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Brussels, 26 June 2006Draft
Evaluation report
of the Liaison Group
with European civil society organisations and networks
This evaluation report of the Liaison Group with European civil society organisations and networks is structured as follows:
- Origin and basis for the Liaison Grouppage 2
- Support from the European Commissionpage 3
- Mandate of the Liaison Grouppage 4
- Development of the Liaison Group since its creationpage 5
Composition of the Liaison Grouppage 5
Issues covered by the Liaison Grouppage 5
Documents produced by the Liaison Grouppage 5
Promotion of inter-institutional contactspage 6
Operating rules of the Liaison Grouppage 6
- Assessment of the Liaison Grouppage 7
- Conclusions and recommendationspage 8
- Appendix 1 Facts and Figurespage 9
- Appendix 2 Operating rulespage 13
Appendix 3 Revision of the Financial Regulationpage 17
and European Commission's funding of non-governmental organisations
- Appendix 4 The future of the Lisbon Strategypage 21
1.Origin and basis for the Liaison Group
The Liaison Group with European civil society organisations and networks, its mandate and its composition were all established on the basis of the final report of the EESC's ad hoc group on Structured cooperation with European civil society organisations and networks, the so-called Bloch-Lainé report of 10 February 2004 (CESE 1498/2003 fin).
To recap, this report stipulated that:
«Within the EU institutional framework, the European Economic and Social Committee is recognised as the body representing civil society organisations, providing a forum for consultation and information and an arena in which they can air their views.»
«Clearly, however, any consultative body, whatever its status, must, under its terms of reference as laid down in the appropriate texts and declarations, make sustained efforts to discharge its remit as best it can and improve its practical performance. Such an approach is vital to its usefulness and influence. Here, as elsewhere, the Committee faces shortcomings that it has a duty and a responsibility to remedy – or at least mitigate. EESC membership does not fully reflect the diversity and ongoing development of "organised civil society". Committee members are appointed by the Council on a proposal from Member State governments and represent national organisations only. At European level, however, many civil society players, networks, associations and, in particular, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are emerging and operating effectively, but are not formally represented on the European Economic and Social Committee.»
«Thus, …, the Committee has repeatedly expressed its desire to strengthen cooperation with European civil society organisations and has purposefully sought to take additional steps in that direction. The Committee has been reinforced by the European Commission in particular which has undertaken to cooperate with the Committee to enable the latter to become an indispensable intermediary between the EU institutions and organised civil society.»
«It is essential, however, to be very clear about the Committee's motivation in this field and the objectives that it has in mind:
- the Committee is not out to "soft-soap" anyone. The intention is not to win over or curry favour with any civil society organisation that might have doubts as to the Committee's true representative nature;
- nor of course is it about the EESC proclaiming itself the sole voice of organised civil society or of trying to make the Committee a "filter" between civil society organisations and the other EU institutions.»
«Care must be taken, moreover, to ensure that the mechanism put in place does not curtail the Committee's autonomy in forming opinions or curb its freedom to take decisions. In the words of the EESC president in his work programme: "It goes without saying that it will be up to the members of the Committee ultimately to decide on the form and content of the opinions" to be adopted by the EESC even when outside players have an input through dialogue and consultation.»
«The option chosen aims to establish a mechanism – more pragmatic than institutional but nonetheless permanent – to act, not as a joint think tank, but as a liaison body and forum for political dialogue.The proposed title for this contact group is the “Liaison group with European organisations and networks”. The contact group's remit would be to ensure that the EESC has a coordinated approach vis-à-vis European civil society organisations and networks and the follow-up of joint initiatives. It should also reinforce the visibility of the EESC’s work as regards these organisations and networks.»
«More specifically, the contact group's remit would be to exchange views and information on:
–the respective priorities and work programmes, in particular with regard to the implementation of the EESC’s semi-annual work programme and the respective work programmes of European civil society organisations and networks represented within the contact group;
–any other important topic of mutual concern.»
«This body might have a fixed membership made up as follows:
–from the EESC: a fixed ten-member delegation: the president; the three group presidents and the six section presidents;
–from European organisations and networks: the idea would be secure as broad a representation as possible of the various sectors of organised civil society based on existing networks (the economy and the world of work, development issues, education and culture, human rights, charity work etc.) These representatives – of which there should, in principle, be no more than around twenty – would be appointed by coordination bodies selected by the organisations in question.»
