Bosnia and Herzegovina has joined the European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), as an associated country, allowing organisations from this country to engage in projects funded by the ESF+ Employment and Social Innovation (EaSI) strand.

Activities open to third countries

Activities funded by the ESF+ EaSI strand are open to the participation of third countries, upon agreement with the European Union. This generally includes any activity under ESF+ direct and indirect management.

• Iceland (2021) and Norway (2021) joined the EaSI strand following the revision of the European Economic Area (EEA) agreement.
• Serbia (2022), Montenegro (2023) and Moldova (2024) joined the ESF+ EaSI strand with the signature of the correspondent agreement.
• Kosovo* (2024) and Ukraine (2025) have their agreement currently under the ratification phase.
• Albania has confirmed its interest in becoming an associated country. 

Further information on the ESF+

The European Social Fund Plus (ESF+) is implemented under two strands: 

• The shared management strand where the budget is spent in partnership with Member States.
• The ‘Employment and Social Innovation’ strand, where the Commission manages the budget either directly (direct management) or by entrusting the implementation to partners (indirect management).

Funding opportunities under the EaSI strand

Calls for proposals and procurement procedures under direct management are published on the Funding and Tender Portal. 

Under indirect management, the Lithuanian European Social Fund Agency (ESFA) manages the Social Innovation+ Initiative on behalf of the Commission. This includes transnational calls for proposals to promote social innovation, mutual learning activities, and a European Social Innovation Competence Centre. Funding opportunities are published on the ESFA website.