International agreements (Memoranda of Understanding) were signed by:

• Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz, the Minister of Development Funds and Regional Policy 
• Espen Barth Eide, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway, 
• Martin Eyjólfsson, Permanent Secretary of State of Iceland 
• Pascal Schafhauser, Ambassador of Liechtenstein to the European Union

The heir to the Norwegian throne, Prince Haakon also attended the ceremony. 

Poland is the first country in the European Union to sign the Memorandum of Understanding and receive 1/4 of the total investment envelope. We have a very ambitious target to launch the first programmes early next year - much sooner than formally required. This is the largest investment envelope which grows from perspective to perspective. In the current perspective, the envelope will amount to PLN 4 billion - huge funds for the development of Poland, the development of local communities, Polish democracy, local government organisations and Polish culture - Minister Katarzyna Pełczyńska-Nałęcz said.

Due to the Norwegian funds of previous editions, almost 100 schools were insulated, dozens of patents were signed. Very important cultural sites, Polish monuments, including the Malbork Castle, were renovated. Major projects were implemented for the development of local communities and an important large-scale project to support Polish NGOs was carried out - the head of the MDFRP added.

Two agreements, one objective

There are two agreements, as the Norwegian and the EEA Funds constitute two mechanisms in formal terms - the Norwegian Financial Mechanism (the so-called Norwegian Funds) and the EEA Financial Mechanism (the so-called EEA Funds). The Norwegian Funds are funded by Norway, while the EEA Funds are funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. 

The highest amount for Poland

Pursuant to the agreements concluded, Poland will receive almost PLN 4 billion (EUR 925 million). This is the highest amount among all 15 countries that benefit from the Norwegian and EEA Funds. In the previous perspective, this was the amount of almost PLN 3.5 billion (EUR 809.3 million).

The funds will be used for:

• eight programmes to be managed by Polish public institutions (the so-called operators), as well as the technical assistance and the Bilateral Cooperation Fund. In total, more than PLN 3.3 billion (EUR 772 million) will be allocated for the following programmes:
  • Applied Research and Innovation (managed by the National Centre for Research and Development) - approximately PLN 343 million (EUR 80 million),
  • Basic Research (National Science Centre) - approximately PLN 257 million (EUR 60 million),
  • Local Development (Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy) - approximately PLN 720 million (EUR 168 million),
  • Green Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Polish Agency for Enterprise Development) - approximately PLN 236 million (EUR 55 million),
  • Justice (Ministry of Justice) - approximately PLN 257 million (EUR 60 million),
  • Internal Affairs (Ministry of the Interior and Administration) - approximately PLN 300 million (EUR 70 million),
  • Green Transformation (Ministry of Climate and Environment) - approximately PLN 685 million (EUR 160 million),
  • Culture (Ministry of Culture and National Heritage) - approximately PLN 385 million (EUR 90 million)
  • and technical assistance and the Bilateral Cooperation Fund - approximately PLN 124 million (EUR 29 million),
• Civil Society Fund for non-governmental organisations, to be managed by an entity selected by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway - approximately PLN 358 million (EUR 83.5 million),
• smaller projects such as: Fund for Social Dialogue and Decent Work, Fund for Capacity Building and Cooperation with International Partner Organisations and Institutions, management costs - remaining amount. 

What’s next?

The next step after the signing of the memoranda will involve the work on individual programmes. They will be prepared by the operators in cooperation with partners from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The likely date for signing agreements for the first programmes is late 2025/early 2026. Subsequently, calls for proposals can be launched.

The eligibility period for projects under the 4th edition of the Norwegian and EEA Funds shall start on 24 April 2025 and last until the end of April 2031. This means that the expenditure incurred by beneficiaries during this period can be reimbursed.

Previous edition of funds

The Ministry of Development Funds and Regional Policy also works on the closure of the previous third edition of the Norwegian and EEA Funds. The closing event of the third edition took place on 4 December 2024 in Warsaw.

Almost 1800 projects in the field of research, entrepreneurship, culture, justice, internal affairs, health, education, urban development, environmental protection and support for civil society were implemented from the funds of the third edition. In total, under the third edition of the Norwegian and EEA Funds, 50 calls for proposals were announced in 13 programmes.

What are the Norwegian and EEA Funds

The Norwegian and EEA Funds represent funds allocated by the countries of the European Economic Area – Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway – for the development of 15 EU countries, including Poland.

The reason is that these EEA countries are not member states of the EU, but benefit from the single market. 

The value of the fourth edition of the Norwegian and EEA Funds for 15 beneficiary countries is EUR 3.268 billion (approximately PLN 14 billion), 97 per cent of which originates from the Norwegian budget.