Promoting an EU-funded project – the beneficiary's information obligations in the 2021-2027 perspective

The beneficiary of a project co-financed from the European Funds is obliged to inform the public and project participants about the support obtained from the EU. The information obligations arise directly from Article 50 of Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council and from the grant agreement, and include, among other things, marking project documents and materials with the set of logos (the European Funds logo, the sign in the colours of the Republic of Poland, the European Union emblem), displaying a poster or information board, providing information about the project on the website and in social media, and informing participants about the funding.

Failure to fulfil these obligations may result in a reduction in funding – where basic information and promotion activities are neglected, by as much as 3% of the support awarded.

Below we present a practical guide to all of the beneficiary's information obligations in the 2021-2027 perspective.

Legal basis for the beneficiary's information obligations

The beneficiary's information and promotion activities are not voluntary – they are an integral part of project implementation and are subject to audit on an equal footing with other contractual obligations. They are governed by several acts and documents of different legal standing:

• Regulation (EU) 2021/1060 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 24 June 2021 (the so-called Common Provisions Regulation) – Article 47, Article 50 and Annex IX, which set out the minimum requirements for the visibility of support from EU funds;
• “Handbook for applicants and beneficiaries of European Funds for 2021-2027 on information and promotion” prepared by the Ministry of Funds and Regional Policy – an operational document specifying how the obligations are to be fulfilled (the update of 24 March 2025 applies);
• The project grant agreement – contains individual provisions on the scope of information activities and sanctions for failure to carry them out;
• Guidelines of the programme's managing authority (e.g. for FENG, FEnIKS, FERS, FEPW or regional programmes).

In practice, this means that the beneficiary must meet both the minimum arising from EU law and the more detailed national and programme requirements. The full text of the current Handbook is available on the European Funds Portal.

From when and until when do the information and promotion requirements apply?

The beneficiary's information obligations begin when funding is obtained – i.e. when the grant agreement is signed or the funding decision is issued – and last until the end of project implementation and, for projects subject to a durability period, until the end of that period as specified in the agreement.

Two practical conclusions follow from this rule:

• There is no obligation to mark “retroactively” documents or activities carried out before the agreement was signed. This also applies where the project was started before funding was obtained – the marking obligation arises only once the agreement has been concluded.
• The set of EU logos must not be used “in advance”, i.e. before funding has been obtained. Using the European Funds logos for promotional purposes before signing the agreement constitutes unauthorised use of the markings.

The set of logos – basic project marking

Every project material – document, poster, board, presentation, website, social media post – must bear the so-called set of logos. The standard set comprises:

• the European Funds logo (with the name of the relevant programme),
• the sign in the colours of the Republic of Poland,
• the European Union emblem (with a reference to the relevant fund, e.g. ERDF, ESF+, JTF).

For projects implemented under regional programmes, the voivodeship coat of arms or its official promotional logo is also added to the set. The order and proportions of the logos are strictly defined in the Handbook – the beneficiary is not free to modify, crop or recolour them.

Technical rules for using the set of logos

• The logos must be placed legibly and must not be obscured by other graphic elements.
• The background on which the logos are placed must provide contrast (a white or light background is preferred).
• A so-called exclusion zone (minimum margin) is kept around the set of logos.
• Monochrome versions are permitted only where technically justified (e.g. embossing, engraving).

Information poster – a mandatory element of promotion

Regardless of the value of the project, a beneficiary implementing a venture co-financed by the EU is obliged to display in a visible place a poster of at least A3 format or an equivalent electronic display with information about the project. The poster should:

• contain the set of logos, the project title, a short description of the project objective and information about EU funding,
• be placed where it is clearly visible to project recipients and participants (e.g. at the entrance to the premises, at reception, in the training room),
• remain on display throughout the project implementation period.

An exception applies to projects aimed at people in difficult situations – where displaying the poster could expose participants to stigmatisation (e.g. support centres), the current version of the Handbook from March 2025 allows the poster not to be placed in the immediate surroundings of the recipients.

Information board and commemorative plaque – when are they mandatory?

The obligation to display an information board and a commemorative plaque applies to projects with specific characteristics and value. In accordance with Article 50 of Regulation 2021/1060 and the Handbook:

• an information board is mandatory in projects involving construction or infrastructure works, physical investments or the purchase of equipment, when the total cost of the project exceeds EUR 500,000,
• a commemorative plaque replaces the information board after project implementation has been completed and remains in place throughout the durability period,
• the minimum size of the information board and commemorative plaque is 80 × 120 cm (the dimensions of a Euro pallet),
• for significant infrastructure and construction investments (e.g. road, rail, telecommunications, transmission or municipal infrastructure), the recommended board area is at least 6 m² (e.g. 240 × 120 cm),
• if the project involves only the purchase of equipment, the permitted board size is 80 × 40 cm.

The board must not contain any additional graphic elements or logos of the beneficiary, partners or contractors. It should be installed promptly after the start of physical implementation of the project or installation of the equipment, no later than the date specified in the grant agreement (usually two months from signing the agreement).

