Network of towns is aimed at providing funding to municipalities and associations working together on a common theme in a long term perspective, and wishing to develop networks of towns to make their cooperation more sustainable.
The measure Network of towns is the second Measure of the Strand 2. Democratic engagement and civic participation within theEurope for Citizens 2014-2020 programme. This strand aims to foster European citizenship and improve conditions for civic and democratic participation at EU level, to encourage democratic participation of citizens at EU level and to support concrete participation in the EU policy-making process.

Volunteering is an essential element in active citizenship: by giving one’s time for the benefit of others, volunteers service their community and play an active role in society. They develop the sense of belonging to a community thereby also gaining ownership. Volunteering is therefore a particularly powerful means to develop citizens’ commitment to their society and to its political life. Civil society organisations, associations of a European general interest, town twinning associations and other participating organisations often rely on volunteer work to carry out and to develop their activities. Therefore, particular attention is paid to the promotion of volunteering, in particular through the European Solidarity Corps. In its first phase, the European Solidarity Corps, the new EU initiative which aims at giving young people across the EU the opportunity to volunteer where help is needed and to respond to crisis situations, will build on existing EU programmes including the Europe for Citizens programme. In this context, project promoters are encouraged to make use of the European Solidarity Corps. 
Promoters making use of members of the European Solidarity Corps must comply with the requirements laid down by the European Solidarity Corps Charter, including the requirement relating to the insurance of the members. Indeed, within the framework of the Europe for Citizens Programme, the Agency does not provide directly or indirectly an insurance coverage to the volunteers/members used by the promoters for their projects. It is therefore for each promoter to ensure that the volunteers/members they are making use of are properly insured for their activities. 
All the eligible countries within the Europe for Citizens programme can participate to the European Solidarity Corps initiative.

Thematic networking between municipalities on issues of common interest enables informed discussions and exchange of good practice.
The potential of the networks created by a series of town twinning links should be used for developing thematic and long-lasting cooperation between towns.
The European Commission supports the development of such networks, which are important for ensuring structured, intense and multifaceted cooperation.

2.2 Networks of Towns are expected to
– integrate a range of activities around the subject(s) of common interest to be addressed in the context of the Programme’s objectives or multiannual priorities;
– have defined target groups for which the selected themes are particularly relevant and involve community members active in the subject area (i.e. experts, local associations, citizens and citizens’ groups directly affected by the theme, etc.);
– mobilise citizens across the Europe: a project should involve a minimum of 30% of invited participants. « Invited participants » are international participants sent by the eligible partners;
– serve as a basis for future initiatives and actions between the towns involved, on the issues addressed or possibly on further issues of common interest. 

Projects must
foresee at least four events
involve municipalities from at least four participating countries, of which at least two is an EU Member State
have a minimum of 30% of international participants coming from the invited municipalities
the maximum project duration is 24 months;
the project must start within the relevant eligibility period, which depends on the deadline of the Measure within which the application is submitted.

The maximum grant to be awarded is EUR 150,000 per project.

Eligible applicants
towns/municipalities or their twinning committees or networks;
local and regional authorities;
federation/association of local authorities;
non-profit organisations representing local authorities.

Partners
non-profit civil society organisations.

The applicants and partners must be either public bodies or non-profit organisations with legal personality.
A project must involve municipalities from at least 4 eligible countries of which at least two have to be EU Member States. 

Participating countries
28 EU Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.
– Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo.
For British applicants: please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. If the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, British applicants will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible, to participate) or be required to leave the project.
The Programme is potentially open to the following categories of countries provided that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Commission:
 a) acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates, in accordance with the general principles and general terms and conditions for the participation of those countries in Union programmes established in the respective Framework Agreements, Association Council Decisions or similar Agreements;
b) the EFTA countries party to the EEA Agreement, in accordance with the provisions of that Agreement. 
 

Deadlines
– 3 March 2020, 17:00 CET, for projects starting between 1 September 2020 and 28 February 2021.
– 1 September 2020,17:00 CET, for projects starting between 1 March 2021 and 31 2021 August of the year after the deadline.

Find out more: https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/europe-for-citizens_en

For more information, please contact the Europe for Citizens Point in your country.