NGOs and national implementing bodies
It is important to understand how activities at the national level will be defined, funded and implemented because this will have an impact on what we can expect to achieve during this European Year of Equal Opportunities.
Decentralisation and involvement of civil society are other key principles for the Year 2007. Most activities are decentralised at the national level, i.e. they will be coordinated nationally, to ensure that actions take place as locally as possible (see recital 15 of the decision) and that they meet priorities and needs of different countries.
Each Member State has to decide on a national strategy and establish national priorities for the Year. The programme of national actions will be decided by the national implementing body. The mandate of the national implementing bodies is defined in article 6 (par.1) and the Annex of the Decision.
National bodies will be responsible for, among other things:
· defining the national strategy and priorities for the 2007 Year
· recommending individual activities that will qualify for funding from the Commission.
National bodies will be largely responsible for the implementation of the Year, but they will have to respect at least two criteria in the process of developing the national strategy for the Year:
· balanced treatment of all grounds of discrimination
· regular consultation and cooperation with civil society, including those who represent groups exposed to discrimination.
In practice, this means that the national implementing body in your country should consult one or more representative from LGBT organisations and that LGBT organisations should be able to take part in discussions on the identification of the national priorities for the Year, along with organisations working on discrimination on the other grounds. In addition, Member States may decide to organize general campaigns and activities or they may identify specific projects they would like to carry out during the Year. Where individual actions are defined in the national programme, LGBT organisations or groups fighting discrimination based on sexual orientation should also be eligible to implement such activities if and when it is relevant.
Text from the Decision:
Article 6, par. 1: “[…] That national implementing body shall be responsible for defining the national strategy and priorities for the European Year and for selecting the individual actions to be proposed for Community funding. The national strategy and priorities for the European Year shall be set out in accordance with the objectives listed in Article 2 and shall seek to ensure a balanced treatment of all the grounds of discrimination referred to in Article 2.
Article 6, par. 2: For the purpose of carrying out its tasks, the national implementing body shall consult on a regular basis and cooperate closely with civil society, including with organisations defending or representing the interests of those who are potentially exposed to discrimination and unequal treatment and with other relevant stakeholders.
