Political perspectives for the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans

Programme Category

EU Competitive Programmes

Programme Name

Horizon Europe (2021-2027)

Programme Description

Horizon Europe is the European Union (EU) funding programme for the period 2021 – 2027, which targets the sectors of research and innovation. The programme’s budget is around € 95.5 billion, of which € 5.4 billion is from NextGenerationEU to stimulate recovery and strengthen the EU’s resilience in the future, and € 4.5 billion is additional aid.

Programme Details

Identifier Code

HORIZON-CL2-2023-DEMOCRACY-01-08

Call

Political perspectives for the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans

Summary

Proposals are expected to analyse the European Union’s current neighbourhood and enlargement strategy and toolbox in the light of the new situation where military aggression or the threat with it and political exploitation of economic dependencies are once more used as foreign policy tools in Europe. Based on this, they should provide innovative perspectives on the origins and evolutions of policies aimed at stabilising and democratising the Eastern Neighbourhood along with evidence-based policy options to adapt this strategy to the new state of play. Furthermore, in the context of the accession process, there is need to strengthen mechanisms of compliance with the acquis in the area of social policies and to strengthen social cohesion to avoid brain drain and care drain in Eastern Partnership and Western Balkans countries.

Detailed Call Description

Proposals are invited to take this dimension into account when developing robust evidence-based, forward-looking visions for the political agenda of the European Union towards the Eastern Neighbourhood and the Western Balkans.

In addition, the Russian ambition to have a sphere of influence in the former Soviet Union countries puts governments in the Eastern Neighbourhood in a much more vulnerable position. It increased their dependencies on big geopolitical powers, be it the West, China or Russia. It also highlighted Russia’s ambition to play an even more decisive political role in the larger region, including the power to install governments of its choice through a return to Cold War tactics. Is this shift back to brutal military intervention the sign of a new age in international relations and new geopolitical blocks? Proposals are expected to analyse and forecast possible scenarios regarding Russia, but also China and other countries’ geopolitical ambitions towards the countries of the Eastern Neighbourhood, grounded in a historical perspective. Based on sound and robust analyses, they should provide policy recommendations, scenarios and options to strengthen the Union’s resilience and diplomatic arsenal in a potential new era of military intervention on the continent.

Call Total Budget

€9,00 million

Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan

100%

EU Contribution per project: between €2,00 and €3,00 million

Thematic Categories

Justice - Security
Public Administration
Research, Technological Development and Innovation

Eligibility for Participation

Central Government
International Organisations
Local Authorities
NGOs
Non Profit Organisations
Private Bodies
Researchers/Research Centers/Institutions
Semi-governmental organisations
State-owned Enterprises

Eligibility For Participation Notes

Participation of Ukrainian researchers in exile with refugee status and employed by eligible beneficiaries is strongly encouraged and would be an asset.

Proposals are strongly encouraged to involve stakeholders, including non-state actors and citizens, from the countries in the topic scope.

The consortium must include at least one entity from the following countries: Georgia, Republic of Moldova or Ukraine. Legal entities from these countries must take part in the project as beneficiaries.

Call Opening Date

14/12/2022

Call Closing Date

14/03/2023

National Contact Point(s)

Research and Innovation Foundation
29a Andrea Michalakopoulou, 1075 Nicosia
P.O.Box 23422, 1683 Nicosia
Phone Number: +357 22205000
Email Address: support@research.org.cy
Website: https://www.research.org.cy/en/

Contact Persons:
Constantina Makri, Scientific Officer
Contact Phone: +357 22 205 054
Contact Email: cmakri@research.org.cy

Katerina Karakasidou, Scientific Officer
Contact Phone: +357 22 205 036
Contact Email: kkarakasidou@research.org.cy

(Publish Date: 19/12/2022-for internal use only)

EU Contact Point

Contact the Research Enquiry Service (RES) for any general question on Horizon Europe:

https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/contact-us/research-enquiry-service_en