PEO ReSTART: €4.2 million for women's employment, guide in consultation until 30 October

On 12 October 2026, the Managing Authority for the Education and Employment Programme (PEO) within the Ministry of Investments and European Projects published for public consultation the Applicant's Guide Specific Conditions "ReSTART: Women on the labour market". It is a competitive call for organisations that provide active employment measures for inactive, unemployed or long-term unemployed women, with an allocation of around 4.2 million euro in the version of the guide put out for consultation. Comments must be sent by 30 October 2026, and the call itself does not yet have a submission calendar.

In brief

• Programme: Education and Employment Programme 2021-2027, Priority 3 "Increasing access to the labour market for all", specific objective ESO4.3, action 3.c.3 (ESF+)
• Authority: AM PEO, Ministry of Investments and European Projects
• Beneficiaries: vocational training and employment service providers, NGOs, the public employment service; according to the version of the guide in consultation, the target group is inactive, unemployed and long-term unemployed women, including refugees (the official announcement does not detail the categories)
• Total budget: €4,198,231 in the version of the guide published for consultation
• Value per project: minimum €500,000, according to the same version of the guide
• Submission period: not announced; the public consultation ends on 30 October 2026
• Status: guide in public consultation (conditions may change in the final guide)

What does the ReSTART call fund?

According to the official announcement, action 3.c.3 covers "personal development programmes for women, vocational counselling, continuation of/reintegration into the education system, provision of employment measures, counselling, training and support for socio-professional (re)integration, including through information campaigns". Specific objective ESO4.3 aims at gender-balanced participation in the labour market, equal working conditions and a better work-life balance, including through access to childcare services.

In the version of the guide put out for consultation, the project is built as an integrated package: information and career counselling, labour market mediation, and vocational training or assessment and certification of competences. In addition, support measures can be proposed, such as childcare during courses, referral to second-chance education or psychological support. The core activities must account for at least half of the eligible budget.

Who can apply?

The call is not aimed at ordinary companies as lead applicants, but at organisations that provide active employment measures. According to the guide in consultation, projects may be submitted by authorised public or private vocational training providers, accredited providers of specialised employment services, authorised centres for the assessment and certification of competences, ANOFM and the county employment agencies, as well as associations and foundations. Educational institutions may take part as partners.

The target group consists of inactive, unemployed or long-term unemployed women, including women with refugee status. The version of the guide covers the seven less developed regions (North-East, South-East, South-Muntenia, South-West Oltenia, North-West, West and Centre), excluding Bucharest-Ilfov. This delimitation must be reconfirmed in the final guide.

What targets and how much money are at stake?

The figures below come from the version of the guide published for consultation and may be changed by the managing authority before launch:

• a total allocation of €4,198,231 and a minimum project value of €500,000;
• a minimum of 222 participants per project;
• result indicator: at least 95% of the committed participants must obtain or keep a job at the end of the intervention;
• maximum implementation period of 12 months, with post-employment monitoring of at least 6 months;
• own co-financing of 0% for non-profit organisations, 5% for commercial companies and between 2% and 15% for public institutions, depending on the region;
• simplified costs for training (for example, 24.81 lei per participant per hour for initiation or improvement courses, including a stimulus of 5 lei per hour conditional on completing the course) and indirect costs of 15% of staff costs.

The guide in consultation also provides that the applicant and private partners may not employ the participants in their own structure, either during implementation or for one year after it ends.

How and by when should comments be sent?

The guide and its annexes are published as an archive on the MIPE website, on the call page. Proposals and comments should be sent to consultare.peo@mfe.gov.ro by 30 October 2026. After the consultation, the PEO Managing Authority will publish the final guide and announce the submission period in MySMIS2021. The launch date of the call has not yet been announced.

What this means for your organisation

Our recommendation: ReSTART is a call with few funded projects (at a minimum of €500,000 per project and an allocation of around 4.2 million euro, we are talking about a maximum of eight projects, if the final guide keeps these values). Competition will be decided by the quality of the recruitment plan and the real capacity to place women in jobs.

• The 95% target is the biggest trap. With 222 participants, it means at least 211 in employment within 12 months, in a group made up largely of inactive people. The contract template reduces funding if the indicators are not fully met. Size the target group strictly to what you can place, not to what looks good in the funding application.
• Prepare partnerships with employers now. Letters of intent from companies in the region, with specific jobs and the required qualifications, make the difference at evaluation and reduce implementation risk.
• Check your authorisations. Training providers need authorisation for the proposed qualifications, and employment services need accreditation. Without them, the only option is a partnership with an authorised provider.
• Make use of the consultation. If the 12-month duration or the 95% rate is unrealistic for your area, send well-argued comments by 30 October. This is the moment when the conditions can still be changed.

Companies that want to hire women with young children have a separate call, dedicated to employers, also under objective ESO4.3. If you are not sure which of the two you fall under, use the eligibility check or speak to a consultant before preparing the documentation.

Frequently asked questions

Can I submit a project as an SRL in the ReSTART call?

Not as an ordinary company. According to the guide in consultation, the eligible applicants are authorised vocational training providers, accredited employment service providers, assessment and certification centres, ANOFM with the county agencies, and non-governmental organisations. A commercial company authorised as a training provider can apply in that capacity, with an own contribution of 5%.

When can projects be submitted?

There is currently no submission calendar. The guide is in public consultation until 30 October 2026, after which the PEO Managing Authority will publish the final version and announce the submission period in MySMIS2021. Any date circulating before the official announcement is an estimate.

Which women can be included in the target group?

The official announcement does not detail the categories of eligible women. The version of the guide put out for consultation focuses the intervention on inactive, unemployed and long-term unemployed women, including refugees, from the seven less developed regions, excluding Bucharest-Ilfov. The final list of categories and the eligible territory must be checked in the final guide.

How much does a ReSTART project cost and how much is funded?

The minimum value of a project is €500,000 in the guide under consultation, from a total allocation of €4,198,231. Non-profit organisations have no own contribution, commercial companies contribute 5%, and public institutions 2% to 15%, depending on the region. Training is reimbursed on unit costs, not on invoices.

What happens if I do not reach the 95% employment target?

The guide in consultation ties funding to the committed indicators, and failing to meet them leads to a reduction in the amount reimbursed, according to the contract template. That is why the number of participants and the employment rate must be committed realistically, based on concrete commitments from employers in the region.

Official sources

• MIPE – Applicant's Guide Specific Conditions "ReSTART: Women on the labour market" (call page, 12 October 2026)
• MIPE – press release on the launch of the ReSTART guide for public consultation
• MIPE – archive with the Applicant's Guide and annexes (ZIP)
• oportunitati-ue.gov.ro – PEO launches the guide "ReSTART: Women on the labour market" for public consultation

Information checked on 19 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.