How to engage the EU on development business: A primer

“Dialogue” is a word on everyone’s lips in Brussels these days. There is no European Union institution, commission’s directorate-general or consultative body that has not officially recognized the role played by civil society in the participatory decision-making process; and there is no EU institution that has not established dialogue tools and channels to involve civil society and non-governmental organizations in the policy arena. This multitude of options for dialogue, while dizzying, represents a concerted effort on the part of the EU to engage civil society in its decision-making processes. The options, which range from engagement with traditional bodies, such as the European Parliament, to more non-traditional mechanisms such as virtual communities, present opportunities for civil society organizations to influence EU decisions. To date, some of these avenues for dialogue have been more successful than others. According to Gemma Pinol Puig, an officer at the European Centre for Development Policy Management, for instance, notes that the “Structured Dialogue,” launched last year, “can be considered a unique and genuine process that, for the first time, brought EU institutions,” member states, local authorities and civil society organizations from European and partner countries “to talk openly about key issues and responsibilities in development cooperation.” In 2010 the Concord Cotonou Working Group identified bottlenecks in EU dialogue initiatives, noting a lack of transparency and access to information relating to the “consultation process available on delegations’ websites or HQ website.” The dialogue with EU staff in country offices, which is crucial to the EU’S devolution of decision-making in its international development work, is still not properly structured, the group noted. “In many places the dialogue with civil society is taking place ‘ad hoc’ and/or when instructions arrive from HQs.” Still, such avenues for engagement can open doors and deepen connections between civil society and the EU bodies. Devex mapped out the possibilities for engagement. Civil Society Helpdesk’s Structured Dialogue The Structured Dialogue, which falls under the rubric of the Directorate-General EuropeAid Development and Cooperation’s Civil Society Helpdesk, seeks “to bring on board all relevant stakeholders involved in EC development cooperation.” According to the European Commission, the help desk wants to be a “one-stop shop” for all the information useful for civil society, such as procedures and EC working methods. The Structured Dialogue, in particular, is where the commission and stakeholders can engage in dialogue and debate: “It aims at increasing effectiveness of CSOs and [local authorities] by building consensus on the role to be played by CSOs and LAs, finding ways to improve effectiveness and exploring ways to adapt EC programmes.” The Structured Dialogue is organized in working groups, supported by a blog and seminars. Capacity4dev Capacity4dev is an interactive platform that was established in 2009 to discuss the EU’s reform of technical cooperation. It is now a forum addressing several issues from aid effectiveness to aid procedures, agriculture, health, macroeconomics and evaluation. The platform is open to commission staff, donors, academics and civil society representatives. In addition to publishing a magazine that updates readers on EuropeAid’s work, it consists of discussion groups and areas of debate. After registering with Capacity4dev, users can access “collaboration spaces” to engage in dialogue with professionals and EC officers. An editorial team supports users in writing and uploading contributions as well as in moderating groups. European External Action Service and delegations The European External Action Service, officially launched in December 2010, plays a significant role in EU development work. It does not provide tools for the involvement of civil society in the overall foreign policy debate yet; dialogue with NGOs and CSOs is primarily a duty of its country delegations. The EU has approximately 130 delegations and offices around the world. Since a pillar of EuropeAid’s strategy is the devolution of tasks and powers to the delegations, which in turn are overseen by EEAS and its head, the EU high representative for foreign policy, it is crucial for NGOs and CSOs to strengthen their relationships with the EU’s country offices, contacting EU staff in charge with development and participating in the activities they organize. Each delegation has developed particular strategies. In Afghanistan, as well as in Yemen, for example, the delegation holds consultations with civil society. Meetings are also regularly organized in the context of EU-Latin American relations. The EU also holds regular dialogue on human rights, primarily through seminars, involving civil society organizations on the margins of multilateral institutional meetings. The EU – Africa partnership Since the first steps of the EU-Africa partnership, civil society has been involved at various levels through European Union and African Union consultations, through the Civil Society Forum and other informal mechanisms. Civil society organizations can contribute to the monitoring and implementation of the EU-Africa partnership Action Plan – the second one was approved during the Africa-EU summit in Tripoli last November. On the African side, the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council, or ECOSOC, with the African Union’s Citizens Directorate, is the reference point for African civil society, while in Europe it is the European Economic and Social Committee. In these bodies, steering committees of civil society for the Joint EU-African Strategy have been established. Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Representatives of civil society organizations from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, together with organizations from EU member states, can participate to the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, which was established within the framework of the European Neighborhood Policy. It is organized in working groups and supported by a steering committee and is open to grassroots organizations, trade unions, think tanks, employers’ organizations, professional associations, NGOs, nonprofit foundations, national and international CSOs and networks, and other relevant CSOs across the Eastern Partnership countries and EU member states. Consultations The European Commission regularly launches consultations on different policy issues including public health, humanitarian aid and competition. Representatives of civil society organizations can register online to participate in the consultation process. Representatives of the European Commission In each member state, the European Union has representatives that are not only the voice of the commission in the member states, but also the gateways to the commission for organizations and citizens. They organize events and specific initiatives for civil society. In Italy, for example, there is a permanent platform for civil society; in Spain, the representative provides services for organizations and enterprises; in Ireland, the tool Talk to EU has been established. ACP group of states The relationship between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific group of states are ruled by the Cotonou agreement. The agreement, which was revised in 2010, requires the involvement of civil society in development policy and aid programming. The ACP Secretariat produced a user’s guide for non-state actors that “provides practical information and specific answer on the modalities for the enhanced engagement of non-state actors in the ACP-EU cooperation.” First published in 2003, the guide explains how organizations can participate in the formulation of national and regional development polices and strategies, as well as in programming, implementation and evaluations. It also gives practical information on how to be part of the ACP Civil Society Forum. EPLO – European Peacebuilding Liaison Office This NGO and think-thank network organizes meetings of the Civil Society Dialogue Network, a project funded by the European Commission to facilitate dialogue on peacebuilding issues. The CSDN says it “discusses policy, strategic and programming aspects of the Peacebuilding Partnership, transversal thematic issues relating to peacebuilding and crisis-specific situations.” Blogs and social networks European institutions manage several blogs and social networks. On the European Parliament’s Facebook page, it is possible to interact with lawmakers. All the MPs’ tweets can be found on the website Europatweets. European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs and Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Kristalina Georgieva also have their own blogs. European Parliament As the only body within the EU whose members are directly elected, the parliament serves as the core representative of EU citizens. It has legislative and monitoring powers and can ask the European Commission to submit legislative proposals. It also plays a crucial role in defining the EU budget. Civil society can address questions directly to members of parliament or through political groups and parties, some of which provide specific tools to interact with citizens. Representatives of NGOs and other organizations – mainly through NGO networks – meet members of the parliament regularly and on an informal basis through political groups. Advocacy and lobbying can be carried out at the European level or at the level of political groups’ delegations in the member states. The intergroups Within the parliament, members of parliament from any political group can organize “intergroups” to discuss particular subjects. The aim of the intergroups is to facilitate and promote dialogue with civil society. The list of intergroups, which can vary, is available on the European Parliament’s website together with the names of the chairs. European Parliament Information Offices It is vital for any organization to be up-to-date on the agenda of the European Parliament Information Offices in the EU member states. Each office organizes events, seminars and offers unique opportunities to strengthen the informal dialogue with members of parliament. Petitions The parliament has established “formal” instruments to involve citizens and civil society organizations. European citizens and organizations have the right to submit petitions. A petition may present a request, a complaint or an observation concerning issues under the EU’s responsibility. There is a committee on petitions that must declare if the petition is admissible or not. If it is, the committee could require investigations, refer the petition to another committee of the parliament to take it into account for future legislation. Agorà The European Parliament periodically organizes the Citizens Agorà, an online forum highlighting issues that citizens and organizations can provide input on. Accredited lobbyists Private, public or non-governmental bodies can ask for accreditation as a lobby group. Lobby groups must adopt a code of conduct and the European Parliament provides organizations’ members with passes for a maximum of one year to enter the parliament and meet lawmakers. Write to: SecuLongTermPass@europarl.europa.eu for information. The European Parliament recently announced that it will create a working group under the chairmanship of its president to tighten codes of conduct for both lobbyists and members of parliament. The European Economic and Social Committee The EESC is a consultative body of the European Union. Its role is to enable civil society organizations in member states to express their views at the European level and in any field of action of the union. These include external relations and development in neighboring countries and in other areas of the world. The EESC seeks to promote “a more participatory European Union, […] securing dialogue with civil society.” Read more EU business news: - How European NGOs Can Better Engage the EU: A Conversation with Concord’s Justin Kilcullen - How to Win EuropeAid Funding: A Conversation with Koos Richelle - EuropeAid Pushes ‘Results-Oriented Monitoring’ - Macedonia Deputy PM: Rising EU Aid Requires Effective Management Read more international development business news.