EU Projects: linking Cork with the continent through practical collaboration and learning

The European Commission offers a range of competitive programmes such as Horizon Europe and various INTERREG schemes, designed to facilitate efforts to demonstrate the delivery of EU policy objectives on the ground.

Offering support through financial means and/or provision of expertise and other services, these generally revolve around the development of proposals from partnerships of likeminded organisations, including cities, across Europe to implement multi-annual joint projects enabling in-depth collaboration on how specific shared challenges are being, and can better be addressed.

As a growing, ambitious and outward-looking European urban centre, Cork City Council places an emphasis on this as a means by which to foster fresh thinking and to be part of the development of innovative future-focused solutions. Pursuit of appropriate EU opportunities which can add value to how we realise our strategic priorities for Cork’s development as a world-class and sustainability-minded city by delivering tangible positive local impacts is reflected in our 2024-2029 Corporate Plan as an objective.

Since 2023 in particular, Cork City Council has achieved a notable track-record of over 30 project approvals as well as designations and awards at European level. At Q1 2026, there are 17 ongoing or newly-approved EU-assisted projects with frontline involvement from this organisation as a delivery partner. Additional and unfunded support roles are also being performed in several further projects, thereby enabling various other local and regional organisations to participate as full partners in their own right.

This portfolio of activity (see 'Our current EU projects'), relating to functions across 7 Directorates, represents an increasingly significant component of the organisation’s day-to-day work. Each of these multilateral relationships is grounded in a motivation to leverage what connections across frontiers can offer as a means of delivering purposeful change locally.

Increasingly, these activities are being used to both leverage and contribute towards delivering on Cork City’s trio of EU Missions designations: Climate-Neutral & Smart Cities; Adaptation to Climate Change; and Restoring our Ocean & Waters. 

Although not all EU-supported activities receive direct funding, cumulative grants secured by Cork City Council under the 2021-2027 EU programmes (both transnational partnerships and European Structural & Investment Funds) now stand at approximately €7.675 million.