Interreg

Interreg is not one programme but several dozen separate European territorial cooperation programmes, each with its own territory, secretariat, calls and manual. The common framework is Regulation (EU) 2021/1059: for 2021–2027 the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) provides €8.05 billion in 2018 prices, and programmes with the EU’s neighbours are additionally funded from the NDICI instrument.

For a Ukrainian applicant the main consequence is this: the question "can Ukraine take part in Interreg" has no single answer. It has to be answered for a specific programme and a specific oblast.

Three strands relevant to Ukraine

Article 3 of the Regulation divides Interreg into strands. Cross-border cooperation (Interreg A) covers projects of adjacent border regions and takes 72.2% of the ERDF resources. Transnational cooperation (Interreg B) covers larger territories such as the Danube region, 18.2%. Interregional cooperation (Interreg C) is the exchange of experience between public authorities and cities; Interreg Europe and URBACT belong here, 6.1%. The fourth strand concerns the EU’s outermost regions and does not cover Ukraine.

Which programmes Ukrainian partners take part in

• Interreg NEXT Poland–Ukraine: Lviv, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Rivne, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts; the EU contribution to the programme is €235.9 million.
• Interreg VI-A NEXT Hungary–Slovakia–Romania–Ukraine: Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk and Chernivtsi oblasts.
• Interreg VI-A NEXT Romania–Ukraine and Interreg NEXT Black Sea Basin: the oblasts bordering Romania and those on the Black Sea; check the exact list in the programme document.
• Danube Region Programme: partners from the entire territory of Ukraine.
• Interreg Europe: Ukraine joined in July 2024 together with six other candidate countries; only territories under the control of the Government of Ukraine are eligible.
• URBACT IV: Ukrainian cities have been eligible since early 2024, with €2 million from NDICI set aside for cities from Ukraine and Moldova.

The rate and the own contribution

Under Article 13 of the Regulation the rate at programme level is no higher than 80%, and it may be higher for programmes where NDICI provides most of the money. In practice Poland–Ukraine and Hungary–Slovakia–Romania–Ukraine cover up to 90% of eligible expenditure, and the Danube Region Programme 80%; for other programmes check the rate in the call documents. The rest is the partner’s co-financing: 10–30% of its share of the budget.

The lead partner and money up front

Cross-border and transnational projects must involve partners from at least two participating countries, at least one of them from an EU Member State. The partners designate a lead partner, who concludes a partnership agreement with the others, is responsible for the whole project and passes on to the partners their share of the funds without deductions. The Regulation allows a partner from any participating country to lead, but a programme may narrow this: in the first two calls of the Danube Region Programme Ukrainian organisations could only be partners.

For a municipality the most important question is when the money arrives. The Danube Region Programme works on the reimbursement principle: there is no pre-financing, so a partner first spends its own funds and then reports. Poland–Ukraine funds projects through advance payments, and in the first call of Hungary–Slovakia–Romania–Ukraine the advance was up to 25% of the EU contribution. Where a programme pays no advance, working capital for several months has to be planned in the municipal budget before applying.

Project types and where to find calls

Besides regular projects, programmes run small projects with simpler rules. The Regulation allows up to 20% of a programme’s allocation to go to small project funds. Each programme sets the amounts and duration of such projects in its own call.

There is no single submission portal: a call is announced by the programme itself on its own website, and proposals go through its electronic system, not through the Funding & Tenders Portal. As of October 2026 the main calls of most programmes have already taken place, so the realistic entry points are small project funds, joining a partnership that is looking for a Ukrainian participant, and preparing for the 2028–2034 period. On finding a partner, see the article on partner search; for other opportunities, the overview of grants for communities; and for cost rules, the article on eligible costs.