The European Commission invited beneficiaries and applicants to complete an online survey aimed at collecting views and opinions on the results and impacts of activities and projects co-financed by the Europe for Citizens programme between 2014 and 2016 and to assess their relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, coherence and EU added value.
This public consultation is part of a process to evaluate the results achieved by the actions implemented through the Europe for Citizens programme and aims at offering to citizens and stakeholders the opportunity to share their views, ideas and analysis. It should also provide further reflection on how the programme can have a wider impact in the coming years, also in relation to other projects for citizens of the EU.
This position paper is the outcome of a joint reflection promoted by the Task Force on the Europe for Citizens Programme held by the organisations listed below within the framework of Civil Society Europe. As beneficiaries of the programme, the subscribers exchanged their multi-annual experience in partnering up with the programme and identified a set of recommendations for its improvement.
The document is divided into two parts, namely the added value of the programme and the recommendations to the European Commission about its functioning and implementation.
These contributions are all the more important in view of current discussions about budgetary control of NGO funding led by the European Parliament. It is notably reminded that the Europe for Citizens programme is unique as it is a listening exercise on civil society’s debate, as it stimulates critical thinking on the European project, its history and that of the movements and ideas that have promoted it and as it contributes to a better knowledge of the European
decision-making process.
The complete recommendations can be found here.