Regulation.
The ultimate goal of the call is to facilitate the job matching, placement and recruitment process on a fair basis in cross-border regions.
Topic 2 : ESF-2025-EURES-CBC-CBI — EURES Cross-border initiatives
The overall objectives of this call topic are to facilitate cross-border labour mobility in border regions, including those with a common sea border, which do not yet benefit from cooperation structures of regional labour market players and to foster the development of a better integrated and more dynamic regional labour market across borders. Furthermore, this shall speed up the implementation of the EURES Regulation in cross-border regions and lead in the medium-term to the setting up of new EURES cross-border partnerships.
The ultimate goal of the call is to provide focused and essential support to cross-border workers and employers and to facilitate, wherever possible, the job matching, placement and recruitment process on a fair basis.
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Expected effects and impacts
Topic 1: ESF-2025-EURES-CBC-ECP — EURES Cross-border partnerships
Measures supported under this call topic need to be concrete, action-oriented and with clear added value.
Applicants must commit to fulfilling the requirements set forth in Regulation (EU) No 492/2011 of the EP and of the Council of 5 April 2011 on freedom of movement for workers within the Union and of Regulation (EU) No 2016/589 of the European Parliament and the Council on a European network of employment services (EURES), workers' access to mobility services and the further integration of labour markets and amending Regulations (EU) No 492/2011 and (EU) No 1296/2013.
Applicants must comply with the rules, standards and procedures established in these documents, such as the principle to provide free services to job seekers, to provide job vacancies and CV's in accordance with the uniform system for the EURES Portal and to provide information to the National Coordination Office for the programming and reporting cycle and to report on their activities through the Performance Measurement System for cross-border partnerships.
The application must specify which category is covered by each activity proposed.
The actions should tackle the most relevant issues, as identified in the latest available data analysis.
Each activity must be linked with a results indicator and a specific target to be achieved during the action. Indicators have to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.
Topic 2 : ESF-2025-EURES-CBC-CBI — EURES Cross-border initiatives
Measures supported under this call need to be concrete, action-oriented and with clear added value and cater for the needs of jobseekers and employers in cross-border regions with a view on expanding, in the medium-term, the range of services and to prepare for the transition of the structure into a EURES cross-border partnership as defined in Regulation (EU) 2016/589.
Applicants must commit to fulfilling the requirements set forth in Regulation (EU) No 492/2011 of the EP and of the Council of 5 April 2011 on freedom of movement for workers within the Union and of Regulation (EU) No 2016/589 of the European Parliament and the Council on a European network of employment services (EURES), workers' access to mobility services and the further integration of labour markets and amending Regulations (EU) No 492/2011 and (EU) No 1296/2013.
Applicants must comply with the rules, standards and procedures established in these documents, such as the principle to provide free services to job seekers, to provide – to the extent possible - job vacancies and CV's in accordance with the uniform system for the EURES portal and to provide information to the National Coordination Office (NCO) for the programming and reporting cycle and to report on their activities through the complementary Performance Measurement System for cross-border partnerships.
The application must specify which category is covered by each activity proposed.
The actions should tackle the most relevant issues, as identified in the latest available data analysis.
Each activity must be linked with a results indicator and a specific target to be achieved during the action. Indicators have to be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound.
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Expected results
Topic 1: ESF-2025-EURES-CBC-ECP — EURES Cross-border partnerships
This topic shall support cross-border partnerships in implementing the objectives of the EURES Regulation, improving the functioning, cohesion and integration of the cross-border labour markets and promoting voluntary and fair geographical and occupational mobility in such regions.
The cross-border partnership must be established based on actual needs in terms of mobility flows and economic activity. In particular, it should address skills and labour mismatches in the border region. Applicants need to take into consideration that transnational activities outside the targeted cross-border region may not be included in their proposals.
While cross-border partnerships are free under the EURES Regulation to define a number of specific tasks [as indicated in Article 27(2)], cross-border partnerships co-financed by this call have to provide a minimum number of services.
Cross-border partnerships under this topic must support all these activities:
- To provide recruitment assistance through the staff of the organisations participating in the partnership to frontier jobseekers and employers, such as:
- Recruiting workers and attracting employers, for instance organizing recruitment events.
- Identifying suitable job vacancies or CVs.
- Helping to draft CV's, job applications, and job vacancies.
- Matching CVs and vacancies
- To provide guidance and information, relevant for the area covered by the partnership, on:
- living and working conditions, including general information on social security, taxation, labour law and administrative procedures regarding employment.