«This arrangement would be put in place on an experimental basis for a period of, say, two years. After that, an assessment would be made of the group's relevance and its possible avenues for development, without pre-empting what these might be.»
2.Support from the European Commission
The protocol of cooperation between the European Commission and the European Economic and Social Committee of 24September 2001 stipulated that:
«The Commission welcomes the moves by the Economic and Social Committee to involve organised civil society more closely so that, in the context of establishing new forms of governance, the Committee, in particular by developing a balanced approach which is in the general interest, can play its role fully and efficiently as intermediary between the EU institutions and organised civil society, …»
Whereas the new protocol of cooperation, signed on 7November 2005, stated that:
“… Pursuant to the Treaty, the Committee shall play a role of institutional intermediary between the institutions of the Union and organised civil society. The Commission and the Committee shall cooperate in order to better involve organised civil society in the processes of policy framing and preparation of Community legislation, and in their implementation, in order to foster greater involvement and participation by civil society in the European project at every level.”
“In this context, it shall also support the Committee’s commitment to the establishment over the long term of closer, structured dialogue with organised civil society, particularly by way of the Liaison Group that it has created.”
3.Mandate of the Liaison Group
Under the proposals set out in the Bloch-Lainé Report, the Liaison Group's mandate covers the following areas:
«1. Exchange of information and views on the respective work programmes and important events;
2. Identifying themes on which cooperation would be appropriate and possible;
3. Examining the feasibility of and practical arrangements for an increased involvement of the networks in the EESC’s consultative work;
4. Consultation or cooperation on preparations for certain hearings, seminars, conferences, etc.;
5. Studying any other matters of common interest, e.g. in the context of dialogue with the EU institutions, such as:
the role of organised civil society in the democratic life of the Union;
interpretation and implementation of Article I-47 of the draft constitutional treaty on the principle of participatory democracy: how to put participatory democracy into practice and how to organise civil dialogue;
the representativeness of civil society organisations other than the social partners;
funding of NGOs.
«(The Liaison Group's) remit would be to ensure that the EESC has a coordinated approach vis-à-vis European civil society organisations and networks and the follow-up of joint initiatives. It should also reinforce the visibility of the EESC’s work as regards these organisations and networks.»
4.Development of Liaison Group since its creation
(for more information see Appendix 1: Facts and Figures)
Composition du Groupe de Liaison
When the Group was set up in September 2004, the following 12 sectors of European level organised civil society were represented within the Liaison Group: development, youth, gender equality, education and training, family life, promotion of the European idea, consumer affairs, social service providers, the cooperative movement, health insurance and social protection, culture and the arts as well as European citizenship.
Today, this number has risen to 14, following the addition of sectors on the protection and integration of disabled persons and rural development. Six European organisations enjoy official observer status, whilst others are still awaiting a decision regarding their application to participate with full rights. Other applications will be examined once the assessment of the Liaison Group has been completed.
Issues covered by the Liaison Group
The Liaison Group has discussed the following principal themes at the nine meetings held since its creation i.e. from September 2004 to May 2006:
- prospects for strengthening the dialogue between European civil society organisations and the Commission in the light of the Constitutional Treaty;
- the European Communication Strategy;
- financing for European civil society organisations and networks;
- the Financial Regulation of the European Communities and the grant making procedures;
- the Lisbon Strategy;
- the Commission's contribution to the period of reflection and beyond: Plan D for Democracy, Dialogue and Debate;
- the draft European initiative on transparency;
- the statute for a European association and European mutual society;
- the relations between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and civil society organisations.
Documents produced by the Liaison Group
The Liaison Group has produced two written contributions. In preparing these documents, the Liaison Group decided to appoint two rapporteurs; one EESC representative and one representative of European civil society organisations and networks, both of whom were assisted by an expert of their choosing. The draft contribution was then submitted for approval by the whole of the Liaison Group, to be adopted on the basis of a consensus at a later date.
The two documents prepared were:
1.The revision of the Financial Regulation and European Commission's funding of non-governmental organisations (adopted at the meeting of 13 May 2005)
This contribution was submitted to the European Commission, represented by Ms Margot Wallström, on 26 May 2005, and was subsequently published during a hearing of the European Parliament on 1 June 2005. Several of the concerns expressed by the Liaison Group in this contribution were included by the Committee in its opinion of 26 October 2005 on the Revision of the Financial Regulation.
