BANDO BALCANI 2026: Call for Grants to Private Entities for Peace, International Security, and Human Rights Protection

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (Directorate-General for Europe and International Trade Policy – DGUE) has published a Call for Proposals (Bando Balcani) aimed at acquiring, through a public procedure, project proposals seeking funding for initiatives designed to enable Italy’s participation in international peace and security efforts, as well as the implementation of humanitarian initiatives and the protection of human rights, related to the geographical and thematic areas specified in the call.

This represents a renewal of an innovative form of public-private partnership which, by involving and leveraging the expertise of civil society, contributes to strengthening the credibility and effectiveness of Italy’s foreign policy worldwide.

Proposals from private entities with their registered office in Italy or another European Union country must be submitted exclusively via certified email to dgue.adriatico-balcani@cert.esteri.it and simultaneously to bandobalcani@esteri.it. The submission email must include in the subject line the phrase “RIF. Bando Balcani 2026” along with the name of the proposing entity.

For entities registered in non-EU countries, applications must be submitted exclusively through the territorially competent Italian Diplomatic Representation.

Specifically, applicants whose registered office is in Kosovo shall submit their application, together with all required documents and declarations, exclusively in digital format to ambpris.mail@esteri.it, indicating “REF. Balkans Call for Proposals 2026 – Name of the Applicant” in the subject line, no later than 12:00 PM (Rome time) on 30 September 2026. The date and time of receipt of the email shall be considered the official date and time of submission.

Where the size of the files makes it necessary to use a file transfer service, applicants shall use only https://transfer.esteri.it/index.php/s/TotPxEyKaPJMtX5, indicating the name of the applicant as the sender. Do not use WeTransfer or similar services.

All necessary information is available in the call and its related attachments below, which are kindly recommended to be read carefully;