EU Funding opportunities for CSOs Funding for Development and Relief (FDR) working group Croatian Study Visit Lonne Poissonnier, CONCORD 23 September 2013 1
CONCORD s work on EU funding for CSOs Objectives: Ensure a conducive/coherent political environment for access to EU funds by CSOs (managed by European Commission DG DEVCO and EU Delegations) Ensure a sufficient volume of EU funding Provide a platform for CONCORD members to exchange and take collective action among European Development NGOs: inform and mobilize members Provide access to and develop analyses and expertise regarding EU institutions and policies 2
The broader picture - the MFF The Multiannual Financial Framework MFF (a.k.a. the Financial Perspectives), current MFF 2007-2013 coming to an end, now defining EU budget from 2014 until 2020 This exercise is of particular importance as it will lock-in the EU main policy priorities from 2014 for 7 years. All aspects of the EU budget are up for negotiation It is not only the EU budget and the instruments to implement it that are at stake but more broadly the EU integration process and ambitions and the future role of EU in a variety of policy areas including foreign policy, development and climate The new MFF will consist of 5 headings, including heading 4 Global Europe that holds all external action instruments MFF will shape the future of EU development assistance! 3
Current Funding instruments 4
Geographical coverage 5
New instruments 2014-2020 6
3 of the geographic programmes Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI) Proposed funding: 14 billion 19 countries in Asia and Latin America not to benefit from bilateral aid anymore Pan African programme to support the Joint Africa-EU Strategy European Development Fund (EDF) Proposed funding: 34.2bn Agreed upon: 26.9bn From 6 to 7 years programme Some countries will receive less funds than under 10th EDF Intra ACP share remains same European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) Proposed funding: 18.2 billion 16 countries covered Principle of «more for more» and mutual accountability From 29 thematic priorities to 6 objectives Bilateral, multi-country and cross border cooperation programmes Alignement to National Development Plans 3 priority sectors for EU intervention Multi-annual Indicative Programmes (MIPs) Common Implementing Rules (CIR) 7
Thematic programmes and instruments Non-State Actors/Civil Society Organisations and Local Authorities (NSA/CSO LA): focus on civil society actors and actions, open to wider range of actors in EU and developing countries. Global Public Goods and Challenges (GPGC): thematic goals: environment and climate change; sustainable energy; food security and sustainable agriculture; and migration and asylum. European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR): for actions on human rights and democracy, and support to human rights defenders. 8
Thematic programmes and instruments CSO-LA instrument DCI Regions: all third countries Proposed budget: 2 billion Complementarity to geographic funding BUT will not subsitute graduated countries Global Public Good & Challenges DCI Regions: all third countries Proposed budget: 6.3 billion Scope: human development, environment, energy, food security & agriculture, migration EC will not launch a CfP per sector anymore EC wants policy alliances with partner countries to make sustainable changes in a holistic manner EIDHR Regions: all third countries Proposed budget: 1.6 billion Facility for human rights in situation of crisis (Emergency situations) Early warning (new), temporary relocation & legal support Networking, coordination, capacity building & support to national HR institutes 9
CSO LA programme It is an 'actor-oriented' programme offering co-financing for the own activities of CSOs and LAs and support for capacity-building 3 priorities: Focus on country level Reinforcing regional and global CSO and LA networks to participate in policy dialogues. Develop and support Development Education and Awareness Raising initiatives. Essential elements: Supports actions aimed at enabling CSOs and LAs to respond to populations needs and to participate in inclusive policy-making at all levels Will support actions initiated and directly implemented by CSOs and LAs and by other actors aimed at strengthening CSOs and LAs Provides a framework to overcome CSOs and LAs constraints (capacity, operational spaces, own governance and multilevel accountability including representativity) 10
GPGC programme Thematic priorities: Environment and Climate Change: enhance the environmental sustainability dimension of development processes at all levels and to support the transformation towards a green economy in order to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth for human development within the limits of the planetary boundaries. Sustainable Energy: address the concurrent challenges presented by the legitimate demand of developing countries to access energy in order to promote their economic growth and improve the livelihoods of their people, the increasingly urgent need to cut greenhouse-gas emissions to a level which will not cause irreparable damage to the planet's climate, and energy security. Food Security and Sustainable Agriculture: improve food security for the poorest and most vulnerable by addressing global food security governance and supporting knowledge and capacity-building. Migration and Asylum: promotion of migration, mobility and asylum governance and better management of migratory flows; maximisation of the development impact of increased regional and global mobility of people, while promoting and protecting the human rights of migrants. 11
Objectives EIDHR Support for Democracy in particular through strengthening role of CSOs Promotion and defense of HR and fundamental freedoms Strengthening of the international framework for the protection of HR, rule of law and the promotion of democracy EU Election Observation Missions (independent objective) EIDHR website: www.eidhr.eu 12
Calls for Proposals system Calls for Proposals (CfP) are the main funding mechanism used by the EC for CSOs and project funding Eligibility of organisations: specific to each CfP (e.g. local and international CSOs, International Organisations, parliamentary bodies ) Normal procedure = 2 steps calls a.k.a. restricted procedure 1. Concept Note 2. Full proposal for preselected projects Global calls managed by HQs in Brussels In-country calls managed by EU Delegations 13
Calls for Proposals system 14
CONCORD s positions Administrative burden when accessing EU funding Simplify procedures High thresholds (large project proposals) make it impossible for smaller organisations to access EU funding Make use of a variety of ways to disburse funding taking into account the diverse types of CSOs Consult CSOs when developing the budget and when outlinining the programmes This would favor a clear and transparent approach of the EC and enhance accountability/ownership Ensure a more proportionate disbursement of funding to CSOs and international organisations It s a trend to disburse funding to IO s but this is not based on efficiency and results for the benefit of the poor, but rather on EC internal management 15
Thank You Questions? Contact: lonne.poissonnier@concordeurope.org 16