European Economic and Social Committee

Brussels, 27 June 2005

MINUTES

of the 4th meeting of the Liaison Group with European civil society organisations and networks held at the Committee building, on 13 May 2005 ______

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99 rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels - Tel. +32 (0)2 546 90 11 - Fax +32 (0)2 513 48 93 - Internet http://www.esc.eu.int EN - 1 -

The fourth meeting of the Liaison Group with European civil society organisations and networks was held in Brussels on 13 May 2005, under the chairmanship of Anne-Marie Sigmund, EESC president, and Giampiero Alhadeff, co-chair of the Liaison Group.

The meeting commenced at 9.30 a.m. and finished at 12.30 p.m.

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ATTENDANCE LIST

· Members of the Liaison Group

EESC Representatives Ms Anne-Marie Sigmund EESC President Mr Georgios Dassis President of the ECO section Mr Bernardo Hernandez Bataller President of the INT section Mr Henri Malosse President of the SOC section Mr Staffan Nilsson Group III President Mr Giacomo Regaldo Group I President

Representatives of European civil society organisations and networks

- Members Mr Giampiero Alhadeff Board Member, European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development (CONCORD)

Mr Patrick De Bucquois General Secretary, European Council for Non-Profit Organisations (CEDAG)

Ms Ilona Kish Secretary-General, European Forum for the Arts and Heritage (FEAP/EFAH))

Mr Henrik Kröner Secretary-General, European Movement International (EMI)

Ms Mary McPhail Secretary-General, European Women’s Lobby (EWL/LEF)

Mr Gérard Peltre President, Rurality-Environment-Development international association (RED)

Mr Daniel Spoel Administrator, Permanent Forum of Civil Society

- Alternates Ms Carlotta Besozzi Director, European Disability Forum (FEPH/EDF) (for Yannis Vardakastanis)

Mr Patrice Collignon Director, Rurality-Environment-Development international association

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(RED) (for Gérard Peltre)

Ms Jacqueline De Groote Administrator, Permanent Forum of Civil Society (alternate for Mr Daniel Spoel)

Ms Sabine Frank European Affairs Officer, European Forum for the Arts and Heritage (FEAP/EFAH) (for Ilona Kish)

Mr Diogo Pinto Secretary-general, (FEJ/EYF) (for Renaldas Vaisbrodas)

Ms Ariane Rodert Swedish Forum for Voluntary Social Work (on behalf of ETWelfare) (for Patrick De Bucquois)

· Liaison Group members (apologies received)

EESC representatives Ms Ann Davison (apologies received) President of the REX section

Mr José María Espuny Moyano President of the NAT section (apologies received)

Mr Alexander Graf von Schwerin President of the TEN section

Mr Mario Sepi (apologies received) President of Group II

Representatives of European civil society organisations and networks (apologies received)

- Members Mr Tommaso Grimaldi General Secretary, European Vocational Training Association (EVTA), Education and civil society platform

Mr Ron Hendriks President of the International Association of Mutual Benefit Societies (AIM)

Mr William Lay Director, Confederation of Family Organisations in the EU (COFACE)

Mr Jim Murray Director, European Consumers' Organisation (BEUC)

Mr Etienne Pfimlin President, Coordinating Committee of European Cooperative Associations (CCACE)

Mr Renaldas Vaisbrodas President, European Youth Forum (FEJ/EYF)

Mr Yannis Vardakastanis President, European Disability Forum (FEPH/EDF)

- Alternates Mr Olivier Consolo Director, European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development (CONCORD)

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Mr Gérard Leseul Deputy General Delegate, Coordinating Committee of European Cooperative Associations (CCACE)

Mr Willy Palm Director, International Association of Mutual Benefit Societies (AIM)

Secretary-General, Ligue française de l'enseignement et de l'éducation Mr Jean-Marc Roirant permanente, Education and civil society platform (no apologies received)

