Explanatory Memorandum to COM(2011)884 - For the period 2014-2020 the programme "Europe for Citizens" - Main contents
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This page contains a limited version of this dossier in the EU Monitor.
| dossier | COM(2011)884 - For the period 2014-2020 the programme "Europe for Citizens". |
|---|---|
| source | COM(2011)884  |
| date | 14-12-2011 |
Encouraging and facilitating citizens' wider involvement in the European Union and what it stands for is of great significance and importance. This ranges from the need to increase their involvement in current affairs right back to the need of ensuring a broader understanding of the history of the Union and its origins in the aftermath of two horrific world wars. Previous citizens' programmes have tackled these challenges with success and there is a substantial need for the continuation of this work at Union-level to address these issues.
As stated by President Barroso in his State of the Union Address 2011, we are now faced with the greatest challenge that our Union has gone through in its whole history. It is a financial, economic and social crisis, but also a crisis of confidence. National plans or even intergovernmental co-operations are not sufficient to tackle such large scale economic and social problems but citizens are still not fully aware of the Union’s role and achievements. The Commission thus needs to find ways to increasing citizens' awareness and understanding about the Union project.
The Treaty on European Union takes a big step towards bringing the Union closer to its citizens and fostering greater cross-border debate about EU policy issues: its Article 11 introduces a whole new dimension of participatory democracy, of which one key element is the new citizens' initiative right.
The Commission proposes with this programme to take action to build capacity for civic participation (as one element of a strategic triangle, in addition to delivering on citizens’ needs and to promoting citizens’ rights). It intends to
develop civil society capacity to participate in the Union policy making process;
develop supportive structures to channel the results of such debates to policy-makers at the relevant levels;
offer additional opportunities for individual citizens to participate in debates and discussions on Union-related issues.
The programme aims to address the need for more genuine debates on Union related issues at the local, regional and national levels, which can be translated into a pan-European perspective. It seeks to reach out to the large group of citizens – those who would normally not seek to influence or take part in Union affairs – through a broad set of organisations to take a first step towards involvement, whatever the (Union related) topic or format, as long as it is trans-national or has a European dimension. With its horizontal approach, its aim is not to replace the thematic programmes, or to duplicate their consultation process at the Union level, but to mobilise citizens at local level to debate on concrete issues of European interest. By doing this, they become aware of the impact of Union policies in their daily lives. They can influence and experience the benefits of Europe and connect with the mission of the Union.
The programme will build on the analysis of the strengths and the weaknesses of the current “Europe for Citizens” programme (2007-2013), as regards its future programme design, targeting, out-reach and visibility in societal and geographical terms, impact analysis and valorisation/dissemination mechanisms.
The general objective of a future programme will be to 'strengthen remembrance and enhance capacity for civic participation at the Union level'. It will address the related need for supportive structures to channel the results of such debates to policy-makers at the relevant levels. To this, the programme would contribute by developing citizens' organisations' capacity to engage citizens in the democratic life of the Union. The specific objectives proposed would comprise:
– Stimulate debate, reflection and cooperation on remembrance, Union integration and history;
– Develop citizens' understanding and capacity to participate in the Union policy making process and develop opportunities for solidarity, societal engagement & volunteering at Union level.
Following the narrowed down specific objectives proposed for the new Programme, a new set of operational objectives will be defined. The latter will increase the capacity of the Commission to set more firm indicators and subsequently be able to objectively, and more in detail, establish progress and impact.
– Support organisations to promote debate and activities on remembrance, European values and history;
– Support organisations of a general European interest, transnational partnerships and networks to promote citizens' interactions on Union matters;
– Horizontal dimension: Analysis, dissemination and valorisation of project results through internal and external activities.
Article 11 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) stipulates the Union institutions' tasks of giving citizens and representative organisations the opportunity to make known and publicly exchange their views in all areas of Union action. The same Article refers to the institutions' duty to have an open, transparent and regular dialogue with civil society, the Commission's obligation of carrying out broad consultations with stakeholders, and introduces the Citizens' Initiative. In his 'Political Guidelines' of September 2009, President Barroso called for a much stronger focus on citizens, who should be at the very centre of European policies. As outlined below, it is planned to link the activities carried out under the next generation of the 'Europe for Citizens' programme much more closely with concrete policy making. Consequently, there will be a strong cooperation between Commission services which implement respective policies and programmes.
The programme is one of the instruments to link the democratic principles of Articles 10 and 11 TEU with a broad range of sectoral Union policies without replacing the specific dialogues with citizens, stakeholders and interest groups that the European Commission maintains. The next generation of the “Europe for Citizens” programme empowers citizens to exchange views on all areas of Union action and at all stages of the formal decision making process. With regard to the themes of projects, their embedding in the local and regional context, and to the composition of stakeholders there are important synergies with other Union programmes, namely in the areas of employment, social affairs, education, research and innovation, youth and culture, justice, equality between women and men and non-discrimination, and regional policy.
Moreover the programme is complementary to and additional to the work carried out by the Representations of the European Commission in the Member States. The Representations will be involved in the communication and promotion of the programme to the greatest extent possible consistent with their mandate of outreach to citizens and communication at country level.
Contents
- RESULTS OF CONSULTATIONS WITH THE INTERESTED PARTIES AND IMPACT ASSESSMENTS
- LEGAL ELEMENTS OF THE PROPOSAL
- BUDGETARY IMPLICATION
- 1.1. General context
- 1.2. Grounds for and objectives of the proposal
- 1.3. Consistency with other policies and objectives of the Union
- 2.1 Consultation of interested parties
- 2.2 Collection and use of expertise
- 2.3 Impact assessment
- 3.1 Summary of the proposed action
- 3.2 Legal basis
- 3.3 Subsidiarity principle
- 3.4 Proportionality principle
- 3.5 Impact on fundamental rights
- 4.1 Implementation
Consultation with the main stakeholders of the 'Europe for Citizens' programme has been substantial. Their views have been sought on the following occasions:
– On 20 June 2010, a consultation meeting was held in Brussels with the major stakeholders: the group members of the regular NGO consultation, the national contact points for European Citizenship (PECs), the Council for European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR) and the Town-Twinning Coordinators, and members of the Programme Committee. The proceedings were based on an open agenda with a highly participatory approach.
– On 27 October 2010, an open public online consultation on the future of the 'Europe for Citizens' programme was launched by means of the Commission’s IPM (Interactive Policy Making) tool. The consultation was open until 5 January 2011 and invited contributions from all interested parties: individual citizens, civil society organisations, public authorities and administrations, research and innovation institutions, European and international organisations and others. 412 respondents participated, with 5 additional submissions received separately. The opinions expressed have been analysed by the Commission with the help of an external consultant. The results and a detailed analysis of the public consultation are available at: ec.europa.eu/citizenship.
– On 21 June 2011, a second stakeholder meeting took place in Brussels with 100 participants.
– May-June 2011, three focus group surveys held in Vienna, Paris, and Warsaw on different aspects of the Programme (town-twinning, the impact on the development of civil society, remembrance) bringing stakeholders together with researchers, local and national governments, and journalists.
– Regular stakeholder consultation: Comprises of 2-3 meetings/year between the Commission and approximately 70 key European organisations actively involved in the “Europe for Citizens” Programme.
The expertise of stakeholders expressed in the two stakeholder meetings and of interested parties expressed in the online public consultation were taken on board by the Commission when drafting the Impact Assessment on preparing the programme proposal. They were checked against the expertise of focus groups who were consulted in the spring of 2011.
In order to build on the experience of the current programme, the mid-term evaluation carried out by an external consultant in 2010 provided an important source of information which fed into both the Impact Assessment and the programme proposal.
