NCVO joins forces with sister councils to call for greater involvement of civil; society in future European structural funds

Launch of UKEN report: European Social Fund 2014-20 and UK Civil Society Priorities

A coalition of UK civil society representative bodies has today launched a report highlighting the importance of involving civil society organisations in the design and delivery of the EU Structural Funds programme.

The report by UK European Network (UKEN), the UK-wide coalition of civil society representative bodies, is published at a crucial stage of the negotiations concerning the future of the programme. It reflects on the lessons learnt from experiences on the ground and highlights a number of key priorities for involving civil society organisations.

UKEN supports the call by the European Commission to allocate at least 20 per cent of the ESF budget to actions promoting social inclusion and combating poverty.  This reinforces the political commitment made by Member States to the Europe 2020 target of ensuring there are at least 20 million fewer people in or at risk of poverty and social exclusion by 2020.

The coalition calls for greater engagement of civil society organisations in project delivery, including: direct project funding, simplified access through lump sum payments and recognition of volunteer time to count as match funding.

The draft regulations also offer welcome opportunities for ‘community-led development’ to use all funds in an integrated manner to support bottom-up approaches to economic and social cohesion.

The report responds to the draft regulations published by the European Commission in October 2011 as part of a structured dialogue with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the European Social Fund (ESF) Division at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), said: ‘This is a great opportunity for us to come together with partners across the country to help to shape the future of this major European fund. We believe that ESF can play a major role in the future of our sector and will be in close dialogue with relevant government departments over coming months.’

Tamara Flanagan of the European Funding Network Advisory Group said: ‘We look forward to actively participating in setting the priorities for the new programme of European Structural Funds. Showing how civil society organisations can support those most in need in our societies to get involved in their communities and find employment  is of utmost importance.’

For more information, contact Mandy Murphy in NCVO’s press office on 020 7520 2469 or email mandy.murphy@ncvo-vol.org.uk. For calls outside office hours, please ring 07714 243942.  A copy of the report is attached.

Notes to editors:

Over the last three years, approximately £430 million has been allocated to civil society organisations from ESF projects, this represents a major opportunity to provide support to the VCS and we hope the trend to widen this involvement continues. The purpose of the EU Structural Funds Programme is to promote economic, social and territorial cohesion across the European Union.  This is achieved by developing the infrastructure of regions, helping the unemployed back into work and developing the skills of the workforce.

UKEN is a coalition of Civil Society representative bodies from across the country, including the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) and Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA).

Together UKEN Members represent over 12,800 Civil Society organisations in all parts of the UK.  

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) www.ncvo-vol.org.uk is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England, with sister councils in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.  NCVO has over 8,400 members, ranging from large national bodies to community groups, volunteer centres, and development agencies working at a local level. With over 280,000 staff and over 13 million volunteers working for our members, we represent and support almost half the voluntary sector workforce.