· Other participants

Mr Roger Briesch EESC vice-president, president of the "Communication" Group

Vice-president of the European Investment Bank (EIB) Mr Peter Sedgwick Member of the private office of Ms Wallström, Vice-president Ms Beate Gminder of the European Commission

Director, Inter-institutional affairs and Brussels Office, EIB Mr Dominique de Crayencour Head of Unit, Information and Communication, EIB Mr Adam McDonaugh Analyst, Inter-institutional Affairs Department, EIB Ms Fabienne De Maertelaer

· Experts

Mr Dirk Jarré Expert to the EESC President

· Observers

Mr Julien Dumont European Council of Liberal Professions (CEPLIS)

Ms Elinor Haase Secretary-general, the European Association for Education of Adults (EAEA)

Mr Ewoud Roes European Law Adviser, European Youth Forum

Mr Alain Sagne Secretary-general, Architects’ Council of (ACE)

· EESC Secretariat

Mr Nicolas Alexopoulos Director, Directorate for General Affairs

Mr Patrick Fève, Head of the Unit for Relations with Civil Society Organisations, Constitutional Issues

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Ms Helmi Juuti, Unit for Relations with Civil Society Organisations, Constitutional Issues

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1. Adoption of the draft agenda

The draft agenda was adopted.

2. Approval of the minutes of the third meeting held on 17 March 2005

The minutes were approved.

3. Statement by the Liaison Group Co-chair, Giampiero Alhadeff

Giampiero Alhadeff reported to the Liaison Group on the discussions held during the preparatory meeting for the representatives of European civil society organisations and networks, who had been pleased with the momentum that had been gained following the creation of the Liaison Group.

The representatives of European civil society organisations and networks had also expressed an interest in organising a joint discussion on the Liaison Group’s objectives and the expectations they had of the body. Accordingly, they had agreed to hold a meeting at the end of June.

Giampiero Alhadeff also mentioned a number of difficulties which the NGOs had encountered in their contacts with the Commission, as well as the proposed changes to the Financial Regulation adopted by the Commission on 3 May, on which organised civil society had not been consulted. He stressed that the NGOs were a strategic partner for the Commission, just as they were for the EESC, and that the Commission could not simply ignore that fact by treating them as mere pressure groups.

The president added that she had recently met with Siim Kallas, who had stated his interest and willingness to cooperate with the Liaison Group and to attend the meeting to be held on 13 September. Two issues would be raised during that meeting: namely; drawing up a code of ethics for lobbying, and the draft European initiative on transparency.

4. Proposals for changes in the membership of the Liaison Group

In accordance with the working procedures of the Liaison Group, the president and co-chair jointly submitted a proposal, for the approval of the members, to increase the membership of the Liaison Group to include the representatives of two new sectors:

· The European Disability Forum (EDF) representing the Fight against discrimination/Protection and integration of people with disabilities and of minorities sector

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· The Rurality-Environment-Development international association (RED) representing the Rural development sector.

The Liaison Group approved the proposal.

The representatives of the two sectors on the Liaison Group would be:

- For the European Disability Forum (EDF):

· Yannis VARDAKASTANIS, President (member) · Carlotta BESOZZI, Director (alternate)

- For the international association Rurality-Environment-Development:

· Gérard PELTRE, President (member) · Patrice COLLIGNON, Directeur (alternate)

The president announced that she would be submitting a proposal to modify the Liaison Group’s working procedures at its next meeting so as to make it possible for each EESC representative on the Liaison Group to appoint an alternate.

5. Exchange of views with Beate Gminder, Member of the private office of Ms Margot Wallström, European Commission vice-president, on the state of the discussion at the Commission regarding the EU’s communication strategy

The president extended a warm welcome to Beate Gminder who was in charge of communications policy in the private office of Margot Wallström.

Beate Gminder recalled that when Margot Wallström took office, the Council of the had given her a mandate to present a new communications strategy for the European Union. She noted that the EU had already drawn up a communications strategy, which had been adopted in 2002; it had provided for the implementation of a certain number of types of action, many of which remained relevant.

