In 2014, after an extensive development and consultation process which included stakeholders from civil society, government offices for cooperation with civil society, and EU Delegations, the DG Enlargement (now DG NEAR) developed its Guidelines for Support to Civil Society in the Enlargement Countries for the period 2014-2020. The Guidelines include a set of objectives, results, and indicators for the EU support to civil society which will allow for the measurement of progress at country level as well across the enlargement region.
Recognizing the value and parallels of BCSDN’s Monitoring Matrix on Enabling Environment for Civil Society Development and its resulting country monitoring reports, the DG Enlargement has used BCSDN’s reports as a means of verification for the first two components (conductive environment & civil dialogue) of the Guidelines, with the third component (CSO capacities) not being monitored through the Monitoring Matrix. The latest version of the Guidelines can be downloaded here.
At the beginning of 2020, DG NEAR has announced a review of the Guidelines’ implementation in the past 6 years, and re-examination of their purpose and structure.
| EU CS Guidelines & the Monitoring Matrix Methodology Matching Table | |
| MONITORING MATRIX | EU CS GUIDELINES |
| Area 1: Basic Legal Guarantees of Freedoms | Objective 1. An enabling legal and policy environment, for the exercise of the rights of freedom, expression, assembly and association |
| Sub-area 1.1.: Freedom of association Principle: Freedom of association is guaranteed and exercised freely by everybody |
1.1.a. Quality of existing legislation and policy framework 1.1.b. Progress with the adoption and implementation of relevant legislation 1.3. a. Quality of the enabling environment for grass-roots organizations 2.1.a. CSOs’ perception of the ease and effectiveness of financial rules and reporting requirements (disaggregated by type/ size of CSO) 2.1.b. Quality of financial rules (with the focus on built-in mechanisms that financial rules and obligations change as the turn-over and non-commercial activities change). |
| Sub-area 1.2.: Related freedoms Principle: Freedoms of assembly and expression are guaranteed to everybody |
1.1.a. Quality of existing legislation and policy framework 1.1.b. Progress with the adoption and implementation of relevant legislation |
| Area 2: Framework for CSOs’ Financial Viability and Sustainability | |
| Sub-area 2.1: Tax/fiscal treatment for CSOs and their donors Principle: CSOs and donors enjoy favorable tax treatmentt |
2.2.a. Quality and applicability/practice of the legal framework for individual and corporate giving 2.3.a. Quality of the system of tax benefits for the CSOs’ operational and economic activities |
| Sub-area 2.2.: State support Principle: State support to CSOs is provided in a transparent way and spent in an accountable manner |
2.4.a. Increase of public funding for CSOs 2.4.b. Quality of state funding frameworks for civil society organizations (focusing on procedural document) |
| Area 3: Government – CSO Relationship | |
| Sub-area 3.1.: Framework and practices for cooperation Principle: There is a strategic approach to furthering state-CSO cooperation and CSO development |
3.1.b. Quality* of structures and mechanisms in place for dialogue and cooperation between CSOs and public institutions *in terms of: -CSO representation in general -representation of smaller/weaker CSOs -its visibility and availability -government perception of quality of structures and mechanisms -CSOs’ perception of quality of structures and mechanisms |
| Sub-area 3.2: Involvement in policy- and decision-making processes Principle: CSOs are effectively included in the policy and decision-making process |
3.1.a. Percentage of law/bylaws, strategies and policy reforms effectively* consulted with CSOs *in terms of: -adequate access to information -sufficient time to comment -selection and representativeness/ diversity of working groups -acknowledgement of input -degree to which input is taken into account feedback/publication of consultation results |
| Sub-area 3.3: Collaboration in service provision Principle: There is a supportive environment for CSO involvement in service provision |
There is no direct corresponding benchmark or indicator. |