Who is Eligible?
Pre-accession funding is directed mainly at state or civil institutions. Individuals are not eligible, except for specific community programmes.
EU funding is designed mainly to support the process of reform which means that the institutions in charge of reform are usually eligible. Funds are either utilised by existing structures or new bodies are established to fill a particular need. For example, in the area of Human Resources Development the Ministry of Labor migth commission training for unemplyed people, for which consultancy companies and human resources companies would be eligible to bid as training providers. In transport projects, the Ministry of Transport mat organise tenders for which construction companies and consultancy groups may submit offers. Under Civil Society Dialogue, many smaller organizations, NGOs, academic institutions and others may obtain support for their projects.
In programs related to institution building, such as Twinning, the primary beneficiaries are state institutions.
For community progammes, eligibility depends on whether o country has joined a particular programme and contributed to its budget. Turkey, for example, became a member of Culture 2000 in 2005.
The eligibility criteria are public information available at the time of publication of the funding opportunity
In addition to state institutions, there are also programs open to universities, civil society groups, media organisations and business interest groups. It is advisable to look at the project information to find out the eligibility criteria for the type of funding concerned.
Application for EU funding can only be received if linked to a published tender/call for proposal.
The European Commission or the CFCU in Turkey can only award projects if there has been a relevant call for proposal or tender announcement.
Projects benefit both the administration and Turkish citizens directly :
- Ministries and other governmental organizations: advice and training on how to apply EU legislation
- Municipalities/Provinces: infrastructure investment projects, such as solid waste and waste water treatment plants, or transport infrastructure
- Civil society (social partners, NGOs): gender, environment, human rights, media, culture, etc.
- Small and medium size enterprises: support in raising their competitiveness
- Unemployed and vulnerable groups especially youth and women to improve their skills, receiving training to find jobs, active employment or social inclusion measures
- School children: better classrooms and improved education curricula
- Farmers in poor areas: raising agricultural productivity