- apprenticeships, traineeships and access to vocational education and training.
- To advertise the information and services provided in line with the EURES communications strategy.
- To monitor placement outcomes and customer satisfaction.
- To contribute to the pool of job vacancies and CVs in the EURES portal, in cooperation with the NCO.
- To provide post-recruitment information and assistance.
In addition, cross-border partnerships under this topic must support at least one of the following activities:
- To gather and analyse evidence on cross-border mobility covering the current state of play and potential future developments.
- To develop and implement a catalogue of specific actions for raising the offer of cross-border apprenticeships and traineeships in the participating regions and to provide information, guidance and assistance to candidates interested in applying for such offers across the border.
- To contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights with specific actions addressing at least one of the principles under the chapter “fair working conditions”.
- On a voluntary basis and as stand-alone activity or as cross-cutting issue, cross-border partnerships can develop activities and measures supporting the process of the green and digital transitions and the transformation of European industrial ecosystems, in particular job conversion and modification as well as job creation and skills development in their regions within the framework of the transition to a decarbonised/green economy as detailed in the “European Green Deal” and the EU’s Digital Strategy.
- To gather and analyse data available in the respective cross-border region on labour shortages and hard-to-fill vacancies and to develop activities and measures tackling the latter.
Important note for applicants to topic 2: Since, as explained above, EURES Cross-border initiatives are intended to serve as preparatory actions for establishing in the medium-term EURES Cross-border partnerships with a full range of services and can therefore be supported only for a limited amount of time. Hence, applicants may only submit proposals under 2 consecutive calls for proposals.
Proposals under this topic must support, at least partially, these activities:
- To provide guidance and information, relevant for the area covered by the initiative, on:
- living and working conditions, including general information on social security, taxation, labour law and administrative procedures regarding employment.
- apprenticeships, traineeships and access to vocational education and training.
- To advertise the information and services provided in line with the EURES communications strategy.
- To monitor placement outcomes and customer satisfaction.
- To contribute to the pool of job vacancies and CVs in the EURES portal, in cooperation with the NCO.
- To carry out activities with the intention to create a long-term cooperation at regional level with any relevant actors such as regional and local authorities, higher education establishments, social partners and other interested stakeholders. Any such activity must have the ultimate goal of increasing the range of services of the cross-border initiative.
- To provide recruitment assistance through the EURES advisers and other staff of the consortium members to jobseekers and employers, such as:
- Recruiting workers and attracting employers.
- Identifying suitable job vacancies or CVs.
- Helping to draft CV's, job applications, and job vacancies.
- Matching CVs and vacancies.
In addition, proposals under this topic can support the following activities:
- To provide new and specialised services that are not or only partially available so far, thus contributing to filling the possible gaps of services provided in the region (e.g. post-recruitment support, cross-border projects, combination of training and placement, specific services for the placement of long-term unemployed, etc.).
- To provide post-recruitment information and assistance.
- To gather and analyse evidence on cross-border mobility covering the current state of play and potential future developments.
- To contribute to the implementation of the European Pillar of Social Rights with specific actions addressing at least one of the principles under the chapter “fair working conditions”.
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Eligibility Criteria
Regions / countries for funding
Iceland (Ísland), Norway (Norge)
eligible entities
Education and training institution, Other, Private institution, incl. private company (private for profit), Public Body (national, regional and local; incl. EGTCs), Research Institution incl. University, Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME)
Mandatory partnership
Yes
Project Partnership
Projects funded under this call must involve partnerships that include relevant regional and national EURES stakeholders. These partnerships should consist of public employment services, social partners, and other key labour market actors actively engaged in cross-border mobility.
Consortium composition:
- Topic 1 (cross-border partnerships): Only consortia are eligible. Proposals must be submitted by a consortium which includes employment services on regional, local and, where appropriate, national level; social partner organisations; and, where relevant, other stakeholders of at least two neighbouring Member States.
- Topic 2 (cross-border initiatives): Only consortia are eligible. Proposals must be submitted by a consortium composed exclusively of EURES member and partners of at least two neighbouring Member States (including those with a common sea border only). Other entities may participate in other consortium roles, such as associated partners, subcontractors, third parties giving in-kind contributions, etc.
- Topics 1 and 2: Any consortium member must be actively involved in the implementation of the action and financially engaged, (by incurring costs). The way they are financially engaged must be detailed in the budget of the proposal.
