ACF support - opportunity to seek solutions to challenges

On Thursday, 6 February, in Brussels, at the conference "Engaging Citizens for Good Governance in Cohesion Policy", it was stated that support of the Active Citizens Fund (ACF) enables NGOs to seek solutions to regional challenges. It also helps to bring EU policies closer to citizens by translating broad objectives into local priorities.

The event brought together citizens, representatives of civil society, politicians, policymakers, and academia from across the EU and beyond. At this high-level conference, the ACF Latvia was represented by Anita Selicka, Member of the Executive Board of ACF, Executive Director of the Latvian Rural Forum.

The participants focused discussions on how to foster closer cooperation with citizens and civil society and give them a more prominent role in the governance of the policy, as well as in the implementation of the EU-funded projects on the ground and the dissemination of their results.

At the conference exhibition, together with representatives of the ACF Brussels office, Portuguese ACF operators and representatives of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, A. Selicka provided information on the ACF's capabilities and good practices. Audun Halvorsen, Secretary of State at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, pointed out that in order to our society to develop, we need active public debate, active citizens and a strong civil society.

ACF representatives agreed that people in many countries want to be involved in creating changes, but often the involvement is low, not because of unwillingness but because of lack of capacity. In European Union, 13 funds operate for civil society.

Capacity building opportunities provided by EEA / Norway Financial Mechanism, including the Active Citizens Fund, are therefore crucial. They also allow embedding the participation in existing mechanisms rather than on a case-by-case basis, making it a daily practice.