At a time when citizens are expressing an ever growing distrust in EU Institutions and policies, and in spite of the widely propagated ideas (by the EU Institutions) that the EU has citizens at its heart and that civil society is valued as a crucial partner, the European Council seems to be expressing an opposing view.
The EU supports citizens by co-funding civil society organisations’ general budgets and specific projects through the ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme. These activities and programmes take the form of transnational partnerships, European civil society networks, citizens’ events, town twinning projects, and remembrance initiatives.
The European Commission has already proposed a 5% reduction for the ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme in the 2014 – 2020 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Civil society organisations had agreed not to oppose this proposal in acknowledgement of increasingly limited resources during this difficult economic period. However, at the European summit in March 2013, the Heads of State and National Governments demanded even greater cuts, amounting to a reduction of 23% over the next seven years. This leaves a budget of 164m euros for the 2014 – 2020 period, as compared to around 210m euros between 2007 – 2013. In other words, current proposals call for a reduction of 7m euros per annum, stripped from an already limited annual budget of 30m euros.
We, the undersigned, find it unacceptable that while the EU celebrates the European Year of Citizens in 2013 (with the lowest ever dedicated budget for a European Year), the Council proposes to deny the ‘Europe for Citizens programme’ almost one quarter of its already extremely small budget. This, in our opinion, is a counterproductive response to budgetary challenges. It brings into question the future capacities of civil society organisations – the European actors closest to the citizens, thanks to the involvement and representation of citizens’ views and aspirations – to continue to work in partnership with the EU institutions and other stakeholders to pursue the European building process so that it fully meets the expectations of the people of the European Union for a stronger, more cohesive Europe.
A properly funded ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme in the 2014 – 2020 MFF would serve to properly recognise and support the role that civil society organisations play in the construction of the European project as envisaged in article 11 of the Lisbon Treaty.
We reaffirm together the need for a well-financed ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme, properly monitored and implemented with respect to good governance, transparency regulations and frameworks. We further ask the Council to reverse the proposed budget reductions. We also call for further implementation of this principle in other EU programmes enabling organised civil society to have a voice in the decisions affecting EU citizens.
Finally, we urge all civil society organisations to raise this issue with their national governments and Members of the European Parliament, especially those who sit on the European Parliament budget committee. The respective positions taken by both the Council and Parliament on this matter should be made known to the citizens of Europe, and visibility given to the extent to which citizens are truly deemed to be at the heart of Europe.
Signatories:
European Network:
AEDH – European Association for the Defense of Human Rights
ALDA – Association of Local Democracy Agencies
ATD Fourth World
BCSDN – Balkan Civil Society Development Network
CEE-CN – Central and Easter European Citizens Network
CEV – European Volunteer Center
CIVILSCAPE
EAPN – European Anti Poverty Network
EASPD – European Association of Service Providers for persons with Disabilities
EAVI – European Association for Viewers Interests
ECAS – European Citizen Action Service
ECF – European Civic Forum
ECICW – European Centre of the International Council of Women
ECON – European Community Organizing Network
ECRE – European Council on Refugees and Exiles
EDF–FEPH – European Disability Forum
EFOMW – European Forum of Muslim Women
EFC – European Foundation Center
EMI – European Movement International
ENNA – European Network of National Civil Society Associations
EPC – European Policy Centre
ERIO – European Roma Information Office
ETTW – Europeans Throughout The World
ETUCE – European Trade Union Committee for Education
EuCDN – European Community Development Network
EUCEN – European Universities Continuing Education Network
EUCIS-LLL – European Civil Society Platform on Lifelong Learning
EUNET – European Network for Education and Training
EUROCHILD
EUROCLIO, the European Association of History Educators
European Alternatives
European Youth Forum
ICLS – Intercultural Communication and Leadership School
IF – International Federation for Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus
KI – Kolping International
LUDEN – Local Urban Development European Network
SCI – Service Civil International
SMES – Europa
Social Platform
SOLIDAR
SVI – Service Volontaire International
Volonteurope
WOSM – World Organisation of Scout Movement
JEF – Young European Federalists
National Organizations:
Aliança Global (Portugal)
American Romanian Sister Cities Council (Romania)
Ance (Greece)
Animafac (France)
ANO pro Evropu (Czech Republic)
APD – Asociatia Pro Democratia (Romania)
ARCI – Associazione Ricreativa e Culturale Italiana (Italy)
Association Jean Monnet (France)
AVPO – Association of Public Benefit Organizations CR (Czech Republic)
Children’s Forum of Latvia (Latvia)
CIPSI – Coordinamento di Iniziative Popolari di Solidarietà Internazionale (Italy)
City of Kragujevac (Serbia)
CNVOS – Center za informiranje, sodelovanje in razvoj nevladnih organizacij (Slovenia)
Consorzio di Cooperative sociali Onlus (Italy)
Consorzio per lo Sviluppo del Polesine (Italy)
CRCD – Center for Research Cooperation and Development (Albania)
CSV – Community Service Volunteers (United Kingdom)
EAB – European Academy Berlin (Germany)
ELA – European Latvians Association (Latvia)
EPA – European Parents’ Association (Hungary)
European Movement – Latvia (Latvia)
ESFC – European Social Forum Cyprus (Cyprus)
FACM – Forum Algérien pour la Citoyenneté et la Modernité (Algeria)
Fundación CIVES (Spain)
GAI – Gruppi Archeologici d’Italia (Italy)
Gemeinsam leben & lernen in Europa (Germany)
Horizont Ngo (Albania)
Hungarian Platform for European Integration and Civil Dialogue (Hungary)
InSoc – Initiative for Social Change (Republic of Macedonia)
IPCP – International Platform For Citizen Participation (Bulgaria)
IUC-Europe – International Education Center (Denmark)
Kansalaisareena ry (Finland)
LDA Albania (Albania)
LDA Montenegro (Montenegro)
LDH – Ligue des droits de l’Homme (France)
LPS – Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments (Latvia)
LSK – Latvian Red Cross-Alūksne (Latvia)
NCW – National Council of Women Malta (Malta)
NGO “Terra-1530” (Moldova)
NIOK Alapítvány (Hungary)
NISC – Non-Governmental Organizations’ Information and Support Centre (Lithuania)
OFOP – Ogólnopolska Federacja Organizacji Pozarządowych (Poland)
Prahova County Council (Romania)
PRO.DO.C.S – Progetto Domani: Cultura e Solidarietà (Italy)
PROVIDUS (Latvia)
PVCC – Pan Cyprian Volunteerism Coordinative Council (Cyprus)
SEGA – Coalition of youth organizations (Republic of Macedonia)
UNIFERO – International Union of Romanian Women for Women (Romania)
UNISCO – Network per lo sviluppo locale (Italy)
Women’s NGOs Cooperation Network of Latvia (Latvia)
ZKGO – Zamenik generalnog sekretara (Serbia)