For topic 1, social partner organisations without legal personality under the applicable national law of above-mentioned countries are also eligible, provided that the conditions of the Financial Regulation related thereto are met (Article 197(2)(c) of the Financial Regulation).
In addition, in order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must fulfil the conditions of the relevant topic:
To be eligible, the lead applicant of the consortium must be:
- the relevant National EURES Coordination Office(s) as designated in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/589 or
- the EURES member(s) or partner(s) of the regions involved with the endorsement of its National Coordination Office
To be eligible, co-applicants must fall into one of the categories listed below:
- EURES members or partners − Social partner organisations at European, national or regional level
- Public or private employment services
- Third sector organisations
- Other relevant actors active on the EU/EEA labour market
Where necessary for the achievement of the action’s objectives, legal entities established in a third country which is not associated to the Easi strand pursuant to Article 29 of the ESF+ Regulation may exceptionally participate, as associated partner without being financed by the Union.
In topics 1 and 2, affiliated entities can take part in the consortium, but must satisfy the eligibility criteria as all applicants.
Natural persons — Natural persons are NOT eligible (with the exception of self employed persons, i.e. sole traders, where the company does not have legal personality separate from that of the natural person).
International organisations — International organisations are NOT eligible. The rules on eligible countries do not apply to them.
Entities without legal personality — Entities which do not have legal personality under their national law may exceptionally participate, provided that their representatives have the capacity to undertake legal obligations on their behalf, and offer guarantees for the protection of the EU financial interests equivalent to that offered by legal persons.
EU bodies — EU bodies (with the exception of the European Commission Joint Research Centre) can NOT be part of the consortium.
Social partner organisations — These include notably the European social partner organisations that are consulted in accordance with Article 154 TFEU (for the list, see List of consulted organisations) as well as other European-level social partner organisations that are not included in this list, but who are for example involved in the preparation and launch of European social dialogue at sector level. Social partner organisations without legal personality are eligible under topic 1 only and provided that the conditions for entities without legal personality (see above) are met.
Countries currently negotiating association agreements — Beneficiaries from countries with ongoing negotiations (see list above) may participate in the call and can sign grants if the negotiations are concluded before grant signature (with retroactive effect, if provided in the agreement).
EU restrictive measures — Special rules apply for entities subject to EU restrictive measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)6 . Such entities are not eligible to participate in any capacity, including as beneficiaries, affiliated entities, associated partners, subcontractors or recipients of financial support to third parties (if any).
other eligibility criteria
Consortium composition
Topic 1 (cross-border partnerships):
Only consortia are eligible. Proposals must be submitted by a consortium which includes employment services on regional, local and, where appropriate, national level; social partner organisations; and, where relevant, other stakeholders of at least two neighbouring Member States.
Topic 2 (cross-border initiatives):
Only consortia are eligible. Proposals must be submitted by a consortium composed exclusively of EURES member and partners of at least two neighbouring Member States (including those with a common sea border only). Other entities may participate in other consortium roles, such as associated partners, subcontractors, third parties giving in-kind contributions, etc.
Topics 1 and 2:
Any consortium member must be actively involved in the implementation of the action and financially engaged, (by incurring costs). The way they are financially engaged must be detailed in the budget of the proposal.
Additional information
Topics
Relevance for EU Macro-Region
EUSDR - EU Strategy for the Danube Region, EUSBSR - EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region, EUSALP - EU Strategy for the Alpine Space, EUSAIR - EU Strategy for the Adriatic and Ionian Region
UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs)
project duration
24 Months
Additional Information
Proposals must be complete and contain all the requested information and all required annexes and supporting documents:
- Application Form Part A — contains administrative information about the participants (future coordinator, beneficiaries and affiliated entities) and the summarised budget for the project (to be filled in directly online)
- Application Form Part B — contains the technical description of the project (to be downloaded from the Portal Submission System, completed and then assembled and re-uploaded)
Mandatory annexes and supporting documents (to be uploaded):
- detailed budget table/calculator: not applicable
- CVs (short outlines) of core project team
- Activity reports of last year: not applicable
- list of previous projects (key projects relating to free movement of workers or EURES in the last 3 years) - template available in Part B
Proposals are limited to maximum 70 pages (Part B). Evaluators will not consider any additional pages.
Call documents
Call Document - ESF-2025-EURES-CBCCall Document - ESF-2025-EURES-CBC(5820kB)
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