As part of the preparation of this new strategy, the Commission had held a seminar on 23 April after which it was confirmed that it would be presenting a White Paper on the communication and information strategy, which would allow for the broad consultation of all parties concerned. If the European idea was to be conveyed to the public more effectively, it was essential to ensure the involvement of all players in the process: not just European institutions and national governments, but also civil society organisations, which were closest to the citizen and in permanent contact with them.

Three main principles guided the Commission’s discussions and actions in the preparation of the White Paper:

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· to listen more to the public (particularly by making more use of the Eurobarometer polls and by carrying out more consultations, especially at national level);

· to give the public better explanations of Community policies and the policies’ impact on their daily lives (in particular, by simplifying language, avoiding Euro-jargon and being clearer as to the added value of Community action);

· to reach out more to the public by forging links with them (by working more on themes and issues which were closer to their everyday concerns, of more interest to them and thus more accessible).

More generally speaking, the Commission wished to develop a culture and practice aimed at achieving "political ownership" of Community activities, which required the involvement of all the Commission’s members in the programming and coordination of communications activities. The Commission also wished to make communication an integral part of its work culture and for it to represent a separate section in the formulation of its policies. The issue would be tackled under a Commission action plan that would deal with questions such as the planning of communication work between DGs, internal audit and increasing the professional capabilities of staff in charge of information and communication.

One of Margot Wallström’s objectives was to raise the profile of the Commission’s representative offices in the Member States by giving them more responsibilities in the field of information and communications. They should allow the Commission to gain a better grasp of the general situation at national, regional and local level, and enable it to adapt its communication activities and messages to the concerns expressed at those various levels. EESC members had an important role to play in that respect, given their base in the civil society of the Member States.

Furthermore, the Commission would strive to ensure that the Member States themselves took on more responsibility in the areas of information and communication, a point that the White Paper would also emphasise.

In that context, Beate Gminder reaffirmed that it was not the responsibility of the Commission alone to inform and communicate, but that those were tasks that had to be carried out jointly. That was essential if the public was to become better informed about Europe, to gain a better understanding of the consequences of Community decisions and, ultimately, to get more involved in European affairs and for that to lead to an increased election turnout.

In concluding, Beate Gminder stressed the care which the Commission was taking to adopt a pragmatic approach and act in a very concrete manner through action bringing real improvements in terms of information and communication, without the need to develop any large-scale projects.

Roger Briesch, EESC vice-president and president of the Communications Group, emphasised the essential role played by civil society representatives in that field as a result of their grass-roots links, irrespective of whether they were Committee members or members of civil society organisations that

CESE 189/2005 FR/CVL/NT/ss .../... - 7 - formed communication and information networks which could be relied upon if rapid progress was to be made.

In that context he said that, as far as communications were concerned, the public currently had more faith in civil society organisations and their representatives than in politicians. That was an unquestionable fact. That being the case, the European institutions and politicians responsible also had to become fully involved, if only to ensure that they were really able to listen to the public.

Ilona Kish (European Forum for the Arts and Heritage) informed Beate Gminder of the growing difficulties encountered by NGOs in their relations with the Commission; she was interested in learning what her view was on the subject, as well as how she saw the role of the NGOs in the implementation of the communication and information strategy against a background of lack of dialogue, which was having a negative impact on the NGOs’ perception of Europe and its activity.

Mary McPhail (European Women’s Lobby) stressed the clear distinction which needed to be made between communication and consultation, and said that, to date, there was nothing to suggest that the Commission was planning to establish or put in place a real strategy for consultation of civil society. Indeed, there was currently a real crisis of confidence between Europe and its people, which it was not possible to overcome simply through information and communication campaigns alone, necessary though they were.

Georgios Dassis (president of the ECO section at the EESC) agreed with Ms McPhail. Furthermore, he stressed how important it was for the Commission’s White Paper on communications strategy to include very specific proposals for action.

