EEA Grants
NEWS: Agreement on the 6th EEA Financial Mechanism (2021-2028) signed
Ambassador Pascal Schafhauser signed the Agreement on the 6th EEA Financial Mechanism (2021-2028) on behalf of Liechtenstein on September 12, 2024.
The contribution that Liechtenstein, together with Norway and Iceland, is making to reducing economic and social disparities in the EEA amounts to EUR 1.8 billion. EUR. The funds will benefit 15 beneficiary states (Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia).
Signature is a prerequisite for the start of the implementation process. The report and motion will be dealt with in the October session of Parliament.
Ambassador Schafhauser's speech at the signing ceremony can be found here: liechtenstein-national-statement.pdf
The EEA Financial Mechanism (EEA Grants)
The EEA Financial Mechanism represents the joint contribution of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to reducing economic and social disparities among the EEA Member States.
This solidarity contribution supplements the cohesion funds that the economically stronger EU member states invest in EU projects. A total of around EUR 1.5 billion will be made available for the 2014-2021 period, of which Liechtenstein will contribute around 1.3 %. The Mission represents Liechtenstein's interests in the governing bodies of this program, also known as EEA Grants(EEA Grants).
The EEA Grants are based on implementation agreements (Memoranda of Understanding; MoU) with the 15 recipient states: Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, Slovenia, Poland and Portugal. In these negotiations, the mission focused primarily on priorities in the areas of education, culture, migration and good governance. The priority countries for Liechtenstein are the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland.
Once the respective MoU has been concluded, funding is awarded to projects in the recipient countries in accordance with the agreed priorities. As the EEA Grants are also intended to strengthen bilateral relations between the donor and recipient countries, Liechtenstein project partners can also apply for joint projects.
In the area of education, the Liechtenstein Agency for International Affairs in Education(AIBA) acts as a so-called Donor Program Partner. As a strategic advisor, AIBA provides information for Liechtenstein institutions and also passes this on to the recipient countries. AIBA also provides support in submitting programs and finding partners. According to the MoUs, bilateral projects can be submitted with institutions from the following recipient states: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Romania.
The EEA Grants Cultural Coordinator also helps in the search for partners so that there are potential projects in the cultural sector between cultural players from Liechtenstein and the recipient countries (according to the MoU in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Romania and Slovakia).
What has been achieved so far with the EEA Grants? You can find an overview here.
The 2022 status report with a foreword by Foreign Minister Dominique Hasler and the Foreign Ministers of Norway and Iceland can be found here.
More information on Liechtenstein and the EEA Grants can be found here (Insight EEA Financial Mechanism 2019).
With the help of the EEA Grants, it was possible to finance the website of the Liechtenstein-Czech Historical Commission, among other things. Research findings on the shared history and events organized by the Commission are published in German, Czech and English, which contributes to the further strengthening of bilateral relations.