Central Baltic Programme 2021-2027
Enriched EU · Found: 2026-03-11 12:40
Interreg Central Baltic Programme covering Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden. Supports circular economy solutions and marine environment protection from plastic pollution.
Funding Details
- Funder
- Interreg Central Baltic Programme (Managing Authority: Regional Council of Southwest Finland)
- Funding Goal
- Cross-border cooperation across Estonia, Finland (incl. Åland), Latvia, and Sweden to jointly address challenges in SME competitiveness, circular economy, Baltic Sea environmental protection, sustainable mobility, employment, and public services.
- Funding Amount
- Total ERDF allocation ~€162.5M (total programme ~€203M incl. national co-financing). Small-scale projects capped at €150,000 ERDF. Individual project budgets are not capped by the programme document but depend on the call. EU co-financing rate: 80%. (up to 162.499.043 €)
- Deadline
- 2027-12-31 (Rolling)
- How to Apply
- Applications submitted electronically via the Jems monitoring system. Contact the Joint Secretariat (co-located with Managing Authority at Regional Council of Southwest Finland) or national Contact Points for guidance. Project ideas should demonstrate cross-border added value and be developed jointly with partners from ≥2 programme countries. Assessment by Joint Secretariat; project selection by Monitoring Committee.
- Target Region
- Baltic Sea (Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Sweden incl. Åland)
- Contact
- Managing Authority / Joint Secretariat: Merike Niitepõld, Head of Managing Authority, Regional Council of Southwest Finland — merike.niitepold@centralbaltic.eu. Programme website: centralbaltic.eu
- Last Checked
- 2026-03-11 16:30
Application Checklist
Eligibility
Project Scope
Required Documents
Constraints
Summary
The Central Baltic Interreg Programme 2021-2027 is a European cross-border cooperation programme funded by the ERDF covering 29 NUTS-3 regions in Estonia, Finland (including Åland), Latvia, and Sweden. With a total budget of approximately €203 million (€162.5M ERDF at 80% co-financing), it supports joint projects across four priorities: innovative business development, improved environment and resource use, improved employment opportunities, and improved public services. The programme builds on previous Interreg periods dating back to 2007 and was expanded in 2022–2023 following suspension of Russia/Belarus cooperation programmes. Priority 2 (Improved Environment and Resource Use, ~€90M total) is the most relevant for environmental and circular economy actors. It includes three specific objectives: promoting circular economy transitions (€22.4M ERDF), enhancing nature/biodiversity and reducing pollution (€22.4M ERDF, focused on the Baltic Sea), and sustainable urban multimodal mobility (€22.4M ERDF). The circular economy objective explicitly lists plastics as one of seven key product value chains, funding cross-border chain development, awareness raising, pilot actions, and small-scale investments. The coastal and marine environment objective targets reducing inflows of nutrients, hazardous substances, and plastics into the Baltic Sea via both preventive and direct measures. Eligible applicants span public authorities, NGOs, non-profit organisations, SMEs, and private companies depending on the specific objective. The programme's defining requirement is genuine cross-border cooperation: all projects must involve partners from at least two participating countries and address shared challenges. Grants are the exclusive funding mechanism, with an 80% EU co-financing rate and 20% national/private co-financing required. Small-scale projects are capped at €150,000 ERDF and 18 months duration; regular projects can be larger. First project calls launched in 2023; the programme runs through 2027 with eligibility until December 31, 2029. The programme is strongly aligned with the EU Baltic Sea Region Strategy (EUSBSR) and the HELCOM Baltic Sea Action Plan. It explicitly addresses eutrophication, hazardous substances, and plastic litter identified by HELCOM as major threats to the Baltic Sea. The Joint Secretariat is co-located with the Managing Authority in Finland, and national Contact Points are active in all participating countries to support applicants.
Historical Context
The Central Baltic Programme has existed in its current form since 2007 (building on earlier Interreg periods dating to 1990). The 2021-2027 period was expanded in 2022 and 2023 following suspension of Interreg NEXT programmes with Russia and Belarus, transferring additional ERDF funds. The programme continues themes from 2014-2020 including circular economy and Baltic Sea pollution reduction. First project calls under the 2021-2027 period were launched in 2023.
Why it was added
Central Baltic programme directly supports circular economy and marine plastic reduction