EEA Grants

The EEA Grants are jointly financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The donor states contribute according to their size and economic wealth. Norway contributes around 95% of the total funding.

The funding backs programmes and projects in priority areas agreed with each country. Environmental protection, climate change and renewable energies, civil society, health and children, cultural heritage and research and scholarships are key areas of support.

Beneficiary states of the EEA Grants are: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain.

The funding is allocated between the countries based on their population and GDP per capita:

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EEA Grants 2004-09

In the five-year period 2004-09, €672 million in funding was made available. Grants were awarded to more than 800 projects, programmes and funds, of which around 200 included joint financing by the EEA Grants and the Norway Grants.

More than one fourth of the EEA Grants was awarded to projects in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable development. The majority of this funding was provided to increase energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy in public buildings such as schools and hospitals, and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

Other important fields of support included conservation of European cultural heritage and health and childcare. The cultural heritage projects typically focused on restoration of historical buildings, renovation of museums and urban renewal. In the field of health and childcare, grants were applied to upgrades to childcare institutions, support to families with disabled children, and to preventing and diagnosing cancer.