BCSDN Mid-term Strategy 2012-2014: Priority 3
Establishing Structured Dialogue Between Civil Society in the Balkans, National and EU Institutions
Even if there is an existing dialogue among the structures at the European level (meaning esp. DG Enlargement), these mechanism is either not used or there is a lack of genuine involvement of the local civil society. The EC Minimum Standards of Consultations are not applied when it comes to inclusion of local civil society in preparation of Progress Reports and of IPA Programming, as well as regarding the tools such as Your Voice in Europe. The Joint Consultative Committees rarely involve CSOs and are hampered by the lack of financing of the participation and the pooling of expertise. The EC level consultations, as well as consultations with EUD rarely result in continuous dialogue, exchange and feedback on the civil society input. Additionally, local civil society networks are poorly represented in IPA CSF/TACSO Programming Committee, while an effective inclusion of civil society in IPA programming structures at national level (sectoral monitoring committees) is still lacking. The Civil society is rarely involved in donor coordination mechanisms and in development of priorities for support by donors. Furthermore, the Civil society lacks capacity and knowledge about the functioning of the EU institutions and about how to effectively engage in advocacy with them. The new IPA regulation, developed and adopted at the end of 2012 and followed by the Implementing Rules (which, among other, define the requirements on stakeholder consultations), is a strategic advocacy window for lobbying for improvements of the dialogue and the consultation process with civil society actors in the EU accession process, both under current IPA CSF, the future IPA II instrument and the Structural Funds.
The Strategic choice/approach consists of advocacy for effective participation at existing structures for dialogue and programming, both at European and national level under current and future IPA and Structural Funds.
The Expected results are:
• Increased number of local CSO representatives in the existing structures;
• Increased use of existing tools by Commission services and other EU institutions;
• Increased number of cases institutions take on board and feedbacks to suggestions/comments by civil society.
Here you can download the Nid-term Strategy, document and presentation.