The Single Market Programme (SMP) is the EU funding programme to help the single market reach its full potential and ensure Europe’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

With €4.2 billion over the period of 2021-2027, it provides an integrated package to support and strengthen the governance of the single market. The Programme pools crucial activities financed under several previous programmes. 

The SMP provides a coherent and agile financing framework to support these key objectives: 

• Food safety: Ensuring a safe and sustainable food chain.

• Consumer protection: Enhancing consumer protection, product safety, and empowering consumers.

• Support to small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs): Strengthening the competitiveness and sustainability of SMEs.

• A more effective single market: Improving the internal market through better market surveillance, problem-solving support to citizens and businesses, and enhanced competition policy.

• High quality European statistics: Producing and disseminating high quality European statistics.

• Effective European standards: Developing robust European and international standards for financial and non-financial reporting and auditing.

For food safety, the European Commission seeks to maintain high health standards for humans, animals, and plants across the food chain. The Single Market Programme will focus on preventing, controlling, and eradicating animal diseases and plant pests, supporting sustainable food production and consumption, enhancing animal welfare, and improving the effectiveness, efficiency, and reliability of official controls. 

In supporting SMEs, the Single Market Programme will offer various forms of assistance to businesses, particularly SMEs, to enhance their competitiveness and sustainability. Specifically, it will facilitate market access, promote entrepreneurship and skill acquisition, and advance industry modernization while addressing global and societal challenges.

Calls for project proposals for actions will be published on the Funding & tender opportunities portal, providing a centralized access point for most EU grants. All proposals must be submitted electronically through this portal. It also offers information on legislation, participation rules, proposal templates, evaluations, and project reporting.

Calls for proposals will also be advertised on the websites of:

• the European Health and Digital Executive Agency
• the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency