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Civil society regional programme > Interview with Andrea Amato

Civil society in the Southern Mediterranean - an engine for change

Civil society has been at the forefront of the Arab Spring, all along the southern shores of the Mediterranean. For years Europe has been attempting to strengthen the institutional capacity of civil society to promote dialogue between its participants, governmental institutions and other representatives. We discussed this topic with Andrea Amato, President of the Mediterranean Institute, which is coordinating the EUfunded Civil Society regional programme. He explained that the
n Andrea Amato, President of the Mediterranean Institute

programme aims to ensure the presence of representatives of civil society

in the oces of political decision-makers, both at national level and in the institutions of the EuroMediterranean Partnership and the Union for the Mediterranean.

This publication does not represent the ocial view of the EC or the EU institutions. The EC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to its content.

Q: What are this programmes objectives? Essentially, implementation of the activities provided for by the programme, which aims to promote organised civil society as a recognised and increasingly essential player with a specific role in the process of political, economic, social, environmental and cultural development and one which understands the societies of the countries on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean. In This is a series of interviews with other words, it involves ensuring greater involvement of or- leaders of projects funded by ganised civil society in all the fields that interest and concern the EUs Regional Programme, it, including in particular the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership prepared by the ENPI Info Centre. and the Union for the Mediterranean, at both national and re- 2011 ENPI Info Centre / EU gional level.

Interview with Andrea Amato Civil society regional programme > Interview with Andrea Amato

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The programme aims to promote organised civil society as a recognized and increasingly essential player.

Q: What are the programmes priority action areas? In order to achieve its objective, the programme aims to improve the capacities of the various elements of civil society, through training and information, in order to make it autonomous by enhancing its capacity to ensure the mobilisation of the human and material resources need for it to work and develop.

Furthermore, the programme also fosters the creation of structures, mechanisms and institutions which enable and ensure consultation, coordination and solidarity between the various elements of civil society and dialogue between them and the public authorities.

To this end, the programme will also focus on fostering and encouraging actions of all kinds which lead to improving the representation, credibility and efficiency of civil society actions and, above all, its independence in decision-making and implementation of actions, in particular in the fields of promotion and application of legislation concerning fundamental rights.

The improvement of the capacities of civil society to enable its participation in the issues which concern it, will clearly foster the intensification of dialogue and consultation and therefore of democracy.

There is a general mood of scepticism owing, in particular, to the nature and duration of the ongoing conflicts in the region

Q: What is the anticipated impact of the programme for the citizens of the partner countries? There will be an indirect impact through the improvement of the capacities of civil society to establish its presence and autonomy and to take on its role and participate in the issues which concern it, fostering the intensification of dialogue and consultation and therefore of democracy, significantly enhancing progress towards the establishment of the rule of law and, finally, ensuring good governance over the long-term in the interests of all citizens.

Q: What do you see as the most important part of the programme? We will do absolutely everything necessary to achieve the contractual objectives of the programme but, as far as we are concerned, the most important aspect is to foster, within each country, the launch of processes that lead to positive developments within the legal framework that will support the various elements of organised civil society in becoming autonomous and voluntarily developing mechanisms and frameworks which enable them to establish the consultation and solidarity necessary to becoming more visible and effective in their action. Q: What are the difficulties facing the programme? In our view, it will certainly not be easy to achieve all our objectives in all the countries concerned because of the general mood of scepticism, owing, in particular, to the nature and duration of the ongoing conflicts in the region, challenging economic conditions and significant democratic shortfalls in many of these countries. The challenges are even greater as the aim of the programme involves ensuring the organised presence of representatives of civil society in the decision-making institutions and authorities, at least in a consultative capacity, both at national and regional level.

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Civil society regional programme

www.euromedcivilsociety.net
This project aims to enhance the position of civil society in the southern Mediterranean region in order to stimulate a more democratic debate at national level and within the framework of the EuroMediterranean Partnership and the Union for the Mediterranean.

Participating countries
Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria and Tunisia.

Objectives
This project aims to strengthen the institutional capacity of civil society to promote means of dialogue and coordination within civil society and between civil society and the public institutions. It also proposes to encourage activities and debate at national and regional level on the policies, institutions and mechanisms of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and the Union for the Mediterranean. More specifically, the programme organises thematic workshops, roundtables and training courses etc., providing a platform for the exchange of good practice and creating synergies within national and regional civil society (south of the Mediterranean region).

Timeframe
2008-2012

Find out more Budget

1 million ENPI Info Centre project profile http://www.enpi-info.eu/mainmed.php?id=337&id_type=10 ENPI Info Centre Thematic portal Civil Society and local authorities http://www.enpi-info.eu/thememed.php?subject=14

ENPI info centre info ce t e www.enpi-info.eu

www.enpi-info.eu p

The ENPI Info Centre is an EU-funded Regional Information and Communication project highlighting the partnership between the EU and Neighbouring countries. The project is managed by Action Global Communications.