<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will allocate a maximum of €600,000 to subsidize outreach and communication activities related to the European Union that will take place throughout 2025.</strong></h4> The Official State Gazette (BOE) published this past Thursday, March 13, an excerpt from a resolution from the State Secretary for the European Union—signed on March 10 by State Secretary Fernando Sampedro—announcing the call for grants for 2025 to finance communication initiatives and outreach activities on issues related to the European Union. According to the resolution, outreach activities and communication activities related to the fortieth anniversary of Spain's accession to the then European Economic Community will be given priority. On June 12, 1985, the then President of the Government, Felipe González, signed the Act of Accession of Spain to the European Communities at the Royal Palace in Madrid, which entered into force on January 1, 1986. Other thematic areas will also be considered, such as the 2024-2029 institutional cycle, the future of the EU, competitiveness and the internal market, the triple transition (green, digital, and social), economic, social, and territorial cohesion, democratic participation in the Union, migration and asylum policy, security and defense, EU enlargement and the internal reforms necessary to ensure the effective functioning of the EU, the Multiannual Financial Framework, and the European Union's external relations, with a particular focus on Latin America and the Caribbean, the Southern Neighborhood, and Africa. Recipients of grants under this call will be able to undertake events, online actions, outreach activities, and produce reports, studies, and educational initiatives related to one of the priorities. Grant funding is set at a maximum total amount of €600,000, distributed among all successful applicants. Any legally constituted individual or legal entity not belonging to the public sector may apply for these grants if they demonstrate that their activity is non-profit, in addition to complying with tax and Social Security obligations, and that they have the means and capacity to carry out the activities and ensure the achievement of the objectives. "Among the priority objectives of the Secretariat of State for the European Union is strengthening the concept of European citizenship and achieving a closer understanding of the European integration process among Spanish citizens to foster their involvement and participation," the resolution states. "To achieve these goals, it is necessary to enhance the dissemination of information related to European affairs among the different sectors of our society." In this context, "this call for grants aims to promote, within the framework of the 'Let's Talk About Europe' initiative of this Secretariat of State, the implementation of all types of communication actions and activities aimed at disseminating knowledge regarding the functioning, characteristics, future prospects, and any other aspect directly related to the European Union," it adds. In last year's call for proposals, the main beneficiaries, with €38,400 each, were the European Council on Foreign Relations Association (founded by Diego Hidalgo, Cristina Manzano, and José Ignacio Torreblanca, which represents the important European think tank ECFR in Spain) for the project "Boosting bi-regional cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean on the digital and green transition for the establishment of strategic alliances with the European Union"; and the Alternativas Foundation, for the initiative "Women decide in Europe. Women and European Governance." Next in line were the ESADE Foundation, with €36,810 for an activity entitled "Integration and resilience. The Single Market as the basis for Strategic Autonomy"; the Elcano Royal Institute, which received €34,320 to reflect on "Deepen to Widen: A Spanish perspective on the reforms needed to guarantee and improve the functioning of a larger EU"; Team Europe, which received €33,600 to fund the "Forum for the Future of the EU"; the Foreign Policy Analysis Foundation, with €30,400 for an activity entitled "Europe's Reforms"; and 27 other organizations, making up the 33 entities that shared the budgeted €600,000.
