Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine has had far-reaching consequences, in Ukraine first and foremost, but also in Europe. Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway reacted swiftly to the wave of needs in the Beneficiary States so that the EEA and Norway Grants could support tailored initiatives related to the consequences of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, the EEA and Norway Grants have played a vital role in strengthening resilience in the Beneficiary States addressing both immediate needs and supporting long-term recovery and resilience efforts across the region.
For the new funding period 2021-2028, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have committed a dedicated allocation of €183 million euros (€100 million from the EEA Grants and €83 million from Norway Grants) to support the Beneficiary States in addressing challenges resulting from Russia’s war. This reflects a strong and sustained commitment to the development and resilience of Ukraine and the Beneficiary States during a critical time.
This specific financial allocation, the so called “Ukraine allocation”, forms a part of the EEA and Norway Grants broader efforts to foster stability, promote democratic values, and strengthen bilateral cooperation in the region. It offers the Beneficiary States the opportunity to mitigate the consequences of Russia’s warfare, including through collaboration with Ukrainian partners and institutions, as well as with Donor states, across the full range of the EEA and Norway Grants.
Russia’s war against Ukraine is the greatest threat to European security and prosperity today. We will stand by and support Ukraine for as long as it takes.
The Donors States Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway
Examples of Ukraine-related activities in the 2014-2021 funding period
Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine triggered the largest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War. Through the EEA and Norway Grants, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have supported numerous organisations and initiatives, helping Beneficiary States address and manage the emergency response and the broader consequences of the war. The total support amounted to approximately € 21 million.
Some examples of successful initiatives
More than €10 million from the EEA and Norway Grants has been allocated to help refugees in the neighbouring countries. The larger part of this in Poland, as the largest host country for Ukrainian refugees in Europe. Through the EEA Norway Grants, more than 50 Polish civil society organisations specialised in work with refugees and migrants have been funded, and over 30 Polish migration and refugee projects have been made possible. The Donors granted €5 million to initiatives for Ukrainian refugee mothers and their children, providing crucial relief from the war, psychological support and empowerment.
In Lithuania, the Donors granted over €670,00 to the TULA initiative, organising 20 cross-cultural gatherings and 12 family camps to foster healing, integration, and mutual understanding through art, dialogue, and shared experiences between Lithuanian and Ukrainian communities.
Read more about this project here.
In Romania, the Donors granted over €430,000 for heating of emergency tents and € 160,000 to a “Blue dot” initiative focusing on preventing human trafficking of refugees in the border areas. The initiative “Protect, Support, Empower Human Trafficking Victims” has helped prevent at least 6 cases of trafficking and informed over 1,900 Ukrainian refugees about exploitation risks at the border. Read more here.
In Czechia, the Donors in 2022 granted over €460,000 to an initiative to offer courses in Czech language to Ukrainian refugees.
In Latvia, the Donors awarded almost €3.4 million to the NGO Ziedot.lv for targeted support to Ukrainian refugees in Latvia.
Calls within the Active Citizens Funds resulted in 60 projects for and by civil society actors, focusing on support, integration, disinformation and health.
In the research programmes, the Grants financed more than 55 initiatives supporting the integration of Ukrainian researchers/students in projects.
Ukrainian refugees were included as beneficiaries in 17 projects within the Home Affairs programmes in Bulgaria, Greece and Poland, the Romanian Health programme and the Slovakian Good Governance programme.
The Ukraine allocation in the EEA and Norway Grants 2021-2028
In the current funding period, the Ukraine allocation is distributed across the full range of the EEA and Norway Grants, including country allocations, the Civil Society Fund, the International Partner Organisation Fund and the Fund for Social Dialogue and Decent Work. As Beneficiary States are impacted in different ways, they are best placed to assess their own needs and decide/determine upon the most relevant projects and initiatives.
Some of the challenges currently faced by the Beneficiary States as a result of Russia’s war against Ukraine are expected to persist for years and constitute potential areas of support from the EEA and Norway Grants.
Currently, the Ukraine allocation is grouped under four thematic categories, aiming to foster resilience, integration, and sustainable development, and adhering to the Grants’ core values:
1. addressing the social and economic impact of Russia’s war,
2. supporting information integrity,
3. capacity building in relevant key areas, and
4. services needed for refugees to live safely and securely in host countries.
Potential beneficiaries of the Ukraine allocation:
- economically disadvantaged communities,
- research institutions,
- local businesses,
- civil society organisations,
- independent media,
- the general public,
- educational institutions,
- refugees,
- host communities, and
- public institutions.
Examples of initiatives and topics that could be developed and implemented with the earmarked Ukraine allocation:
- Support for low-carbon innovation, energy security, and trilateral cooperation, alongside initiatives promoting green skills, refugee integration, and Ukraine-focused research and academic collaboration.
- Comprehensive support for strengthening information integrity and resilience against disinformation through governance, education, research, media capacity-building, citizen engagement, and cybersecurity measures.
- Strengthening societal resilience and crisis preparedness through academic cooperation, institutional capacity-building, digitalisation, and support for vulnerable groups, addressing the impacts of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
- Enhancing migration and asylum systems through institutional capacity-building, inclusive integration measures, protection of vulnerable groups, and support for voluntary return.