With the aim to contribute for further improvement of the programming of IPA assistance to civil society, BCSDN has prepared comments and recommendations on the Multi-Country 2014-2015 IPA Civil Society Facility and Media Action document. Our comments are based on the policy workshop on Aid Modalities for CS support under the new IPA 2014-2020 held in Brussels in September 2013, and the findings from the Regional Report under the Monitoring Matrix for Enabling Environment for CSDev.
The Action Document can be commended for incorporating the CS Guidelines and aiming at creating result oriented assistance.
BCSDN’s recommendation is the Action Document to clearly imply that the planned support will also be directed towards supporting the development of civil society and achieving the objective set with the Enlargement Strategy 2013-2014 which states “empowerment of civil society as an asset in itself, contributing to building more accountable and legitimate states, enhanced social cohesion and more open and deeper democracies”.
Our additional recommendations are aimed to serve to the EC as suggestions in setting the objectives of the individual calls for proposals and in forming the modalities for support. They are driven from the findings of the extensive regional monitoring on the enabling environment for CS development, as well as the experience and lessons learned of other donors and relevant CS representatives.
You can view the full comments and recommendations here.