Henrik Kröner (European Movement International) emphasised that most civil society organisations did not see it as their job to "sell" Europe. What was more, some were actually critical of Europe. He thus felt that it was difficult for the representatives of those organisations to assume the role of "information and communication channel" that the Commission would have them take on. He also added that the financing rules applied by the Commission were making the task of organisations such as the European Movement, which had a clear mission to promote the European idea, much more complicated, and even putting their very existence in danger.

Lastly, Henrik Kröner believed that, in order to put the European message across, it was absolutely essential to know what kind of Europe we wanted. The messages being sent out were often confused, if not contradictory. For his part, he felt it was essential for to be consistent with a political objective that all European leaders could subscribe to.

Patrice Collignon (Rurality-Environment-Development international association) agreed with Henrik Kröner’s comments on the lack of a clear political message common to the Commission and the Member States, which could be put across to the public. He also felt that certain politicians bore a major share of the responsibility for the failures in the field of communications, because of their tendency to see things in terms of black and white, which often led them to blame their own failures on the European Union. Accordingly, he called for an educational campaign, which would represent one of the

CESE 189/2005 FR/CVL/NT/ss .../... - 8 - key areas of the EU’s communications strategy, to help Europeans understand who was taking decisions at Union level and to be aware of the responsibilities falling to the Member States.

Henri Malosse (president of the SOC section at the EESC) fully agreed with the comments of Patrice Collignon. He believed it was vital for the EU’s communications strategy to aim to inform people about Europe, explaining what Europe did as well as what it gave to each individual, rather than simply providing information on the European institutions. It was also essential to define and implement the strategy by agreement in line and in partnership with the Member States, the and the representatives of civil society.

Patrick De Bucquois (European Council for Voluntary Organisations) argued that the errors and failures of European decision-makers were often put down to poor communication whereas, in reality, it had to be accepted that bad policies were also to blame, as was the case, in his opinion, with the proposed directive on services.

Ilona Kish wondered about the extent to which the Commission was able to agree on a communications strategy given that so many people deplored the lack of cohesion within the College of Commissioners.

Giampiero Alhadeff emphasised that, bearing in mind the situation in which Europe and Europeans found themselves, there was no room for pretences or for half-measures. Accordingly, he believed it was essential for the Commission to recognise that the NGOs were its strategic partners in the debate on the future of Europe, and he truly hoped that that would be reflected in its White Paper.

In response to the speakers, Beate Gminder ensured the Liaison Group that the Commission considered civil society organisations to be strategic partners and that it intended to take that into account when establishing its new working procedures and, of course, in the implementation of the new communications strategy. She also emphasised that that required a cultural change in the Commission’s way of thinking, and a lot of explanatory work, which was no easy task.

Beate Gminder emphasised once more the care taken by the Commission to give all parties involved the opportunity to state their expectations regarding the proposed communications strategy. She reiterated the Commission’s desire to consult parties as widely as possible, and to be particularly attentive to the needs of civil society, in order to ensure that the strategy developed represented a communications strategy for the whole of the European Union, and not just for internal use, that it was geared to the specific concerns of the public, and that it took greater account of the diversity of the various situations, not only national, but also regional and local.

She also supported the words of Mary McPhail regarding the need for the Commission to draw up a true consultation strategy for civil society organisations, which could constitute a second stage in the approach that the Commission wished to develop with regard to civil society.

The president thanked Beate Gminder and was pleased that she had reaffirmed the Commission’s favourable intentions regarding civil society, as was also clear from her various contacts with, in

CESE 189/2005 FR/CVL/NT/ss .../... - 9 - particular, Margot Wallström, who was keen for tangible progress to be achieved rapidly. She saw that as a good basis for a long-term partnership between civil society organisations and the Commission.

6. NGOs and the Financial Regulation of the European Communities

Giampiero Alhadeff informed the Liaison Group of the adoption by the Commission, on 3 May, of its proposals to revise the Financial Regulation and sharply criticised the lack of any preliminary consultation on the proposals.

Mary McPhail and Staffan Nilsson then presented the broad outlines of the Liaison Group’s position on the financing of non-governmental organisations by the European Commission, which they had drawn up in accordance with the decisions taken at the last meeting, on 13 March.

