The European Commission has launched a major €16.55 million call for proposals to support operational projects that combat organised crime, drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings. Financed through the Internal Security Fund, the initiative is designed to strengthen cross-border law-enforcement cooperation, improve financial and criminal investigations, prevent criminal infiltration and dismantle the organisational and financial structures that allow criminal networks to operate.

The funding opportunity is primarily intended for organisations rather than individual applicants. Police forces, law-enforcement authorities, judicial bodies, public institutions, civil society organisations, private-sector entities, non-profit organisations and international organisations may participate, subject to the detailed legal, geographic and consortium requirements.

The application deadline is 3 September 2026 at 17:00 Central European Time, Brussels time.

Overview of the European Commission Organised Crime Call 2026

The call is formally titled:

Call for Proposals on Organised Crime — ISF-2026-TF2-AG-OC

It is administered by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs under the Internal Security Fund.

The call contains two separate funding topics:

1. ISF-2026-TF2-AG-OCDT: Organised Crime and Drug Trafficking
2. ISF-2026-TF2-AG-THB: Trafficking in Human Beings

Every proposal must address at least one of these topics. Organisations wishing to seek funding under both topics must submit separate proposals for each one.

Key Information at a Glance

The European Commission reserves the right not to award the entire budget or to redistribute funds between the two topics, depending on the quality and number of proposals received.

Why the European Commission Launched This Call

Organised crime remains one of the most serious threats to security, public institutions, economic integrity and community safety across the European Union.

Criminal organisations generate enormous profits through illicit activities and frequently use violence, intimidation and corruption to protect their operations. Their assets are often concealed through complex financial arrangements outside the formal economy and subsequently laundered or invested in legitimate businesses.

This creates several interconnected dangers:

• Criminal influence over legitimate businesses
• Corruption of public and private institutions
• Violence associated with criminal markets
• Money laundering and concealment of illicit assets
• Cross-border movement of illegal goods
• Exploitation of vulnerable people
• Use of technology and online platforms for criminal purposes
• Environmental damage caused by illegal drug production
• Reduced confidence in public institutions and the rule of law

Drug trafficking remains one of the most profitable forms of organised crime. It causes violence, creates serious health risks and can damage the environment through the illegal production and disposal of toxic chemicals.

Trafficking in human beings is another major criminal economy. It is frequently connected with migrant smuggling, document fraud, corruption, money laundering, organised property crime and drug trafficking.

The Commission reports that trafficking victims may be exploited for purposes including:

• Sexual exploitation
• Labour exploitation
• Forced criminality
• Forced begging
• Organ removal
• Exploitation of children
• Other forms of coercion and abuse

The growing use of digital services and online platforms has also made criminal activities more difficult to detect and has increased the need for cooperation among law-enforcement authorities, technology companies, financial-service providers, civil society and other relevant actors.

Strategic Basis of the Funding Call

The call contributes to several European Union security frameworks and priorities, including:

• The EU Internal Security Strategy, known as ProtectEU
• The EU Drugs Strategy
• The Action Plan against Drug Trafficking
• European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Criminal Threats priorities
• The EU Strategy on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings
• The Internal Security Fund Work Programme

The funding is intended to complement, integrate or support actions that are already planned or being implemented under relevant European security priorities.

Projects should therefore demonstrate a clear connection to European strategies, action plans, legislation and operational cooperation mechanisms.

Funding Topic One: Organised Crime and Drug Trafficking

The first topic, identified as ISF-2026-TF2-AG-OCDT, has an overall budget of €14 million.

Its primary objective is to combat organised crime by disrupting and dismantling criminal networks, including their leaders, facilitators and enablers. It also supports priorities connected with drug trafficking and preparedness for drug-related security threats.

Projects should focus particularly on criminal networks whose activities pose a significant threat to society.

Priority Areas Under the Organised Crime and Drug-Trafficking Topic

Proposals must address at least one priority, although projects addressing several connected priorities are encouraged.

