Core objective: To co-finance projects that train national judges in EU competition law, including antitrust and State aid rules, aiming for coherent and consistent application by national courts.
Explicit identification of target recipient type and size: Organizations capable of delivering specialized legal training to judicial professionals. Size is not specified.
MUST state if grant is 'SECTOR-SPECIFIC' or 'SECTOR-AGNOSTIC': SECTOR-SPECIFIC (legal/judicial training, specifically EU competition law).
Geographic scope and any location requirements: Targets national judges from EU Member States. Projects must demonstrate EU added-value.
Key filtering criteria for initial grant screening: Focus on EU competition law, target audience of national judges, and ability to provide tailored training activities.
Grant frequency and program context: Part of the Single Market Programme (SMP); topic ID 'SMP-COMP-2025-JUDG' suggests an annual or recurring call.
Financial Structure
Total Budget for the call: 800,000.0 EUR.
Currency: EUR.
Funding Type: SMP Action Grant (Budget-Based).
Minimum grant amount per project: Not specified.
Maximum grant amount per project: Not specified.
Eligible costs: Detailed in the call document and Model Grant Agreements (MGA).
Eligibility Requirements
Organization Type
Applicant organizations must be capable of providing specialized training on EU competition law. The grant documents do not specify eligible organizational legal structures (e.g., non-profit, academic, private entity), implying 'OTHER' type of eligible organizations.
Geographic Location
The target audience (national judges, prosecutors, apprentice judges, and court staff) must be from EU Member States.
While not explicitly stated for the applicant organization, typically, organizations applying for EU grants are based in EU Member States.
Project Scope
Projects must focus on training national judges in EU competition law.
Activities must include tailored training such as conferences, interactive seminars/workshops, joint study visits to EU courts, and/or creation of training materials and tools.
Trainings must be hands-on oriented, include case studies, and reference relevant EU jurisprudence.
The training environment must be secure, allowing participants to exchange views freely without external monitoring or interference.
Projects should exclusively address national judges.
Projects must address at least one of the six thematic priorities (e.g., application of Articles 101/102 TFEU, procedural safeguards, antitrust damages actions, economic principles, regulated industries, State Aid), choosing a minimum number of topics under each selected priority.
Applications must be submitted electronically via the European Commission's Funding & Tenders Portal's Electronic Submission Service.
Applicants will need an EU Login account to access the submission system.
The submission procedure is 'single-stage'.
Required Documentation
The official 'call document' is essential for full details on conditions, evaluation criteria, and legal/financial aspects.
'Application form templates (COMP)' specific to this call are available in the Submission System.
A 'Detailed budget template (COMP)' must be used.
'Model Grant Agreements (MGA)' are provided for reference.
Pre-Application Support
An online Information Session was held on 2025-06-20 (10:30–13:00 CET) to provide insights into the application process, selection criteria, and objectives.
The recording and presentation from the Information Session are available on the Competition Policy website.
IT helpdesk available for technical issues (passwords, access rights, submission technicalities).
Funding & Tenders Portal FAQ and Online Manual provide general guidance.
Intellectual Property Helpdesk offers advice on IP elements of the grant agreement.
Evaluation Criteria
Project Quality and Relevance
Clear demonstration of EU added-value, meaning the project brings additional value compared to actions by Member States alone.
Relevance to the specified objectives of the call: improving coherent and consistent application of EU competition laws and strengthening cooperation/networking among judges.
Thoroughness and quality of the proposed training activities (e.g., hands-on approach, use of case studies, analysis of EU jurisprudence).
Selection and coverage of the required minimum number of topics within the chosen thematic priorities.
Impact
Potential for the project to contribute to improved coherent and consistent application of EU competition laws by national courts.
Likelihood of strengthening cooperation and networking among national judges.
Adequacy of the project's focus on the particular needs and work environments of national judges.
Other
Evaluation criteria, scoring, thresholds, and process are described in detail in the comprehensive call document, which is a required reference for applicants.
Compliance & Special Requirements
Regulatory Compliance
Projects must comply with the 'SMP Regulation 2021/690' (Single Market Programme establishment act).
Projects must comply with the 'EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509'.
Ethical Standards
A critical requirement is to ensure a secure training environment that enables participants (national judges) to freely exchange views and experiences and learn from one another, without external monitoring or interference.
Intellectual Property
Policies regarding Intellectual Property (IP) are addressed and advice can be sought from the Intellectual Property Helpdesk.
Cross-Cutting Priorities
The call's cross-cutting priorities include 'Digital Agenda' and 'AI', suggesting that projects may align with broader EU digital and AI strategies, although their specific implications for judicial training are not detailed within this grant description.
Specific Thematic Requirements
Projects must choose a minimum number of topics from each priority they address, covering various aspects of EU competition law, including specific articles of TFEU, procedural safeguards, antitrust damages actions, underlying economic principles, application in regulated industries/digital markets, and State Aid.
Grant Details
antitrust
competition law
judicial cooperation
judicial training
state aid
legal training
rule of law
eu law
judges
justice
training
capacity building
european union
single market programme
economic law
Training of national judges in EU competition law
SMP-COMP-2025-JUDG
Single Market Programme
OTHER
AT
BE
BG
HR
CY
CZ
DK
EE
FI
FR
DE
GR
HU
IE
IT
LV
LT
LU
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SK
SI
ES
SE
Grants8