The presentation was followed by a short general discussion in which the following spoke: Henrik Kröner, Patrick De Bucquois, Ilona Kish, and Carlotta Besozzi (European Disability Forum).

Following the various contributions and by agreement with the co-authors of the document, the members of the Liaison Group agreed to amend the document as follows:

· Point 7

"The European Commission must insure that a mature management culture includes the principles of Sound Financial Management and the application of the principles of 'Transparency', 'Accountability' and 'Reliability' for both contracting parties and that these principles should be consistently applied throughout its various DGs and services and units."

· Point 8, 2nd sentence

"Good governance in this respect involves the creation of an enabling environment supported by a sufficient number of professional and experienced staff rather than an environment dominated by over-regulation and excessive administration."

· Point 17, 2nd sentence

"This, however, should not work against new applicants, or against those who apply for low amounts of funding."

The Liaison Group approved the document, duly amended.

The Liaison Group was informed that Staffan Nilsson would present the above position of the Liaison Group at the parliamentary hearing to be held by the Greens on the issue on 1 June.

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The document would also be passed on to the vice-president of the Commission, Margot Wallström, as well as to the Commissioner in charge of the budget, Dalia Grybauskaite, and individual European NGOs and networks of NGOs.

7. Exchange of views with Peter Sedgwick, vice-president of the European Investment Bank, responsible for relations with civil society organisations, on relations between the EIB and civil society organisations

Peter Sedgwick was pleased that he had been given the opportunity to brief the Liaison Group on the EIB’s work and the principal subjects on which the bank maintained a dialogue with civil society organisations, namely:

· EIB policy on information and transparency; · the environmental effects of projects financed by the EIB; · combating corruption and promoting good governance; · the application of social norms as part of EIB financed projects outside the EU.

The broad outlines of Peter Sedgwick’s presentation are set out in the appendix to these minutes.

At the end of the presentation, Giampiero Alhadeff opened the general discussion.

Patrick De Bucquois wished to know Peter Sedgwick’s opinion on the Financial Regulation and the problems that its application posed for civil society organisations. Furthermore, he also believed that, thanks to its communication policy, which he considered a success, the EIB was managing to convey a positive image of itself and of its activities. He did, however, wonder about the reasons for the difficulties, referred to by Peter Sedgwick, which the EIB was encountering in its dialogue with certain NGOs.

Ilona Kish asked Peter Sedgwick whether the EIB had been requested to provide bank guarantees as part of the co-financing of projects by NGOs.

Mary McPhail wished to know how the EIB was taking account of the principle of gender equality in its activities and how it monitored observance of the principle.

Carlotta Besozzi asked how the EIB took account of disabled access in projects financed in developing countries.

Peter Sedgwick responded to the speakers in brief.

8. Civil society conferences draft proposed by Margot Wallström, vice-president of the European Commission

The president asked the members of the Liaison Group to make their wishes known with regard to the project, which had not been finalised. She said that contact had been made with the private office of Ms

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Wallström on the subject and that, at that stage, it was important that the Liaison Group did not formulate proposals on subjects that could be discussed at the conferences, but rather stated its views on the concept itself and its implementation.

The president also emphasised that, for the time being, it was simply a matter of finding out whether any Liaison Group members had already held discussions on the issue and, if so, if they had any ideas they wished to express or proposals to make. She confirmed that the Liaison Group could only make a contribution once the Wallström private office had made its intentions known.

9. Date of the next meeting

The president noted that the members of the Liaison Group had been informed that the next meeting, which had initially been scheduled for 5 July, had been postponed until Thursday 7 July at 9.30 a.m.

Two points should, in particular, be included on the agenda: 1) the representativeness of European civil society organisations in the civil dialogue and 2) the Commission’s proposal for the Citizens for Europe programme, which aimed to promote active European citizenship, on which the Committee was preparing an opinion.

Ilona Kish asked that the Financial Regulation also be included on the draft agenda in order to take stock of the situation.

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