Picture of Portugal

Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have signed a new cooperation agreement with Portugal under the EEA and Norway Grants 2021–2028, marking a renewed commitment to reducing social and economic disparities in Europe and strengthening bilateral ties.

The agreement was signed in Lisbon on 8 july 2025 by the Portuguese Secretary of State for Planning and Regional Development, Hélder Reis, and the respective Ambassadors of the Donor States.

The three donor states have allocated a total of 126.3 million euro to Portugal for the next seven years. 

Supported Areas

Four key programmes will contribute to the thematic priorities of the Grants: European green transition; democracy, rule of law and human rights; and social inclusion and resilience.

  • Increasing value creation and sustainable growth in Portugal’s blue economy by supporting green and blue innovation, research and skills development.
  • Accelerating green transition towards a more sustainable society through initiatives on air, water and soil pollution; circular economy; biodiversity; and the application of innovative nature-based solutions.
  • Combatting domestic and gender-based violence, supporting minorities and persons in vulnerable situations, and advancing gender equality.
  • Increasing participation, sustainability and diversity in arts, culture and cultural heritage.

Programmes

Programme      Amount Programme Operator Partners
Blue Growth €49 million Directorate General for Maritime Policy  Innovation Norway, Research Council of Norway, Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills, Icelandic Centre for Research, Liechtenstein National Agency for International Education Affairs  
Green Transition €29.5 million Portuguese Agency for Climate  Norwegian Environment Agency
Domestic and Gender-Based Violence €12 million Portuguese Commission for Citizenship and Gender Equality  Norwegian Directorate for Health, Norwegian Ministry of Justice and Public Security
International Partner Organisation: Council of Europe
Culture €9 million Cultural Heritage, Public Institute (Património Cultural, I.P)  Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage, Arts and Culture Norway, Icelandic Centre for Research 

Through an earmarked contribution of € 6.3 million, the programmes will also address challenges experienced in Portugal as a result of the invasion of Ukraine.

Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway will also continue to contribute to Portuguese civil society through a dedicated EEA Civil Society Fund. An independent Portuguese Fund Operator will be selected in an open tender and announced in the autumn.

Contact

The National Focal Point for the EEA and Norway Grants in Portugal is the General Secretariat of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.
Email
geral [at] eeagrants.gov.pt

Partnership

A total of €3 million has been earmarked to strengthen bilateral relations, enabling partnerships between Portuguese and Donor State institutions. 12 public institutions from Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein will be involved in the four programmes in cooperation with their Portuguese counterparts. Alongside programme-level cooperation, funds for bilateral relations at national-level will also allow for more joint initiatives to be established under strategic priority areas to be set in the coming months.

Furthermore, the Council of Europe will contribute to the Domestic and Gender-Based Violence programme as an International Partner Organisation.

 

Our stories

  • A new chapter of cooperation with Portugal

    08/07/2025

    Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have signed a new cooperation agreement with Portugal under the EEA and Norway Grants 2021–2028, marking a renewed commitment to reducing social and economic...