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EuropeAid Funding for Local Authorities, Decentralisation and Local Governance

EU External Action funding for local authorities, decentralisation and local governance projects. EuropeAid grants for municipalities, regions and local government associations.

Local and regional authorities are recognised EU development partners with dedicated funding opportunities. The EU's civil society and local authorities calls, together with thematic decentralisation funding and twinning programmes, support municipalities, regional governments, local government associations and civic organisations in accessing EU external action grants. INTERALTER supports local authorities and their associations in identifying and applying for relevant EuropeAid funding.

EU funding landscape

  • Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities (CSO-LA)

    Dedicated EU calls for local authorities working in international development.

  • EU Twinning and TAIEX Programmes

    Technical assistance for public administration reform and EU standard alignment.

  • NDICI Decentralisation Components

    Support for local governance, decentralisation and municipal service delivery in partner countries.

  • URBACT External Dimension

    Urban development cooperation and knowledge transfer between EU cities and cities in non-EU countries.

Typical project types

  • Municipal management and service delivery
  • Decentralisation reform and fiscal devolution
  • Urban development and sustainable cities
  • Local economic development
  • Participatory governance and citizen engagement
  • City-to-city and regional cooperation
  • Local adaptation to climate change

Typical applicant types

  • Municipalities and city governments
  • Regional and provincial authorities
  • Local government associations and networks
  • Municipal service providers
  • Research institutes on local governance

Relevant EuropeAid regions

  • Western Balkans
  • Eastern Neighbourhood
  • Mediterranean
  • Africa
  • Latin America & Caribbean

How INTERALTER supports Local Authorities projects

  • CSO-LA Application Support

    We write applications to the EU's civil society and local authorities development calls, presenting your municipality's international development work in EU-fundable terms.

  • Twinning Identification

    We help EU local authorities identify suitable twinning partners and prepare Twinning/TAIEX applications.

  • Local Authority Consortium Building

    We form consortia between EU local authorities and local authority associations in partner countries for joint development projects.

Common questions

Can a municipality in the EU apply for EuropeAid development grants?
Yes. EU local and regional authorities are explicit target applicants in many EuropeAid calls, particularly the CSO-LA calls and decentralisation thematic calls. EU municipalities can apply as lead applicants with partner local authorities in developing countries.
What is Twinning and who can apply?
Twinning is an EU instrument that brings EU Member State public institutions together with partner country institutions to implement specific reform projects. Any EU government body — including municipalities — can lead a Twinning project in a partner country.

Related sectors

  • governance-rule-of-law
  • agriculture-rural-development
  • private-sector-development