CHALLENGE CALL FOR THE GREEN TRANSITION

The Call is published under the project 'EU for the Green Agenda in Serbia' (hereinafter: the EU4GA Project), funded and technically supported by the European Union, implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in partnership with the Ministry of Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia, in cooperation with the Embassy of Sweden and the European Investment Bank, with additional funding provided by the Governments of Sweden, Switzerland and the Republic of Serbia. The main objective of the project is to contribute to the effective, inclusive and sustainable implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and its accompanying Action Plan in the Republic of Serbia. The project promotes the engagement of various stakeholders to accelerate Serbia's EU accession process and supports the preparation of planning and strategic documents aimed at aligning national legislation with EU policies and the acquis in the areas covered by the Green Agenda.

• Area 1 – Decarbonization and Reduction of Industrial Emissions,
• Area 2 – Circular Economy,
• Area 3 – Reduction of Environmental Pollution with a Focus on Air Quality,
• Area 4 - Protection and Conservation of Nature and Biodiversity.

Under the Public Calls for Innovative Solutions for the Green Transition launched between 2022 and 2026, more than 550 green investment project ideas were submitted for support under the EU for Green Agenda in Serbia project. Through the Green Accelerator, the project and expert teams provided technical support to approximately 300 teams in further developing their investment proposals. Following the project development and evaluation process, 97 green investments, with a total value of USD 54 million, received financial support for implementation. The project provided nearly USD 7 million in grant funding for these investments, complemented by an additional USD 13 million in commercial loans approved by partner banks. Examples of successfully implemented projects are available on the project website - GREEN TRANSITION. 

Under this call, support will be provided through the following three components:

• PUBLIC CHALLENGE CALL FOR FINANCING GREEN INVESTMENTS (Areas 1–3), Annex 1: Application Form, Annex 2: Activities, timeline, budget
  
• PUBLIC CALL FOR LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENTS AND PROTECTED AREA MANAGERS TO EXPRESS INTEREST IN THE PREPARATION OF GREEN INVESTMENT PROJECTS (Areas 1–4), Application Form
• PUBLIC CALL FOR LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENTS FOR THE PREPARATION OF STRATEGIC AND PLANNING DOCUMENTS SUPPORTING GREEN TRANSITION AND INVESTMENT PLANNING IN THE AREAS OF:
•         CLIMATE ACTION - Application Form
•         CIRCULAR ECONOMY - WASTE MANAGEMENT - Application Form
•         CIRCULAR ECONOMY - SEWEGE SLUDGE MANAGEMENT - Application Form
•         AIR QUALITY IMPROVEMENT AT THE LOCAL LEVEL - Application Form

Application Deadline and Procedure (Annex: Agenda and Timeline for the Info Days on the Public Call)

Public and private companies, local self-governments and protected area managers are eligible to apply, individually or in the consortium.

Applications must be submitted by completing the FORM no later than 30 September 2026, separately for each component of the Call, and by sending the additional documentation to the following e-mail address: zelena.agenda.rs@undp.org, clearly indicating the component of the Call and the specific application to which the additional documentation relates (title of the project proposal and name of the lead applicant).

Each applicant may receive a maximum of two grant co-financing awards under all public calls launched within the EU4GA project since 2022.

Important Note: Applications submitted by entities engaged in the following activities will not be considered: Production, sale or distribution of tobacco or tobacco products; Production, sale or distribution of weapons; Production of alcoholic beverages; Gambling activities, including casinos and betting (excluding charitable lotteries).

You can register to participate in the info days via the link:

• LOT 1 - registration for info days
• LOT 2 and 3 - registration for info days

For additional information and questions, interested applicants may contact: zelena.agenda.rs@undp.org. We recommend using the subject line: 'Question regarding Challenge Call'.