EU programmes

IPA cross-border cooperation grants: Kosovo with Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro

Three CBC programmes fund joint projects across Kosovo's borders. Here is what's available and who applies.

IPA cross-border cooperation grants: Kosovo with Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro

Within the broader IPA III framework, the European Union funds a dedicated sub-instrument for Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC). For Kosovo, three programmes operate along the country’s borders:

  • Kosovo – Albania CBC
  • Kosovo – North Macedonia CBC
  • Kosovo – Montenegro CBC

These programmes fund small-to-medium projects (typically €100,000 to €500,000) that involve organisations on both sides of the border, working jointly on shared challenges. The CBC instrument is one of the most accessible EU funding routes for Kosovar municipalities, civil society organisations and small businesses in border regions, because the funding amounts are manageable, the partnership structure is uncomplicated, and the eligibility area is geographically defined.

What CBC funds

The three Kosovo CBC programmes share broadly similar priorities, with each programme’s specifics adjusted for the realities of its border:

  • Environment and climate: Joint management of shared water basins, biodiversity (cross-border national parks), waste management, climate adaptation.
  • Tourism: Joint development of cross-border tourism products — hiking trails, cultural routes, agro-tourism circuits.
  • Economic development: Joint business networks, cross-border value chains, support to SMEs in border regions.
  • Social inclusion and youth: Cross-border youth exchanges, social services in border communities, inclusion of marginalised groups.
  • People-to-people: Cultural cooperation, civil society networks, cross-border community projects.

Each programme publishes its specific priority axes in the Cooperation Programme document, which sets out the detailed thematic scope, eligible activities and indicative budget per priority.

The Kosovo–Albania programme

The Kosovo–Albania CBC is one of the most active in the Western Balkans, reflecting the close historical, linguistic and economic ties between the two sides of the border. The eligible area on the Kosovo side typically covers the municipalities along the western border (Gjakova, Junik, Deçan, Peja, Istog and parts of others); on the Albanian side, the prefectures of Kukës and parts of Tropoja.

Calls have funded:

  • The Valbona–Rugova hiking corridor (continuation of the Peaks of the Balkans development)
  • Joint tourism marketing of the Albanian Alps and Kosovo’s Rugova region
  • Sustainable management of shared rivers
  • Cross-border SME networks (food processing, textiles, ICT)
  • Youth employment and skills programmes

The Kosovo–Albania border is the most porous of Kosovo’s three CBC borders, with open-border practical use of identity cards between the two countries. CBC projects benefit from this, and many programmes have a strong people-to-people dimension.

The Kosovo–North Macedonia programme

The Kosovo–North Macedonia CBC programme covers the southern Kosovo border, with eligible municipalities including Prizren, Suhareka, Ferizaj, Hani i Elezit, Kaçanik and Vitia on the Kosovo side; on the North Macedonia side, the polog and northeastern statistical regions including Tetovo, Gostivar, Kumanovo and Kriva Palanka.

Funded priorities have included:

  • Sharr Mountains tourism development (which spans both sides of the border)
  • Joint vocational training for cross-border labour mobility
  • Shared environmental management of the Lepenec/Lepenac river basin
  • Cultural heritage cooperation (Ottoman-era and earlier shared heritage)

The North Macedonia side has multi-ethnic communities (Macedonian, Albanian, Turkish and others) and projects often emphasise inclusive participation across these groups.

The Kosovo–Montenegro programme

The Kosovo–Montenegro CBC is the smallest of the three by volume. Eligible municipalities on the Kosovo side include Peja, Istog and parts of others; on the Montenegrin side, Berane, Petnjica, Plav, Gusinje, Rožaje and Andrijevica.

Funded priorities have included:

  • Peaks of the Balkans trail (the Montenegrin section)
  • Joint protection of the Prokletije/Accursed Mountains as a transboundary protected area
  • Rural development and agro-tourism
  • Civil society and youth cooperation

The programme is small but functional, and the geography of the high mountains makes nature- and tourism-focused cooperation a natural fit.