1. Improving Intelligence on Criminal Networks

Effective law enforcement requires accurate and comprehensive intelligence about criminal networks, their members, activities, financial arrangements and cross-border connections.

Potential projects may improve the ability of competent authorities to:

• Map criminal networks and high-risk individuals
• Identify leaders, facilitators and service providers
• Analyse criminal structures and operating models
• Improve the availability and quality of intelligence
• Develop common intelligence approaches
• Strengthen information sharing across borders
• Incorporate academic and specialist knowledge
• Use technical tools and innovation for intelligence analysis
• Compare criminal threats across different countries
• Identify emerging threats and changes in criminal behaviour

Projects may involve academia, research expertise or other relevant specialists, provided the funded project remains operational rather than a standalone research activity.

2. Facilitating Cross-Border Investigations

Organised criminal networks frequently operate across several countries. A criminal group may manage its leadership, financing, logistics, recruitment and money-laundering activities in different jurisdictions.

Funded actions may therefore support:

• Joint or coordinated investigations
• Cross-border information sharing
• Cooperation among national authorities
• Improved operational coordination
• Better use of European cooperation instruments
• Identification of high-risk criminal targets
• Cooperation with authorities in relevant non-EU countries
• Exchange of operational methods and good practices

Projects should demonstrate how the proposed cooperation will lead to practical improvements in the disruption of criminal networks.

3. Facilitating Financial Investigations

Criminal organisations depend on profit. Dismantling their financial infrastructure is therefore central to weakening their operations.

Projects may focus on:

• Tracing criminal proceeds
• Identifying concealed or laundered assets
• Conducting parallel financial investigations
• Freezing and confiscating criminal property
• Supporting asset-recovery processes
• Improving cooperation between financial investigators and other authorities
• Detecting criminal infiltration into legitimate businesses
• Using technology and analytical tools in financial investigations
• Strengthening specialist financial-investigation capabilities

A strong proposal should explain how its activities will move beyond identifying individual criminal offences and address the economic foundations of criminal organisations.

4. Preventing Crime and Tackling Criminal Infiltration

Organised criminal groups may use legitimate companies, professional services and public institutions to conceal illegal activities or facilitate money laundering.

Relevant projects may support:

• Prevention of criminal infiltration into legal markets
• Improved cooperation between authorities and private businesses
• Identification of high-risk sectors
• Awareness and capacity building
• Detection of suspicious ownership or financial arrangements
• Sharing of preventive practices across countries
• Strengthened public-private cooperation
• Protection of vulnerable sectors from criminal influence

Meaningful participation by civil society organisations and private-sector entities is considered particularly relevant where it strengthens the design and practical implementation of a project.

5. Strengthening Capabilities Against Drug Production and Trafficking

Projects may strengthen national and cross-border capabilities to identify and disrupt:

• Production of illicit drugs
• Trafficking and distribution networks
• Illegal drug laboratories
• Movement of precursor chemicals
• Concealment of illegal goods
• Drug-related financial activity
• Environmental damage arising from illegal production
• Links between drug trafficking and other organised crime

The funding may also improve the availability and operational use of innovative or technical tools for detecting production sites and concealed illicit goods.

6. Strengthening Preparedness for Drug-Related Security Threats

The call seeks to strengthen the ability of the European Union and national authorities to anticipate and respond to emerging drug-related threats.

Projects could support:

• Threat and risk assessments
• Contingency planning
• Information exchange
• Shared situational awareness
• Early-warning capacities
• Operational preparedness
• Cross-border response arrangements
• Training and exchange of relevant specialists

Expected Results Under the First Topic

In the short term, projects are expected to improve:

• Intelligence on criminal actors and networks
• Availability and use of operational innovations
• Cross-border investigative cooperation
• Financial-investigation capabilities
• Detection of illicit production and trafficking
• Cooperation among authorities, civil society and the private sector
• Identification, referral and protection of victims during operational actions

In the longer term, funding should contribute to stronger operational capabilities among law-enforcement and security authorities and more effective disruption of organised crime and drug-trafficking networks.

