Single Market Programme (2021-2027)
On 28 April 2021 a new Regulation was adopted to set-up the "Single Market Programme (2021-2027) (SMP)".
With a budget of €4.2 bn, the Single Market Programme (SMP) covers the single market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, the area of plants, animals, food and feed, and European statistics.
Separate programmes for Union action existed previously in these fields and some activities were financed directly under internal market budget lines. The SMP brings together these aspects to streamline and exploit synergies and provide for a more flexible, transparent, simplified and agile framework to finance activities aiming at a well-functioning sustainable internal market.
Priorities
The Internal Market: The SMP aims to ensure that citizens and businesses enjoy the benefits of the internal market and through a range of tools ensure they are aware and can exercise rights and take advantage of opportunities in full. Through the Internal Market strand, the SMP will implement and enforce rules and develop them further in areas including company and contract law, anti-money laundering and the free movement of capital. The SMP will ensure financial services meet the needs of consumers, civil society and end-users and enhance tools and expertise of the Commission to enforce effectively competition rules in the digital economy.
Effective standards: The SMP will provide financial support to organisations that develop European wide standards to ensure that products and services meet an agreed level of quality and safety.
Competitiveness (particularly of SMEs): The SME Strand of the SMP will provide various forms of support to businesses in particular SMEs in order to foster a favourable business environment and entrepreneurial culture, facilitate access to markets, reduce administrative burden, support uptake of innovation and address global and societal challenges.
Protect consumers: The SMP helps make sure products on the market are safe and consumers know the rules, and helps national authorities to work efficiently together and communicate swiftly.
Food Safety: Through the Food Strand, the SMP will prevent, control and eradicate animal diseases and plant pests, support sustainable food production and consumption, and the improvement of animal welfare, and improve the effectiveness, efficiency and reliability of official controls.
European statistics: : The SMP will provide funding to national statistics institutes for the production and dissemination of high-quality statistics to monitor the economic, social, environmental and territorial situation, thereby providing for evidence-based decision making in the EU and measuring the impact of EU initiatives.
Up to 5% of the budget may be used for various technical and administrative purposes, such as preparation, monitoring, control, audit, evaluation and use of information technology networks.
Non-EU countries may take part in the programme subject to certain conditions.
Article 8 and Annexes I (plant, animal, food and feed) and II (European statistics) set out the many activities eligible for funding under the programme’s general and specific objectives.
Legal entities* are eligible for funding if they are:
Article 10 sets out the entities which may receive a grant without a call for proposals. They range from national market surveillance authorities to the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group and the Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs.
Co-financing rules state that:
With a budget of €4.2 bn, the Single Market Programme (SMP) covers the single market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, the area of plants, animals, food and feed, and European statistics.
Separate programmes for Union action existed previously in these fields and some activities were financed directly under internal market budget lines. The SMP brings together these aspects to streamline and exploit synergies and provide for a more flexible, transparent, simplified and agile framework to finance activities aiming at a well-functioning sustainable internal market.
Priorities
The Internal Market: The SMP aims to ensure that citizens and businesses enjoy the benefits of the internal market and through a range of tools ensure they are aware and can exercise rights and take advantage of opportunities in full. Through the Internal Market strand, the SMP will implement and enforce rules and develop them further in areas including company and contract law, anti-money laundering and the free movement of capital. The SMP will ensure financial services meet the needs of consumers, civil society and end-users and enhance tools and expertise of the Commission to enforce effectively competition rules in the digital economy.
Effective standards: The SMP will provide financial support to organisations that develop European wide standards to ensure that products and services meet an agreed level of quality and safety.
Competitiveness (particularly of SMEs): The SME Strand of the SMP will provide various forms of support to businesses in particular SMEs in order to foster a favourable business environment and entrepreneurial culture, facilitate access to markets, reduce administrative burden, support uptake of innovation and address global and societal challenges.
Protect consumers: The SMP helps make sure products on the market are safe and consumers know the rules, and helps national authorities to work efficiently together and communicate swiftly.
Food Safety: Through the Food Strand, the SMP will prevent, control and eradicate animal diseases and plant pests, support sustainable food production and consumption, and the improvement of animal welfare, and improve the effectiveness, efficiency and reliability of official controls.
European statistics: : The SMP will provide funding to national statistics institutes for the production and dissemination of high-quality statistics to monitor the economic, social, environmental and territorial situation, thereby providing for evidence-based decision making in the EU and measuring the impact of EU initiatives.
Up to 5% of the budget may be used for various technical and administrative purposes, such as preparation, monitoring, control, audit, evaluation and use of information technology networks.
Non-EU countries may take part in the programme subject to certain conditions.
Article 8 and Annexes I (plant, animal, food and feed) and II (European statistics) set out the many activities eligible for funding under the programme’s general and specific objectives.
Legal entities* are eligible for funding if they are:
- based in an EU Member State or a linked overseas country or territory, or in a non-EU country associated with the programme;
- created under EU law or are an international organisation;
- based in a non-EU country not associated with the programme, but their activities are in line with its objectives.
Article 10 sets out the entities which may receive a grant without a call for proposals. They range from national market surveillance authorities to the European Financial Reporting Advisory Group and the Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs.
Co-financing rules state that:
- in certain circumstances the programme may cover up to 100% of eligible costs. Elsewhere, the range is between 50% and 95%;
- activities may receive finance from the single market programme and other EU funds provided the contributions do not cover the same costs.
How to take part to the programme?
Monitoring of the SEDIA Commission portal, which continuously updates the Calls.
Read more on the Single Market Programme