- The future of the Lisbon Strategy (adopted at the meeting of 6 December 2005)
This contribution was included in the summary report on the work of the national economic and social councils and other partner organisations on the implementation of the Lisbon Strategy at national level, a report that was prepared on the basis of the mandate of the European Council of 22 and 23 March 2005. It also provided a basis for discussion at the Lisbon Strategy conference held in Budapest in March 2006, which was organised jointly by the EESC and the Hungarian ESC.
A third contribution from the Liaison Group, on the Statute for a European Association is in the process of being finalised. This contribution will aim to add to the reflection and work under way on this matter within the EESC.
Promotion of inter-institutional contacts by the Liaison Group
The work of the Liaison Group has led to a significant amount of interest on the part of the European Commission, which has been represented at all Liaison Group meetings (for more information, see Appendix 1).
Operating rules of the Liaison Group
The Liaison Group drew up a set of Rules of Procedure, which was adopted, and subsequently once amended, by consensus (see Appendix 2 Operating rules) to ensure the correct functioning and transparency of procedures.
5.Assessment of the Liaison Group
The assessment of the evolution of the Liaison Group with European civil society organisations and networks, which rests on the texts and assessment criteria outlined below, is based on the following seven criteria:
a)Interest of European civil society organisations and networks in the existence and work of the Liaison Group
The evolution both in the makeup of the Liaison Group and in the numbers and quality of the organisations that have applied to become members (and which are still waiting for a response) during its 20 months of existence clearly demonstrates the intense and sustained interest of European civil society organisations and networks in the existence and work of the Liaison Group.
b)Representativeness of the member civil society organisations and networks of the Liaison Group
La représentation desorganisations et réseaux européens de la société civile au sein du Groupe de Liaison est déjà très large (voir Annexe 1) et le sera encore plus lorsque les nombreuses demandes actuellement en attente auront été traitées. Dans ce contexte et vu l’intérêt immense manifesté par les organisations actives dans certains secteurs de devenir membre du Groupe de Liaison, il se posera même un problème de double représentation qui devra, le moment venu être résolu.
c)Climate of mutual trust in the Liaison Group
Several meetings and a certain amount of shared practical work within the Liaison Group were needed before the suspicions harboured by certain representatives of European civil society organisations and networks regarding the EESC were overcome, particularly the fear that the latter would use the Liaison Group to carry out its own agenda or to monopolise the relations between organised civil society and the institutions of the European Union. Since mutual understanding has now considerably improved, these fears have faded away. Yet it is still true that certain methods of operation require some fine-tuning.
d)Spirit of cooperation within the Liaison
Given that the Liaison Group has always selected areas of work of common concern and pursued objectives that interest both partners in a balanced way, the spirit of cooperation during the substantive discussions and when preparing documents has been second to none.
e)Expertise of the representatives of European civil society organisations and networks
Given their responsibilities within their own organisations, their experience of working with the institutions as well as their own personal know-how that they can bring to the table, there is little doubt that the representatives of European civil society organisations and networks possess remarkable expertise in the various areas covered by the Liaison Group – and that the joint work of the group directly benefits as a result. This, in turn, leads to the high quality of the documents produced by the Liaison Group.
f)Added value of the Liaison Group for the EESC
The first 20 months of the Liaison Group's operations have clearly shown that the group's work represents a highly valuable contribution to the EESC's activity, both in terms of its substance and its quality, and has helped strengthen the implementation of the EESC's mandate. Equally, the structured dialogue with the representatives of European civil society organisations and networks within the Liaison Group has created a positive new feature in the relations within civil society itself. Moreover, the very existence of the Liaison Group and its written contributions have also significantly raised the profile of the EESC as a whole.
g)Credibility of the Liaison Group and its work
The above comments show that the formation of a Liaison Group with European civil society organisations and networks was fully justified and that the evolution of the Group itself has led to very satisfying and encouraging results. As a result, the Liaison Group's has achieved a high degree of credibility.
6.Conclusion and recommendation
Having carried out an objective assessment of the Liaison Group's evolution since its creation and of the importance and quality of its work, we recognise the significant added value of this body within the European Economic and Social Committee as well as its future potential, which has yet to be fully used or implemented. Based on agreement between its two partners, the European Economic and Social Committee and the representatives of European civil society organisations and networks, and a medium term working programme, the sound cooperation between the two parties can be developed still further and continue to grow in significance for them both.