Funding Topic Two: Trafficking in Human Beings

The second topic, identified as ISF-2026-TF2-AG-THB, has a total budget of €2.55 million.

Its objective is to dismantle organised criminal networks engaged in trafficking in human beings within the European Union, including networks involved in several forms of crime.

Projects should combine stronger criminal-justice action with a victim-centred approach.

Priority Areas Under the Human-Trafficking Topic

1. Exploring Connections with Other Serious Crimes

Projects may examine and address the operational links between trafficking in human beings and crimes such as:

• Migrant smuggling
• Drug trafficking
• Corruption
• Money laundering
• Document fraud
• Organised property crime
• Other forms of serious and organised crime

The objective should be to improve operational responses, not merely to produce general academic research.

2. Improving Victim Detection and Identification

Projects may seek to improve the early identification of trafficking victims, including victims recruited, controlled or exploited through online channels.

Relevant forms of exploitation include:

• Sexual exploitation
• Labour exploitation
• Forced begging
• Forced criminal activity
• Organ removal
• Child trafficking and exploitation

Activities should recognise that trafficking victims may be reluctant or unable to identify themselves as victims and may require specialised protection and referral arrangements.

3. Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships

The call encourages structured cooperation with:

• Online platforms
• Technology companies
• Financial-service providers
• Private businesses
• Other actors holding information or capabilities relevant to trafficking cases

Such cooperation may help authorities identify suspicious patterns, preserve evidence, disrupt recruitment or exploitation channels and trace financial activity.

4. Improving Cross-Border Investigations and Prosecutions

Projects may support:

• Joint investigations
• Coordinated prosecutions
• Cooperation among law-enforcement bodies
• Cooperation among judicial authorities
• Cross-border information exchange
• Use of EU cooperation instruments
• Access to online evidence
• Coordination in complex trafficking cases

The proposed activities should make investigations and prosecutions more effective across different jurisdictions.

5. Expanding Financial Investigations in Trafficking Cases

Projects may strengthen the systematic use of parallel financial investigations to:

• Trace profits from trafficking
• Identify criminal assets
• Freeze or confiscate property
• Recover proceeds of crime
• Expose links between traffickers and other criminal actors
• Disrupt the financial incentives supporting exploitation

6. Improving Criminal-Justice Outcomes

Projects may improve the specialised knowledge of prosecutors, judges and other criminal-justice professionals.

Relevant areas may include:

• Evidentiary difficulties in trafficking cases
• Cross-border access to digital evidence
• Understanding different forms of exploitation
• Victim-sensitive criminal proceedings
• Cooperation between investigators and prosecutors
• Complexities involving poly-criminal networks

The expected objective is to increase the effectiveness of prosecutions and convictions while protecting victims’ rights.

7. Strengthening Victim Referral and Protection

Projects may improve cooperation between law-enforcement authorities and victim-support organisations following operational anti-trafficking actions.

Activities may focus on:

• Early victim referral
• Access to support services
• Protection during criminal proceedings
• Respect for victims’ legal rights
• Trauma-informed procedures
• Cooperation between authorities and civil society
• Protection of child victims and other vulnerable groups

8. Awareness Raising and Demand Reduction

The call permits awareness-raising, communication and dissemination activities, including measures addressing demand that contributes to trafficking in human beings.

However, proposals should remain operational and connected to the broader objective of dismantling criminal networks.

Activities That May Be Supported

Projects under the human-trafficking topic may include one or more of the following types of activities:

• Analytical, monitoring and evaluation activities
• Threat, risk and impact assessments
• Evidence-based operational assessments
• Monitoring of EU law and policy implementation
• Development of operational tools and methodologies
• Development of measures to improve prosecutions and criminal proceedings
• Networks of specialised prosecutors and professionals
• Training and education of relevant personnel
• Exchange of staff, experts and practical experience
• Information sharing and shared situational awareness
• Contingency planning
• Interoperability measures
• Awareness-raising campaigns
• Communication and dissemination
• Victim-identification and referral procedures
• Cooperation with online platforms and financial institutions

Pure research activities are not eligible for funding. Projects must have a practical and operational character.

