PR North-East, New European Bauhaus: strategies due by 27 November for €62.5 million

On 1 October 2026 the Managing Authority for the North-East Regional Programme 2021-2027 launched the guide for the call for territorial development strategies under the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative, code PR/NE/2026/SDT NEB/1. Towns, municipalities and county councils in the North-East region submit their strategies between 5 October and 27 November 2026, 14:00. An admitted strategy is the condition for access to funding for NEB projects under Priority 7, where the announced allocation is €62.51 million.

Please note: this is not yet the call for projects. Strategies are being selected now. Investment projects will follow at a later stage, for which no timetable has been announced yet.

In brief

• Programme: North-East Regional Programme 2021-2027, Priority 7 – An attractive region, operation New European Bauhaus Initiative
• Authority: ADR North-East (Regional Development Agency), as Managing Authority
• Beneficiaries: urban NEB – county seat municipalities, other municipalities, towns and counties; rural NEB – counties, with projects in partnership with communes
• Total budget (for projects following the strategy selection): €55.46 million for urban and €7.06 million for rural, €62.51 million in total
• Value per project: €1–10 million in urban areas and €1–7.06 million in rural areas, according to the programme page
• Strategy submission period: 5 October 2026 – 27 November 2026, 14:00, in PDF format, by e-mail
• Status: guide launched on 1 October 2026; submission opens on 5 October

Who can submit a strategy?

According to the announcement, the call selects the “compliant and admissible strategies” submitted by:

• for urban NEB (the DUI Nord-Est instrument): urban local authorities (UAT), that is county seat municipalities, municipalities and towns, plus county UATs;
• for rural NEB: county UATs that promote projects in partnership with the communes in the county.

Communes do not submit strategies in their own name. They take part through a partnership with the county council, so a commune town hall that is interested should speak to the county now.

What will the NEB projects fund?

The NEB operation page of PR North-East describes three types of investment, in both urban and non-urban areas:

• regeneration of public spaces (squares, parks, green areas, streets);
• creation, modernisation or extension of cultural, scientific, leisure and recreation infrastructure, with an emphasis on green-blue infrastructure;
• conservation, consolidation, restoration and enhancement of historic monuments, including related works.

In addition to investments, “soft” activities are mandatory. The project must include at least two types of activities from each of the two categories provided for: community and stakeholder engagement, and cultural, educational, volunteering, sports and recreational activities.

How much can you obtain and how much must the UAT contribute?

• Urban allocation: €55,458,023.53, of which €47,139,320 ERDF and €8,318,703.53 national contribution;
• Rural allocation: €7,058,823.53, of which €6,000,000 ERDF and €1,058,823.53 national contribution;
• Applicant's contribution: at least 2% of the total eligible value. If the investment falls under regional state aid, co-financing rises to at least 40%, and to at least 50% for UATs in Iași county;
• Quality threshold: at least 60 points and a minimum NEB relevance level of 20%.

These conditions appear on the programme's NEB operation page. For projects, the final rules will be those in the call for projects guide, which has not yet been published.

How and by when must the strategy be submitted?

The territorial development strategy is sent electronically, in PDF format, to am@adrnordest.ro, between 5 October 2026 and 27 November 2026, 14:00. The applicant's guide can be downloaded from the ADR North-East website (.zip archive).

What this means for your UAT

Our recommendation is to treat the strategy as the first filter for funding, not as a formality. Without a selected strategy, the UAT has no access to the €62.51 million for NEB projects. The official sources do not say whether there will be a second chance to submit.

• Identify the intervention area now. NEB requires areas set out in the strategy, with community consultation and involvement. Public consultation takes several weeks, and there are less than two months left until 27 November.
• Design the project around the three NEB values: aesthetics, sustainability and inclusion. The minimum NEB relevance threshold of 20% will be checked at project stage, so a simple conventional park refurbishment with no participatory component risks failing.
• Budget for the “soft” part from the start: cultural events, workshops and volunteering are mandatory and must be committed to for the duration of the project.
• Check state aid. If the space will be used commercially (rental, tickets, concession), co-financing may rise from 2% to 40% or 50%. Clarify this before fixing the budget.
• For counties and communes: the partnership for the rural component must be agreed and approved by council decisions in good time.

For other programmes open to town halls, you can use the eligibility check.

Frequently asked questions

Can I submit the funding application for an NEB project in the North-East now?

No. Call PR/NE/2026/SDT NEB/1 selects only territorial development strategies. Projects will be submitted in a later call, for which no timetable has been announced yet.

Can a commune submit an NEB strategy on its own?

No. For the rural component, the strategy is submitted by the county UAT, which promotes projects in partnership with the communes in the county. An interested commune must coordinate with the county council.

What is the value of an NEB project?

According to the programme page, between €1 and 10 million in urban areas and between €1 and €7,058,823 in rural areas. The values may be confirmed or adjusted by the call for projects guide.

How much must the town hall contribute from its own budget?

At least 2% of the total eligible value. For projects that fall under regional state aid, at least 40%, and for UATs in Iași county at least 50%.

How is the strategy submitted?

In PDF format, by e-mail, to am@adrnordest.ro, between 5 October 2026 and 27 November 2026, 14:00.

Official sources

• EU Opportunities (MIPE) – Launch of the guide for the SDT call – New European Bauhaus Initiative
• ADR North-East – announcement of the launch of call PR/NE/2026/SDT NEB/1
• Applicant's guide – NEB territorial development strategies (archive)
• PR North-East – Priority 7, NEB (New European Bauhaus) operation

Information checked on 2 October 2026. Conditions may be changed by the managing authority — check the guide in force before you submit.