A full Impact Assessment was carried out in the summer of 2011. On 21 September 2011: the Impact Assessment Board discussed the report and asked for several improvements in the report, in particular to provide a more complete and focused problem analysis, to be more specific about the objectives, to design and assess substantive policy options, and to clarify evaluation arrangements and define more robust progress indicators. These elements have been included in the current report.
Moreover, the programme was integrated into the cumulative Impact Assessment of the MFF 2014-2020.
The European Commission proposes a programme “Europe for Citizens” for the period 2014-2020 which builds on the existing programme. It aims at enhancing capacity for civic participation at the Union level and thus delivering on the global aim: to promote civic participation and contribute to increasing awareness and understanding about the Union. Its two dimensions foresee to support, on the one hand, organisations of a general European interest, transnational partnerships and networks with a view to stimulate citizens’ interactions on Union matters and, on the other hand, to support organisations that promote debate and activities on European values and history. As a transversal feature the programme intends to make provisions for the analysis, dissemination and valorisation of results elaborated by programme activities. The programme will, as its predecessor, be implemented through operating grants and action grants based on open calls for proposals and through service contracts based on calls for tender. The Commission may use, on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis, an existing executive agency for the implementation of the programme, as provided for in Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 of 19 December 2002 laying down the statute for executive agencies to be entrusted with certain tasks in the management of Community programmes.
Article 352 TFEU.
Article 11 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) stipulates the Union institutions' obligations of giving 'citizens and representative associations the opportunity to make known and publicly exchange their views in all areas of Union action'. The same Article refers to the institutions' duty to 'maintain an open, transparent and regular dialogue with representative associations and civil society', to the Commission's obligation of carrying out broad consultations with stakeholders and introduces the European Citizens' Initiative.
Appropriate means to ensure the achievement of these Treaty provisions are required. The 'Europe for Citizens' programme represents one of these means, just as Regulation 211/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the citizens’ initiative represents another.
The Union added value of the proposed Programme can be further demonstrated at the level of the individual actions of the new Programme:
– In the case of 'Remembrance and European citizenship', the programme seeks to support organisations to promote debate and activities on European integration and history at a transnational level or when a clear European dimension is addressed. For certain actions under 'history', a European dimension suffices. Historical archives, sites of remembrance are, per se, bound by their location but have in many cases a Union-wide significance.
– In the case of 'Democratic engagement and civic participation', the programme seeks to develop citizens' understanding and capacity to participate in the Union policy making process and to develop opportunities for solidarity, societal engagement & volunteering at Union level. Such a wide scope and ambition could only be addressed at a Union level.
– In the case of 'Valorisation', this is a horizontal dimension of the programme as a whole. It will focus on the analysis, dissemination, communication and valorisation of the project results from the above-mentioned strands. National and regional platforms would help collecting best practices and ideas about how to strengthen civic participation but pan-European platforms and common tools are also needed to broaden the perspective and facilitate the transnational exchange.
The objectives of this Regulation cannot be sufficiently achieved by the Member States and can therefore, by reason of the transnational and multilateral nature of the programme's action and measures, be better achieved at European Union level.
The proposal complies with the proportionality principle in that it does not go beyond the minimum required in order to achieve the stated objective at European level and what is necessary for that purpose.
The programme provides indirectly support on the Union citizens’ rights enshrined in Article 39 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights.
The Commission's proposal for a Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2014-2020 foresees that EUR 229 million in current prices will be allocated for a 'Europe for Citizens' programme.
In management terms, the Regulation aims at a more streamlined and simplified approach, resulting in increased cost-effectiveness. Economies of scale will be significant when actions of a similar nature have similar implementing rules and procedures, simplifying both for beneficiaries and for management bodies at EU and national level.
Simplification is already of key importance in the current programme and will be further developed in the new one. The use of an executive agency for the running of the full programme cycle allows achieving considerable savings in terms of administration and human resources. In addition, the recourse to lump sums, flat rates and unit costs, e-applications, and efficient on-the-spot checks by grouping visits to organisations in the same region, further reduces the administrative burden as well as allows significant reductions of costs.