Target Regions and Countries Under the Human-Trafficking Topic

The call recognises that trafficking networks operating in European illicit markets may involve countries of origin and transit outside the European Union.

Regions and countries of interest include:

• Western Balkans
• Latin America and the Caribbean
• West Africa
• Middle East and North Africa
• Eastern Partnership region
• United Arab Emirates
• Türkiye
• Ukraine
• Moldova
• China
• Afghanistan
• Bangladesh
• Pakistan

The inclusion of these regions and countries means that operational cooperation with relevant entities may be appropriate. It does not remove the requirement for every proposal to meet the call’s consortium and eligible-country conditions.

Who Can Apply?

Eligible applicants must generally be legal entities belonging to one of the following categories:

• Public bodies
• Public or non-public implementing agencies acting under the mandate of a competent authority in a Member State participating in the Internal Security Fund
• Non-profit public entities
• Non-profit private entities
• Profit-making entities
• International organisations

Natural persons are generally not eligible to apply. An exception may apply to self-employed persons or sole traders where the business does not have a legal personality separate from the individual.

International organisations may participate as co-beneficiaries regardless of geographic location. However, they cannot serve as coordinators and do not count toward the minimum eligible-country requirements for the consortium.

Profit-making entities may participate but cannot coordinate a proposal.

EU institutions and bodies cannot form part of an applicant consortium.

Eligible Countries

Applicants may be established in:

• EU Member States, including relevant overseas countries and territories, except Denmark
• Relevant non-EU countries identified within the scope of the call
• Relevant third countries or geographic areas connected to the proposed operational activities

Denmark is excluded because it does not participate in the applicable Internal Security Fund regulation.

A third-country entity may participate only within a consortium meeting the minimum composition requirements. Its involvement must be relevant to the call’s scope and proposed activities.

Mandatory Consortium Requirements

A proposal must be submitted by a consortium containing:

• At least two independent applicants
• Applicants from at least two different EU Member States participating in the Internal Security Fund

Affiliated entities do not count toward this minimum.

The Commission welcomes broader consortia involving more participating Member States where this strengthens the geographical reach and operational design of the project.

Third-country organisations and international organisations may participate where eligible, but they do not replace the requirement for applicants from at least two participating EU Member States.

Can Organisations from Pakistan Participate?

Pakistan is specifically identified as a relevant country under the trafficking-in-human-beings topic.

A Pakistani organisation may potentially participate if:

• It is an eligible legal entity.
• Its role is directly relevant to the proposed anti-trafficking activities.
• It joins a consortium that meets the mandatory EU Member State requirements.
• The proposal includes at least two qualifying applicants from two different participating EU Member States.
• The Pakistani organisation registers and completes the required legal validation.
• The organisation has sufficient operational and, where applicable, financial capacity.
• Its participation complies with all EU legal, ethical, security and funding conditions.

Pakistan’s inclusion as a target country does not mean that an individual Pakistani applicant can apply personally or that a Pakistani organisation can submit a standalone proposal.

Grant Amount and Funding Rate

The total call budget is divided as follows:

• €14 million for organised crime and drug trafficking
• €2.55 million for trafficking in human beings

The requested EU contribution per project must generally be between:

• Minimum: €1 million
• Maximum: €3 million

For proposals submitted under the trafficking-in-human-beings topic, the maximum EU contribution is €2.55 million.

The grant will normally reimburse 90% of eligible project costs. This means applicants must generally arrange the remaining portion of the project budget from other permitted sources.

The final grant awarded may be lower than the amount requested.

Project Duration

Projects may last for a maximum of 24 months.

Extensions may be possible when properly justified and formally approved through an amendment to the grant agreement.

Projects will normally begin after the grant agreement is signed. In exceptional and duly justified cases, a retroactive start may be permitted, but it cannot precede the proposal submission date.

