European Environment Initiative (EURENI) - ZUG Germany

Enriched Federal (DE) · Found: 2026-03-11 10:49

German federal initiative supporting civil society dialogue and cross-border exchange on European environmental issues. Provides annual funding up to EUR 2.6 million for NGOs, foundations, think tanks, universities, and research institutes working on environmental topics including plastic waste and circular economy.

Source: https://z-u-g.org/en/eureni

Funding Details

Funder

Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH

Funding Goal

Support cross-border cooperation and civil society dialogue on European environmental protection topics through the European Environment Initiative (EURENI). Priority eligible areas include chemical policy, sustainable economy (including circular economy and sustainable finance), water protection and water resilience, participation processes and youth exchanges. Individual cases may also cover marine conservation, air pollution, soil conservation, and overarching environmental policy issues including SDG implementation.

Funding Amount

Annual funding totalling up to EUR 2.6 million per year across all funded projects (up to 2.600.000 €)

Deadline

Unknown (periodic)

How to Apply

Contact ZUG gGmbH via email for information on current funding opportunities, priority topics, and application modalities. FAQs available at z-u-g.org/en/eureni/service/. Funding call listed as Open at time of access (May 2026).

Target Region

Europe (EU and EFTA member states as primary base; cross-border projects, excluding purely German activities)

Contact

European Environment Initiative (EURENI), ZUG gGmbH – contact via z-u-g.org/en/eureni

Last Checked

2026-05-07 03:36

Application Checklist

Eligibility

• Applicant must be an NGO, foundation, think tank, university/research institute, or non-profit enterprise based in an EU or EFTA member state
• Partners from neighbouring (non-EU/EFTA) states may be included in consortium
• Project must have a charitable, non-profit character and cross-border dimension (not exclusively in Germany)

Project Scope

• Projects must focus on environmental protection — priority areas are chemical policy, sustainable economy, water protection, or participation processes

Required Documents

• Current funding call is open — contact ZUG by email for deadline and application modalities

Constraints

• Projects primarily focused on climate protection or greenhouse gas emission reduction are explicitly excluded
• Annual funding envelope is up to EUR 2.6 million total across all awarded projects

Summary

The European Environment Initiative (EURENI) is a German federal funding programme administered by Zukunft – Umwelt – Gesellschaft (ZUG) gGmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Environment (BMUKN). The programme supports transnational civil society dialogue and knowledge exchange on European environmental protection issues, recognising that environmental challenges cross national borders and require collaborative solutions. Thematic priority areas for funding include: chemical policy; sustainable economy (encompassing circular economy and sustainable finance); water protection and water resilience; and participation processes and youth exchanges. Individual projects in areas such as marine conservation, immission control, air pollution, water management, and soil conservation may also be funded. Projects implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and addressing overarching environmental policy issues such as gender equality and digitalisation in environmental contexts are also eligible. Importantly, measures primarily targeting climate protection, greenhouse gas emission reduction, or decarbonisation are explicitly excluded. Eligible activities include cross-border projects, knowledge exchange platforms, dialogue initiatives, and capacity-building efforts among European civil society actors. Projects must have a charitable, non-profit character and must involve activities in more than one country (projects carried out exclusively in Germany are ineligible). Geographically, applicants must be based in EU or EFTA member states, and partners from neighbouring states may participate. Activities should have a European scope and not be confined to German territory. Eligible applicants are non-governmental organisations, foundations, think tanks, universities and research institutes, and non-profit enterprises and organisations. Commercial entities and government bodies are not listed as primary eligible recipients. The annual funding envelope totals up to EUR 2.6 million per year. No minimum grant size or project duration is specified on the public page; applicants are directed to contact ZUG directly for details on the current funding round and application modalities.

Historical Context

EURENI was launched in 2021 by the German Federal Ministry for Environment (BMUKN). Since 2022, annual funding of up to EUR 2.6 million is provided. The programme explicitly excludes projects primarily aimed at climate protection or greenhouse gas reduction/decarbonisation.

Why it was added

Baltic government waste/CE program

Sources

• https://z-u-g.org/en/eureni
• https://z-u-g.org/en/eureni/funding-call/
• https://z-u-g.org/en/eureni/funding/

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