Update of the Eligibility Manual and the Implementation Manual
As the Monitoring Committee, in its last meeting, decided on the prolongation of the eligibility period for projects to 30 June 2029, an update of the Eligibility Manual became necessary. The new version contains further clarifications on recoverable VAT and improved internal references concerning the hourly rates for staff costs.
Furthermore, our projects are proceeding with their implementation, and some small-scale projects are already in their final stage or have even finished the project activities, so the tasks and processes concerning project closure and follow-up were defined in the Implementation Manual to ensure a smooth project closure.
Both updated manuals entered into force on 1 January 2026.
Project partners shall carefully study the manuals and pay attention to the new updates during their reporting work and project-related activities.
The updated Eligibility Manual V2.0 is available on the Applicant Portal, while the updated Implementation Manual V3.0 is available under the Implementation Documents.
An overview of the update to both manuals is listed below.
The following updates to the Eligibility Manual were carried out:
- Amendment of the footnote regarding recoverable VAT in section 3.9.
- Eligibility period for projects extended to 30.06.2029 (update section 3.5).
- Clarification in references to Annex 6.3 (section 5.1.2.1.1 and 6.2.1).
- Clarification of reference periods for tables in Annex 6.3.
The following updates to the Implementation Manual were carried out:
- Chapter added on the Project closure and follow-up reports.
- Information on extended eligibility period for projects until 30.06.2029, in harmony with the Eligibility Manual (update sections 3.2.1 and 4.4.3.3)