Eligible Costs

Subject to the grant agreement and detailed cost rules, supported budget categories may include:

• Personnel costs
• Costs of employees
• Costs of directly contracted natural persons
• Costs of seconded personnel
• Eligible SME owner or natural-person unit costs
• Volunteer unit costs
• Subcontracting
• Travel and subsistence
• Equipment
• Other goods, works and services
• Indirect costs

Indirect costs are generally calculated using a flat rate of 7% of eligible direct costs, subject to applicable exclusions.

Non-deductible value-added tax may be eligible in certain cases. However, VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authorities is not eligible.

The call does not permit financial support to third parties.

Activities That Will Not Be Funded

The following are specifically excluded or restricted:

• Pure research activities
• Financial support distributed to third parties
• Ineligible or unsupported costs
• Actions that do not comply with EU values or applicable law
• Projects lacking a sufficiently operational nature
• Activities that could harm the reputation or policy interests of the European Union
• Proposals submitted by ineligible individuals or entities
• Proposals failing to meet the consortium requirements

Application Documents

Proposals must be completed through the forms provided in the EU Funding & Tenders Portal submission system.

The application package includes:

Application Form Part A

Part A contains:

• Administrative information about participants
• Details of the proposed coordinator
• Details of beneficiaries and affiliated entities
• A summarised project budget

This section is completed directly in the online system.

Application Form Part B

Part B contains the technical description of the project.

Applicants must:

1. Download the template from the submission system.
2. Complete the technical proposal.
3. Assemble the required information.
4. Upload the completed document to the portal.

Part B, excluding annexes, is limited to 50 pages. Evaluators will not assess pages exceeding the maximum limit.

Application Form Part C

Part C explains how the project will contribute to the programme’s key performance indicators.

It must be completed directly in the online system.

Mandatory Annex

Applicants must submit a list of significant projects undertaken during the previous four years. This is not limited to EU-funded projects.

The call does not require a separate detailed budget table, core-team CVs or the previous year’s activity report at the initial proposal stage. However, additional documentation may be requested later for legal, financial or banking validation.

Key Performance Indicators and Reporting

Project applications should define qualitative and quantitative performance indicators, including:

• Baseline values
• Measurable targets
• Expected outputs
• Expected results
• Relevant programme performance indicators
• Milestones and deliverables

All funded projects must provide a mid-term progress report.

Milestones, deliverables and reporting obligations will be managed through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal and incorporated into the grant agreement.

Financial and Operational Capacity

Applicants must have adequate operational capacity to implement the proposed activities.

This means the consortium should demonstrate:

• Relevant knowledge and professional experience
• Appropriate technical expertise
• Sufficient qualified personnel
• Suitable operational resources
• Experience with comparable projects
• Effective project-management arrangements
• Ability to manage risks and cross-border activities

Applicants may also be subject to a financial-capacity assessment. Public bodies and certain categories of organisation may be treated differently under the applicable EU rules.

Evaluation and Selection Procedure

Proposals will undergo a two-step evaluation.

First Stage: Relevance Assessment

Eligible proposals will first be assessed against the relevance criterion.

Only proposals that meet the required relevance threshold will proceed to the full assessment.

Second Stage: Full Evaluation

Successful proposals from the first stage will be evaluated against all award criteria:

A proposal must obtain:

• At least 21 out of 30 points for relevance
• At least 70 out of 100 points overall

Passing these thresholds does not automatically guarantee funding. Proposals will be ranked, and funding will remain subject to the available budget.

What Evaluators Will Examine

Relevance

Evaluators will consider:

• Clarity and consistency of project objectives
• Alignment with the call’s scope and expected results
• Contribution to EU strategies and action plans
• Connection with the legislative context
• Previous achievements in the field
• European and transnational dimension

Quality

The quality assessment will examine:

• Connection between identified problems, needs and proposed solutions
• Strength of the project methodology
• Implementation timetable
• Monitoring and evaluation framework
• Expertise of the consortium and project team
• Management arrangements
• Risk-management measures
• Feasibility within the proposed period
• Cost effectiveness
• Value for money

Impact

The impact assessment will consider:

• Expected short-term results
• Expected long-term effects
• Benefits for target groups and the public
• Ambition and innovation
• Communication and visibility of EU funding
• Dissemination strategy
• Sustainability after EU funding ends
• Replicability and potential for wider application

Where proposals receive equal scores, priority will first be based on relevance, followed by impact and then quality. The Commission may also consider geographical and thematic balance across the selected portfolio.

