- An information webinar will be held on 24 February to explain all the details to potential applicants.
- The OECD has opened a registration for experts interested in collaborating with the selected pilot territories.
The European Commission has launched a new initiative called IMPACT with the aim of promoting Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) projects in cross-border territories. The programme is funded by the Commission itself and will be jointly implemented by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the European Commission.
The call to participate in the pilot projects will remain open until 10 April 2026.
A boost for cross-border local development
The IMPACT project will run throughout 2026 and 2027 and aims to strengthen Community-Led Local Development in cross-border territories both within the European Union and in neighbouring countries. To this end, it will support cross-border local partnerships in designing joint strategies based on the specific needs of each territory.
The initiative is structured around two main objectives:
- Support up to 30 cross-border pilot territories in establishing or strengthening governance partnerships and adopting joint Community-Led Local Development strategies.
- Promote sustained support from Interreg programmes for community-led cross-border development.
Eligible territories for the pilot projects include the 27 EU Member States, as well as Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye and Ukraine. Andorra, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland may also participate.
Information and participation
The European Commission encourages the dissemination of this information among relevant cross-border stakeholders in each cooperation area.
Interested parties can access further details through:
- The official initiative website.
- The call for pilot projects.
- Registration for the online information webinar to be held on 24 February.
- Subscription to a mailing list to receive updates.
In addition, the OECD has opened a registration for experts interested in collaborating with the selected pilot territories, in order to provide technical assistance and specialised support during the implementation of the project.