All initiatives were designed by civil society organisations. The projects were funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO) under a 2020 call to develop or scale up tools and actions that engage citizens in the implementation of Cohesion Policy.
The successful applicants received up to EUR 25 000 for a one-year project that they could manage alone or with European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) or Cohesion Fund partners. Grant agreements were signed as from October 2021, putting the projects on course to include more citizens in decisions on public spending.
‘Cohesion Policy has always worked for citizens and the goal of this initiative is to make it work with citizens. Involving citizens will make investment more transparent and more effective, especially at a time when communities and territories are struggling with the effects of the coronavirus crisis,’ said Elisa Ferreira, EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms.
Engaging citizens for high-quality investments
Experience shows that when citizens are involved in choosing and implementing initiatives that impact them, such as investments from Cohesion Policy funding, projects are better quality and people feel more connected to them.
The six projects featured here ranged from youth education on Cohesion Policy to citizen monitoring of the reuse of assets confiscated from organised crime. All faced an unexpected challenge – the coronavirus pandemic – but online events and meetings maintained the momentum to strengthen citizen participation in Cohesion Policy.
With the first projects finishing in November and December 2021, here are some of the early results.
EUmoney.bg
People in Bulgaria have a new dedicated online space where they can report potential corruption in or simply give feedback on EU-funded projects – EUmoney.bg. The site is an easy, fast mechanism allowing ordinary citizens to have a say on how EU money is being used in their region.
The project has the support of Bulgaria’s Anti-Corruption Fund and other institutions that spend EU funds, which has helped them to make the EUmoney.bg database compatible with Bulgaria’s state database. The founders are now raising awareness of the site so that people across the country can help to ensure that every euro is used as intended.
Good(s) Monitoring, Europe!
This initiative aims to support the general public in Belgium, Bulgaria, Romania and Spain to supervise how goods confiscated from organised crime are reused by authorities and NGOs to improve the lives of some of the most disadvantaged people in society.
Led by Italian organisation Libera, the project developed a monitoring toolkit, which it tested with citizens in a pilot action. It also built national civic monitoring teams in each target country, along with a mapping of how EU-funded projects deploy confiscated assets around Europe, to promote future use of cohesion funds for this purpose.
‘Our project is an opportunity for citizens to be aware of the role they can have in advocating how Cohesion Policy funds are used to put confiscated assets to use and to build more inclusive societies in Europe.’
Marialisa de Padova, Libera, Italy
Participatory Mapping in Cohesion Policy in Hungary (PartiMap)
Urban transport – specifically cycling – was the focus of this Hungarian project. Partners developed an open-source geo-based tool in which citizens can suggest how public authorities should use cohesion funds to improve cycling infrastructure, whether simple bike-parking sites or cycling networks for whole towns.
The project worked closely with districts in Budapest as well as the Hungarian Cyclists' Club. PartiMap implementing organisation, K-Monitor, is cooperating with the Budapest Public Transport Center to use the tool to boost its public bike network BUBI, while the Hungarian Cyclists' Club has identified extra ways the tools could be useful for their own public consultations.
‘Participation and co-creation should be at the core of Cohesion Policy in order to ensure that investments are meaningful, funds are spent efficiently and citizens have a say in how their communities are developed.’
Sándor Léderer, Executive Director, K-Monitor, Hungary
Tools for Enhancing Youth Engagement in Romania-Bulgaria Cross-Border Cooperation (RoBulUs)
Bulgarian and Romanian young people are being empowered to influence how cohesion funds are used, thanks to RoBulUs. The project has developed an online guide to EU Cohesion Policy, its impacts, and how citizens can influence how funds are spent, along with videos of inspiring real-world stories of youth participation. A mobile app mapping examples of Cohesion-Policy funded projects in the cross-border region between Bulgaria and Romania completes the project’s awareness-raising tools.
Youth leaders, teachers and public authorities have helped to spread the word about RoBulUs, despite a busy online environment during the pandemic. The materials will be maintained after the project ends to continue to inspire youth-led community projects.
‘Young people need to know how they can put their ideas on policymakers’ agendas. This needs to be done in an efficient, unobtrusive, and mutually respectful way so that both sides make the most of the process. Digital tools are very handy to this end.’
Tzvetalina Genova, Chairperson, International Management Institute, Bulgaria
A national network for civic monitoring of European funds for the environment and sustainable development
Public oversight of EU spending on the environment in Italy has been strengthened by this project’s online “Project Finder” covering over 7 600 ERDF-funded projects, a series of public online events that trained and shared information on civic monitoring with over 350 people, and a network of stakeholders to carry civic monitoring forward nationwide.
A surprise outcome was the chance to apply the network’s tools and methods in a live setting, monitoring eight EU-funded projects on areas such as traffic monitoring or pedestrianisation. Tools remain available so that citizens can study projects and keep public investment accountable.
Youth for Cohesion
Young people in 10 countries around the Adriatic Ionian area have been learning about EU Cohesion Policy, how it impacts their region and the opportunities it creates for them. Five webinars delivered the training, each focusing on a Cohesion Policy priority: a smarter Europe, a greener, carbon-free Europe, a more connected Europe, a more social Europe, or a Europe closer to citizens.
The project reached out to more than 200 young people, students and youth workers, many representing youth organisations, and trained 60 to be “Cohesion Builders”. The organisers hope to leave a network able to both spread awareness of Cohesion Policy in the region and create new cooperation projects.
FIND OUT MORE
Engaging Citizens for Good Governance in Cohesion Policy – https://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/policy/how/improving-investment/citizens-participation/
A national network for civic monitoring of European funds for the environment and sustainable development – www.lunaria.org, www.monithon.eu
EUmoney.bg – https://eumoney.bg
Good(s) Monitoring, Europe! – https://www.libera.it/
Participatory Mapping in Cohesion Policy in Hungary (PartiMap) – https://k-monitor.hu
Tools for Enhancing Youth Engagement in Romania-Bulgaria Cross-Border Cooperation (RoBulUs) – https://robulus.eu/
Youth for Cohesion – https://www.adriaticionianeuroregion.eu
Helping everyday public administrations improve their skills:
Managing EU funds for cohesion policy can be difficult, and there are often needs for training and tools to make the work better and faster. The competence centre for “administrative capacity building” at DG REGIO offers tools, training, support and knowledge to help civil servants enhance their skills in topics as specialised as state aid, public procurement and road map for capacity building – and as wide as anti-corruption, fraud and civil society partnerships.
Visit the following page to know more about all the learning products we offer: Improving how funds are invested and managed.
