PoIDS: guide for former prisoners open for consultation, comments until 30 October

On 12 October 2026, the Ministry of Investments and European Projects (MIPE), through the Managing Authority for the Social Inclusion and Dignity Programme (PoIDS), published for public consultation the Specific Conditions Applicant's Guide "Inclusion support for people released from prison". The guide prepares a competitive call funded by the European Social Fund Plus, under Priority 8, Action 8.2. Comments and proposals must be sent by e-mail by 30 October 2026.

In brief

• Programme: Social Inclusion and Dignity Programme 2021-2027, Priority 8 "Social and support services for other vulnerable groups", Action 8.2 "Integrated services for other categories of vulnerable groups" (ESF+)
• Authority: PoIDS Managing Authority, Ministry of Investments and European Projects
• Target group: people released from prison
• Call type: competitive
• Consultation period: 12–30 October 2026, comments to consultare.poids@mfe.gov.ro
• Status: guide in public consultation; the call has not been launched, and the conditions may change

What is this guide and why does it matter?

PoIDS is the programme through which Romania uses EU funds to finance services for vulnerable groups. According to the programme sheet published by the European Commission, PoIDS has a total public contribution of 4.19 billion euro, of which 3.37 billion euro comes from the European Union. For people released from detention, the programme provides specialised services, including temporary accommodation and specialised counselling.

The guide under consultation sets out who can submit projects, which activities are funded and how applications will be assessed. After the consultation, the authority reviews the comments received, publishes the final version of the guide and only then opens the call in the MySMIS2021 system.

What does the published documentation contain?

On the announcement page, MIPE published an archive containing four annexes dedicated to this call (annexes 1–4 for "people released from prison"); at the time of checking, the archive did not contain a separate file with the text of the specific conditions guide. The announcement itself does not specify the call's financial allocation, the minimum or maximum value of a project, the list of eligible applicants or the co-financing rules. These conditions are in the text of the specific conditions guide, which you should read directly, as soon as it is fully available on the announcement page, before planning a project; they may change following the consultation.

What is certain from the official announcement: the call will be competitive, so projects will be scored and ranked, not funded in the order they are submitted. The funding comes from ESF+, the fund intended for "soft" measures: services, counselling, training, support for employment and housing, not large infrastructure investments.

How are comments submitted and what happens next?

1. Download the archive with the annexes from the MIPE announcement page and keep watching the page for the full text of the guide.
2. Read in full the eligibility conditions for applicants, partners, activities and costs.
3. Make your comments specific, referring to the section or page of the guide, and propose alternative wording.
4. Send them to consultare.poids@mfe.gov.ro by 30 October 2026.

The launch date of the call and the submission period have not yet been announced. They will be set when the final guide is published, through a separate announcement on the PoIDS announcements page.

What this means for your organisation

We recommend treating the consultation as a working stage, not a formality. Well-argued comments, especially from organisations that already work with former prisoners, have a real chance of changing conditions in the final guide: the size of the target group, the types of costs accepted, the project duration or the requirements for partners.

If you are a social service provider, a non-governmental organisation or a local public authority with social services under its remit, check in the text of the guide, as soon as it is fully available, whether you are among the eligible applicants or partners. This check cannot be replaced by summaries: the exact criteria are only in the document.

From our experience with ESF+ calls for vulnerable groups, there are three common pitfalls. First: the target group is hard to recruit and document, so cooperation with the institutions in direct contact with released persons must be established before submission, not after. Second: "integrated" services mean the project must show a complete pathway for the beneficiary, from assessment to employment and housing, not isolated activities. Third: the result indicators committed to in the application become contractual obligations, so they must be sized realistically. For an initial indication of your capacity to submit a project, you can use the eligibility check on the site.

Frequently asked questions

Can I submit a project now?

No. The guide is in public consultation until 30 October 2026, and the call has not been launched. Funding applications can be submitted only after the final guide is published and the call opens in MySMIS2021, on a date that has not yet been announced.

What is the call's budget and how much can be requested per project?

The official consultation announcement mentions neither the call's allocation nor the minimum or maximum value of a project. This information should be in the specific conditions guide; at the time of checking, the archive published by MIPE contained only annexes 1–4, without the text of the guide, and the figures may be adjusted after the consultation. Check the figures directly in the document, as soon as it is available, and later in the final version of the guide.

Who can be a beneficiary of the services?

The target group of the call is people who are released from prison. For this category, the PoIDS programme provides specialised services, including temporary accommodation and specialised counselling, with the aim of social and professional reintegration.

How can I influence the conditions of the guide?

By sending comments and proposals to consultare.poids@mfe.gov.ro by 30 October 2026. The Managing Authority reviews the proposals received before publishing the final form of the guide. Specific comments, referring to the section concerned and with alternative wording, are the most useful.

Official sources

• MIPE – PoIDS, public consultation: Specific Conditions Applicant's Guide "Inclusion support for people released from prison" (12 October 2026)
• MIPE – Announcements, Social Inclusion and Dignity Programme 2021-2027
• European Commission – programme sheet, Social Inclusion and Dignity Programme 2021-2027 (2021RO05FFPR001)

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