2013-PEP-meeting-EE-tent-Janar-Rebecca-Lee-EAPN

Structural Funds in the new programming period 2014-2020 will play a powerful role in financially backing the EU commitments of Member States to deliver on the poverty reduction target.

Since the 90s, EAPN has been involved in lobbying the EU institutions to promote the use of EU Structural Funds, for the fight against poverty and social exclusion. EAPN National Networks and European Organisations worked closely to achieve a stronger NGO involvement in the Structural Funds process, at national and European level, and to provide timely information for a better access of NGOs to all stages of Structural Funds.

The 3 main activities of EAPN in the field of Cohesion Policy can be summed up as following:

  • To inform and raise awareness on the new developments on SF for ensuring a proper engagement of EAPN National Networks in Structural Funds at national level.
  • To organise capacity-building/ share of expertise to make access to Structural Funds easier for NGOs. For more information, please contact Sian Jones.
  • To influence and help EAPN National Networks influencing the Structural Funds’ processes both at national and EU level (from the design to the monitoring).

EAPN actively contributed to the achievement of the earmarking of 20% of the European Social Fund (ESF) for social Inclusion and partnership principle, through its EU Money for Poverty campaign coordinated with 19 European NGOs in 2013.

In March 2016, a Task Force of EAPN released its Barometer Report – Monitoring the implementation of the (at least) 20% of the European Social Fund that should be devoted to fight against poverty during the period 2014-2020 at a side-event organised by EAPN at the Annual Convention for Inclusive Growth 2016. The aim of this report, which you can access in the documents below, is to carry out an initial monitoring of:

  • The implementation of the 20% earmarking of ESF on social inclusion and poverty reduction, in terms of spending, quality of delivery and impact;
  • The quality of the delivery on partnership with civil society, monitoring the code of conduct on partnership, and as partners in delivery.

EAPN’s members also participate in a structured dialogue bringing together actors at EU and Member State level: The European Structural and Investment Funds‘ Partners Group of Experts under the 2014-2020 programming period, which has an open dialogue on issues regarding the implementation of the ESI Funds.

Documents