For best results, make your search specific, i.e. fill in as many of the search fields as possible.
Select one or more options from the filter menu (year, programme name, country, responsible department, etc.) or enter the beneficiary's name or VAT number.
While inputting data in the “Name of beneficiary” field, the system will automatically display a list of beneficiaries that most closely correspond to the search criteria you typed. If the beneficiary you are searching for is not displayed on the list, you can also use the “VAT number of beneficiary” field.
Adding search criteria can be also done by using the “Smart search” button.
Year
The year in which the amount awarded to the beneficiary is booked in the budget (in the form of a committed
amount). The commitment comes after the awarding decision and implies booking in the Commission budget
accounts the total amount awarded, which is then paid out on the basis of a legal agreement, usually in
different instalments (for more details on commitments and payments, see our FAQ page).
Programme name
The bulk of funding provided by the European Commission is done through programmes (such as 7th Research
Framework Programme, Galileo, Life+, etc.). These programmes correspond to the Multiannual Financial Framework
2014-2020. Other forms of funding include grants to European agencies, pilot projects, preparatory actions,
etc.
Subject of a grant or contract
General information on the nature and purpose of the expenditure, when available.
Budget
Allows you to select select the source of the funding - the EU budget or the European Development Fund.
Country
Gives you a list of countries/territories to select from. The filter includes some territories which are
part of the EU (mainly France), but are displayed on the graphs in yellow color under "Non-EU" because
of the international (SWIFT) code used for financial transfers to relevant beneficiaries. SWIFT codes are
linked to addresses and so differ from the EU country they are a part of (e.g. Martinique and France).
Name of beneficiary
The name given by the beneficiary in documents submitted to the Commission. Since this is a legal name it may
differ from the name known to the general public. Moreover, certain organisations are registered in different
countries (for example in the case of cooperation with national subsidiaries), possibly with variations in
their name, each of which is a different beneficiary in the eyes of the Commission. Searches based only on the
usual name of a beneficiary may therefore yield only partial results, so please test different variations of
the usual name. In addition, there should be no information published for beneficiaries of public procurement
contracts lower than EUR 15 000.
VAT number of beneficiary
This is the VAT number identifying the beneficiary. Please note that the VAT number is not available for all
beneficiaries.
Beneficiary Type
Indicates the account group to which the beneficiary belongs to. You can search for Non-governmental
organizations (NGO) and Not-for-profit organizations (NFPO). In the absence of a universally applied definition
of NGO, the Commission considers as NGO any non-profit, non-public law body (NFPO) independent of public
authorities, political parties and commercial organisations. The NGO information that the Commission has available
is based on self-declarations by entities receiving funding from EU funds through grant agreements or contracts
directly managed by the Commission. These self-declarations are mainly requested for statistical purposes and are
not subject to a general validation by Commission services. However, the non-profit status of an entity (NFPO),
that is practically an essential element of an NGO, is subject to validation as this criterion can be objectively
assessed through the non-profit making legal form of the entity.
Funding Type
Information was previously published in two categories: Grants and Public procurement including other
expenditure. That last funding type, published as of the year 2011, has been replaced by Public procurement
(including provisional commitments) and four others, allowing for a more detailed search.
Project status
Information indicating if the project of your interest is ongoing or was completed.
Responsible Department
Grants and procurements are administered by Commission departments (“Directorates General” or DGs) in charge of
implementing policies & EU-funded programmes. The name of the DG can help you identify a policy area. However,
grants and procurements in certain areas are managed by more than one DG (for example “research” grants,
managed not only by DG Research, but also by DG Connect (formerly Information Society), DG Enterprise, etc.)
and that one DG may manage funds in more than one area. The names of departments may also change over time, as
a result of internal reorganisation.
Budget line name or number
The EU budget is structured around titles (two digits: TT), chapters (four digits: TT.CC), articles (six
digits: TT.CC.AA) and posts (eight digits: TT.CC.AA.PP). If you know the exact budget line number, you can
search by entering the 2, 4, 6 or 8 digit code. Example: If you enter the code 01 02 04, you will see a list with
all beneficiaries under the article “Protecting euro banknotes and coins against counterfeiting and releted fraud”.
Type of contract
The type of contract information presented is of general nature only, as there can be several types embedded in the
same contract. This category is not intended to be used for any legal or professional purposes. The information is
not available / not collected for contracts residing in the legacy contracts management system.
This guide will help you to easily navigate through the FTS website and make use of its interactive functionalities. It will show you how to search, filter and extract your own statistics and analyses on countries, regions, beneficiaries, programmes and even individual projects.
Search results can be downloaded at any time in Excel form by clicking on the “Export” button on the top right side of graphs or tables. Please note that due to limitations the number of exported cells is limited to 1 000 000. You are therefore advised to refine your search. You can also download the complete set of data in .xlxs format from the EU budget centrally administered by the Commission (“EU budget”) and the European Development Fund (FEDF) and process it by using any data-processing software. After you click on the "Download the selected dataset" button please wait until the file is generated and can be downloaded.
