Interreg Central Baltic Programme 2021-2027
Enriched EU · Found: 2026-03-10 13:41
Cross-border cooperation programme for the Central Baltic area covering Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden, and Aland Islands. Supports sustainable coastal development, marine environmental protection, blue economy innovation, and cross-border maritime cooperation.
Source: https://centralbaltic.eu/
Funding Details
- Funder
- Interreg Central Baltic
- Funding Goal
- Support cross-border cooperation between Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden, and the Aland Islands. Seven specific objectives: (1) More exports by SMEs; (2) More new scaled-up growth companies; (3) Joint circular economy solutions; (4) Improved coastal and marine environment; (5) Decreased CO2 emissions; (6) Improved employment opportunities; (7) Improved public services. Funds joint pilot projects, innovation, capacity building and knowledge transfer.
- Funding Amount
- ERDF co-financing; programme offers both regular and small-scale project tracks
- Deadline
- 5th call for project proposals recently selected; call calendar at centralbaltic.eu/for-applicants/call-calendar/ (periodic)
- How to Apply
- Applications via the JEMS portal (jems.centralbaltic.eu). Present project idea on website first. FAQs and 2025 applicant support events available. Check centralbaltic.eu/for-applicants/call-calendar/ for upcoming calls.
- Target Region
- Central Baltic area: Estonia, Finland (including southwest Finland and Aland Islands), Latvia, Sweden (coastal regions)
- Contact
- Joint Secretariat: info@centralbaltic.eu; Linnankatu 52 B, Turku, Finland
- Last Checked
- 2026-05-07 08:25
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
The Interreg Central Baltic Programme 2021-2027 is a cross-border cooperation programme funded by the European Regional Development Fund, covering Estonia, Finland (including Southwest Finland and the Aland Islands), Latvia, and Sweden. It operates through periodic calls for project proposals across seven specific objectives, with both regular and small-scale project tracks. The programme's seven objectives cover: SME exports (Objective 1), growth companies (Objective 2), joint circular economy solutions (Objective 3), improved coastal and marine environment (Objective 4), decreased CO2 emissions (Objective 5), employment opportunities (Objective 6), and improved public services (Objective 7). Objectives 3 and 4 are most relevant to marine plastic and environmental work. Eligible applicants include public administrations, public bodies, research and educational institutions, NGOs, SME associations, and SMEs. Projects must involve cross-border partnerships from at least two eligible countries. The eligible area covers the four partner countries plus the Aland Islands. The programme uses a JEMS online application portal. Applicants can present project ideas on the website, access FAQs and guidance videos, and participate in applicant support events. A partner search platform is available (partnersearch-centralbaltic.eu). Objective 3 (Joint Circular Economy Solutions) is directly relevant to plastic waste recycling and value chain projects. Objective 4 (Improved Coastal and Marine Environment) covers coastal and marine conservation, sustainable fisheries, and related topics. The fifth call recently concluded selection; future calls should be monitored via the call calendar.
Historical Context
Long-running programme; current 2021-2027 period follows previous cycles. Fifth call for project proposals Monitoring Committee meeting recently held (May 2026). Programme includes Earth Day 2026 posts about #CircularEconomy highlighting relevance of that objective.
Why it was added
Cross-border programme for Central Baltic region with marine environmental and coastal development focus