EEA & Norway Grants – Blue Book has been finalised. EUR 2.8 billion allocated to CEE markets.

The Blue Book has been finalised, which sets out the priority sectors and eligible programme areas under the EEA & Norway Grants 2014-2021 funding cycle. This follows the public consultation process in June and July. Under this funding mechanism, Donor States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) will contribute EUR 2.8 billion to 15 EU countries. Furthermore, there will be three out of five priority sectors targeting private sector projects, namely Innovation, Education and Environment.

During the public consultation period, a total of 1,455 respondents participated, out of which 746 submitted completed responses. Despite the 69 changes made to the Blue Book, the list of project areas applicable to the private sector under the aforementioned priority sectors has remained unchanged.

After the finalisation of the Blue Book, there are just a few steps left until the nominated Programme Operators will draft the Applicants’ Guides. First of all, in the near future, the Memoranda of Understanding will be signed by the beneficiary countries. These will tailor and define the programme areas and budgets according to the needs and aims of each beneficiary country.

For an overview of the 2009-2014 results of the EEA & Norway Grants mechanism, with a focus on the funding that was available for private sector enterprises, please check Winnovart’s 2015 study.

For a complete overview of the programme outlook, please have a look at the final version of the Blue Book.