Ethical and Fundamental-Rights Requirements

Projects must comply with:

• The highest ethical standards
• EU values
• The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union
• Applicable EU law
• International law
• Relevant national laws

Applications should examine any potential effects of the project on individual rights and freedoms and describe measures to prevent, limit or remedy negative impacts.

Projects involving sensitive information, personal data or classified information may be subject to additional ethical, data-protection and security requirements.

Application Deadline

The final deadline is:

3 September 2026 at 17:00 CET, Brussels time

Applicants should convert the deadline accurately into their local time zone and avoid submitting at the last minute.

For Pakistan, Brussels observes Central European Summer Time in September. Therefore, applicants should confirm the portal’s displayed local deadline rather than relying solely on a manual conversion.

The Commission’s announcement describes the call as open from 21 May to 3 September 2026. The call document contains an indicative opening date of 13 May 2026, while the Funding & Tenders Portal listing identifies 20 May 2026. These different administrative references do not affect the confirmed closing deadline of 3 September 2026.

Indicative Timeline

How to Apply

Applications must be submitted electronically through the European Commission’s EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

Applicants should follow these steps:

1. Review the official call announcement.
2. Download and read the latest version of the call document.
3. Select the appropriate topic.
4. Build a consortium meeting the eligibility conditions.
5. Register all beneficiaries and affiliated entities in the Participant Register.
6. Obtain or validate the required Participant Identification Codes.
7. Develop an operational project concept.
8. Prepare the technical proposal using the portal template.
9. Complete the administrative and KPI sections online.
10. Upload the required annexes.
11. Validate the proposal against the eligibility and award criteria.
12. Submit the complete application before the deadline.

Paper submissions are not accepted.

Applicants must use the forms provided within the live submission system. Documents available on the topic page are intended for information and should not replace the official submission templates.

Applications can be accessed through the relevant topic pages:

• Organised Crime and Drug Trafficking topic
• Trafficking in Human Beings topic

Applicants should also review the official European Commission announcement and the latest official call document.

Important Application Advice

Prospective applicants should:

• Begin consortium development immediately.
• Confirm that the proposed coordinator is eligible.
• Ensure that at least two qualifying applicants come from two different EU Member States participating in the Internal Security Fund.
• Involve third-country partners only where their role is operationally relevant.
• Design an operational project rather than a purely academic study.
• Explain the connection to EU security strategies and action plans.
• Demonstrate clear cross-border value.
• Include measurable baselines, targets and indicators.
• Present a credible monitoring and evaluation framework.
• Address ethics, privacy, data protection and fundamental rights.
• Explain how results will continue after EU funding ends.
• Budget for the portion not covered by the 90% EU funding rate.
• Submit well before the portal deadline.

Conclusion

The European Commission’s €16.55 million Internal Security Fund call represents a significant opportunity for eligible organisations to develop cross-border operational projects against organised crime, drug trafficking and trafficking in human beings.

The call provides €14 million for organised crime and drug-trafficking projects and €2.55 million for projects dismantling human-trafficking networks. Individual projects may request between €1 million and €3 million, subject to the €2.55 million ceiling for the human-trafficking topic. EU support can cover up to 90% of eligible costs, and projects may run for up to 24 months.

This is not an opportunity for individual applicants. Successful participation will require a legally eligible, multinational consortium with strong operational capacity, a clearly defined security challenge, practical cross-border activities, measurable results and close alignment with European Union priorities.

All proposals must be submitted through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal by 3 September 2026 at 17:00 CET, Brussels time.

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