ENPI Project: Towards a People’s Partnership

1. ENPI Project: Towards a People’s Partnership Implemented by Eurostep in association with Aprodev, Oxfam Novib, Acsur & Womnet

2. Project objectives • Overall objective • Ensure EC’s cooperation with its neighbours reflects the people’s aspiration in the region; specifically in the context of the mid term review of EC assistance • Specific objectives • Capacity building: increase the knowledge & monotoring skills of CSOson ENP/ENPI issues • Advocacy: bring recommendations of CSOs on ENP/ENPI issues to the EU

3. Means • Promotion of CSO involvement in EC assistance processes • Improve the understanding of how EC assistance works, and how to influence it • Promotion of budget monitoring activities • Improve the understanding of how budget support by EC to the government works, and how to monitor it

4. Why this project? Why is CS not involved? • Decisions on ENP/ENPI priorities are made by few individuals in the EU and the neighbouring government. • EU policies & financing agreements are complex  difficult for civil society actors to participate. Why should CS get involved? • EU & neighbouring governments have committed to ensure transparency and broad participation of civil society actors. • ENP/ENPI impact on national policies and overall development.

5. Project activities • Preparatory workshop in Brussels (March 2008). • National workshops: Morocco, Egypt, Palestine, Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova (April - September) • Final conference in Brussels (October/November) Mid term review of CSPs (2009)

6. Aim of preparatory workshop • Ensure the understanding of the EC policies/ programming • Identify and prepare the political & practical issues to be addressed in the national workshops • Define a shared methodology for the national workshops and a common advocacy strategy

7. Aim of national workshops • Capacity bulding: • ENP & the functioning mechanism of the ENPI. • Budget support within the ENPI & how to monitor government budget. • Build CSO coalitions. • Opportunities for civil society actors to influence the ENP/ENPI. • Suggested strategies to enhance their impact on these policies. • Advocacy: • Concrete recommendations on CSP’s priorities. • Define common ”national” advocacy strategy

8. Means • Capacity: • Ensure broad & differentiated representation of civil society. • Collect reactions from local CSOs on EC policies in the country. • Collect experiences from CSOs on participation in progamming process/relation to EU representatives. • Advocacy: • Analyse and discuss critically the CSP-IPs. • Prepare concrete recommendations on the CSPs-IPs • Identify relevant deadlines and targets • Identify the opportunities & obstacles in working with: Government, delegation, EC in Brussels?

9. Outcome • Better understanding of ENP/ENPI processes by CSOs • Concrete recommendations to EU’s policies towards the country – target focus: Mid term review of CSPs. • Effective advocacy strategy on how to impact EU policies– to be acted on in the country and in Brussels.

10. Targets • National government (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Finance, European integration Departments etc.). • National parliament. • Cooperation committees & monitoring subcommittees. • EC Delegation, Member States embassies. • European Commission in Brussels (DG RELEX, EuropAid). • European Parliament.

11. Thank you for your attention. Marie Skov Madsen Policy Adviser: European Neighbourhood Policy Eurostep mskov@eurostep.org www.eurostep.org