The Foundation for Partnership and Civil Society Development
Round table for NGOs on co-financing EU projects
As a part of the celebration of the European Week 2017, organized by the Europe Direct Information Center Pula-Pula, the Foundation for Partnership and Civil Society Development has organized a Round Table with Associations on co-financing EU Projects.
The roundtable gathered 34 representatives of associations and organizations from the Istrian and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the Department of International Cooperation and European Affairs of the Istrian County and the Foundation.
At the very beginning, the Foundation's director explained how important this roundtable is in order to get information and inputs on the experience and financial needs of associations with regard to the implementation of European projects. Andrej Pevec from the Foundation presented the existing tenders of the Governmental Office for NGOs and National Foundation for Civil Society, for prefinancing and co-financing of EU projects.
Sanja Labinjan from the International Cooperation and European Affairs Department of the Region of Istria presented the existing tender which the Region of Istria opens each year.
A debate was opened to hear the experiences of associations who have had EU funding approved and which in some of these tenders managed to get the additional support and find the additional resources necessary for the implementation of European projects of different budget ranges. Organizations such as the Sonitus Association, the Civic Initiative Center Poreč, the Informo association, the Zelena Istra association or the Association of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities of Istria have already received funding for EU projects and most of the problems they have had were mentioned today. Many of the participants confirmed similar experiences.
The biggest problem is the small number of tenders from which co-financing, which is mandatory in most European tenders, can be aprooved. The association is expected to finance a ten thousand-euro projects, while the maximum funding available for co-funding on local and national tenders is much smaller. In addition, major delays made by implementing bodies at the national level result in the need to get bank credits, get indebt or remain without funds to pay wages and other costs.
Tenders through which associations can receive funding for EU projects give small amounts of money, and still expect a high level of organization, documentation, detailed reports for projects already approved by the European Union. A need for a single fund at the level of the Istrian County which would make available a satisfactory amounts and which would provide an all-year-long application period so that associations could apply at any time of the year depending on the approval of projects from the European Union.