Network initiated on structural funds

CPS will become a member of a new network set up to help monitor the transparency and impact of EU structural funds.

A network to assist independent experts and civil society groups to monitor the transparency and impact of EU structural funds has received an 86,000 USD grant by the Local Government and Public Service Reform Initiative. CPS is one of the five members of the network, which is coordinated by the Slovak Governance Institute in Bratislava and focuses on structural funds in new member states.

The rationale behind the creation of the network is that there is worrying lack of informed public debate on how structural funds are spent. The ability of civil society to engage and monitor governmental action will increase if it is able to present complex material in an accessible way using sound research. Starting in the new year, the project will sponsor research, workshops, and public debates to help broaden the scope of participation in structural funds spending.

CPS has substantial expertise on corruption control measures through its Good Governance research program, and has also already carried out research on structural funds use within two EC Framework 6 projects (SOCCOH and DIOSCURI). In addition, CPS has experience of working on capacity building with civil society groups. With the support of this new network, CPS will carry out a study on the experience of civic participants in monitoring committees. Anecdotal evidence suggests that whilst there has been an advance to have civic participation in these committees, participants can often feel themselves marginalized by unfamiliar language and complexity of topics rendering their involvement little more than token participation. The aim of the research is to analyze experiences on a more systematic basis with a view to proposing how civic participation could be effectively supportive. The results will be presented at a workshop in late spring 2008.

 10 September, 2007