Who can apply

Eligibility for CBC grants typically requires:

  • The applicant to be a legally registered entity (public body, NGO, business support organisation, sometimes private companies depending on the call) based in the eligible area on one side of the border
  • At least one partner from the other side of the border, with similar legal status
  • A joint project plan with genuine cross-border content (not parallel activities, but actual joint work)
  • Audited financial statements showing the capacity to manage the grant size

Public bodies (municipalities, regional agencies, universities) lead the majority of funded projects. Civil society organisations are heavily represented as both leads and partners. Private businesses participate, generally as members of consortia rather than as lead applicants.

How to apply

The process mirrors broader IPA III applications but at a smaller scale:

  1. Watch for the call: CBC calls are published roughly annually for each programme. The EU Office in Kosovo and the contracting authorities of each programme are the primary information sources.
  2. Identify a partner: This is the most critical step. The Joint Technical Secretariats (JTS) for each programme run partner-search platforms and organise networking events specifically for this purpose.
  3. Develop the project jointly: A genuine cross-border project means joint design, joint implementation and joint outputs. Letterhead partnerships are screened out at evaluation.
  4. Submit through the programme’s online system: Typically a structured application form plus annexes (CVs, financial documents, partnership agreement, etc.).
  5. Evaluation: Joint evaluation by experts from both sides of the border, against published criteria.
  6. Contracting and implementation: 18-30 months in most cases.

Co-financing requirements are usually 10-15% of the project value. The grant covers 85-90%.

The Joint Technical Secretariats

Each CBC programme has a Joint Technical Secretariat (JTS) — a dedicated team that supports applicants, monitors projects and liaises between the two sides of the border. The JTS publishes:

  • Current and upcoming calls
  • Application templates and guidance
  • Partner-search registers
  • Past project examples
  • Training and information sessions

For applicants, the JTS is the single most useful contact. They run free information days before each call and respond to applicant queries during the application period.

Practical tips for first-time CBC applicants

  • Start with partner search: Without a genuine cross-border partner, a CBC project is not viable. Begin contacting potential partners 6-12 months before a call is expected.
  • Focus on a real shared problem: Successful CBC projects address a problem that genuinely exists on both sides of the border and requires joint action — a shared river, a shared trail, a shared labour market. Constructed problems do not score well.
  • Build modest, deliverable budgets: CBC evaluators prefer projects that can demonstrably deliver outputs in 18-30 months, not ambitious plans that risk under-implementation.
  • Plan for visibility: All EU-funded projects require visibility (logos, signage, communication outputs). Build this into the work plan from the start.
  • Allow time for cross-border administration: Operating across borders adds administrative friction (different currencies, different tax regimes, different procurement procedures). Budget for it.

Relationship to wider programmes

CBC is a complement to, not a substitute for, the larger IPA III thematic windows and other EU programmes. A Kosovar tourism business in a border region might use:

  • IPA III SME grants for product development
  • IPA CBC grants for joint cross-border tourism marketing
  • Erasmus+ for staff training abroad
  • Local financial institutions for working capital

The CBC piece is particularly useful because it brings in the partner on the other side of the border, with funding that can be hard to access through national channels.

Beyond IPA CBC

In addition to the three IPA CBC programmes, Kosovo can also participate in:

  • Interreg IPA Adrion (Adriatic-Ionian region) — a wider transnational programme covering multiple Western Balkans and EU countries
  • Interreg IPA Mediterranean — for southern and Mediterranean dimension
  • EU macro-regional strategies (EUSAIR — the Adriatic-Ionian Macroregion)

These wider programmes have different access patterns and larger consortia (5-15 partners across multiple countries), but they are accessible to Kosovar institutions.

In summary

The three Kosovo CBC programmes are among the most accessible EU funding tools for organisations in border regions. Small enough to be manageable, geographically focused enough to be coherent, and well-supported by Joint Technical Secretariats. The hardest part is the partner search; the easiest part is the implementation once the partnership is solid. For the wider IPA picture, see our IPA III page; for the research-funding angle, see Horizon Europe and Kosovo.

Updated

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