The beneficiary's website and social media

A beneficiary that has a website or a social media account is obliged to publish information about the project being implemented there. The scope of information includes:

• the project title,
• a short description of the objectives and planned results,
• the project value and the amount of funding from the European Funds,
• the set of graphic logos.

The March 2024 update of the Handbook abolished the obligation to use hashtags on static websites. Hashtags (#FunduszeUE, #FunduszeEuropejskie and the hashtag of the relevant programme) nevertheless remain mandatory in social media.

An incorrectly constructed social media post or missing information about the project on the company website is one of the elements most frequently challenged during audits.

Informing project participants and recipients

Every person participating in the project (e.g. training, advisory support, internship) or benefiting from its results must be informed that the project is co-financed by the European Funds. In practice, this is done by:

• marking all documents given to participants (contracts, attestations, training materials, certificates) with the set of logos,
• providing oral or written information on the source of funding at the beginning of each project event,
• marking the rooms in which project activities take place,
• including information about the funding on the recruitment page and in application forms.

Documentation of information and promotion activities

The fulfilment of information obligations must be documented. The beneficiary should collect evidence confirming that the activities have been carried out, as this is what is assessed during audits and the verification of payment claims. The standard scope of documentation includes:

• photos of boards, posters and marked rooms and premises (with a visible date or in a context that allows it to be established),
• screenshots of the website and social media posts,
• copies of marked documents (sample contracts, certificates, attendance lists),
• press materials, publications and recordings, if produced,
• an archive of the graphic files used in communication.

The documentation must be kept throughout the project implementation period and the durability period, in accordance with the document retention requirements set out in the grant agreement.

Consequences of failing to fulfil information obligations

Failure to fulfil information and promotion obligations is not treated as a formal shortcoming, but as a breach of the grant agreement. The procedure when irregularities are found usually has two stages:

• First, the managing authority or intermediate body calls on the beneficiary to take remedial action within a set deadline (adding markings, publishing information, installing a missing board).
• If there is no response or the breaches are repeated, the funding is reduced. For basic information obligations, the reduction may amount to up to 3% of the funding amount, and in extreme cases, for shortcomings classified as material, the sanction may be higher in accordance with the tariff applied by the managing authority.

From a project risk management perspective, it is worth remembering that even a 1% reduction in a project worth several million zlotys means a tangible financial loss. Professional grant advisory services also include support in meeting information obligations, as errors in this area occur relatively often and are easy to avoid with proper preparation.

The most common beneficiary mistakes in project promotion

Consultants' experience shows that mistakes in information and promotion recur regardless of the programme and the size of the beneficiary. The most common include:

• using outdated logos or sets of logos from the previous financial perspective (2014-2020),
• modifying the proportions, colours or composition of the logos,
• no set of logos in the footer of project documents (staff contracts, invoices, attendance lists),
• no information poster at the beneficiary's premises, or placing it where recipients cannot see it,
• no information about the project on the beneficiary's website, or placing it where it is hard for users to find,
• no hashtags in social media posts about the project,
• installing the information board with a delay exceeding the deadlines set out in the Handbook,
• insufficient photographic documentation of information activities.

Planning information activities already at the grant application stage

Effective fulfilment of information obligations begins before the agreement is signed. Already at the grant application stage, it is worth:

• planning a budget for information activities (boards, posters, graphic materials),
• designating a person in the project team responsible for information and promotion activities,
• including activities beyond the mandatory ones (e.g. conferences, publications, online campaigns) if they may affect the application's score,
• checking whether the specific nature of the project requires additional forms of promotion indicated in the call rules.

If you have doubts about the scope of information obligations in a specific programme or call, we recommend contact with an expert, who will help you adapt the action plan to the requirements of the managing authority.

Current sources of information and document templates

The beneficiary should use only official sources containing current versions of programme documents and graphic packages. The most important are:

• the portal www.funduszeeuropejskie.gov.pl – the “Promocja Funduszy Europejskich” (Promotion of European Funds) section contains the current version of the Handbook, templates of boards and posters, and graphic files with the logos,
• the websites of the individual managing authorities of national programmes (PARP, BGK, NCBR, ARiMR) and of regional programmes,
• the portal Mapa Dotacji UE (EU Grants Map) – in some programmes, its address is a mandatory element of the information board.

Before printing a board, designing a poster or publishing promotional material, it is worth checking each time that you are using the latest version of the Handbook – the document is updated periodically (latest update: 24 March 2025).

Summary – information obligations in an EU project in a nutshell

Fulfilling information and promotion obligations in a project co-financed by the European Funds is not complicated if it is planned systematically. The key points every beneficiary should remember are:

• the obligations arise from the grant agreement and the MFiPR Handbook, and breaching them may result in a reduction in funding,
• information activities must be carried out from the signing of the agreement until the end of the project durability period,
• the minimum includes: the set of logos, an information poster, information on the website and in social media, and informing participants,
• an information board and a commemorative plaque are mandatory for infrastructure and investment projects above EUR 500,000,
• every information activity must be documented, and the documentation kept throughout the implementation and durability periods of the project.

If you are planning to apply for funding or are implementing a project and have doubts about the scope of information obligations, it is worth verifying the programme requirements and the current guidelines of the managing authority in advance.Contact an expert