1. Stakeholder Engagement EAPN EU Inclusion Strategies Group
13 EAPN: Fighting for a Social Europe Free of Poverty
Task Force
Stakeholder Engagement
Elke Vandermeerschen
EAPN EU Inclusion Strategies Group
8 February 2014
Brussels
EUROPEAN ANTI-POVERTY NETWORK
RÉSEAU EUROPÉEN DES ASSOCIATIONS
DE LUTTE CONTRE LA PAUVRETÉ ET L’EXCLUSION SOCIALE 1

2. EO's: Reka Tunyogi (Eurochild), Macej Kucharczyk (AGE-Platform),
Members of the TF
National Networks: Kalle Laane (EAPN EE), Isabel Allende (EAPN ES), Sonja Wallbom (EAPN SE), Natasha Najdenovalevic (EAPN MA), Elke Vandermeerschen and Paul Rosiers (BAPN),
EO's: Reka Tunyogi (Eurochild), Macej Kucharczyk (AGE-Platform),
EAPN Secretariat: Sian Jones & Nellie Epinat 2

3. Objectives & outputs of the TF
General objective: Promoting Effective Stakeholder Participation in Stakeholder Dialogue in Europe 2020, including people with direct experience of poverty”.
Output 1: “Guidelines”: Produce EAPN Common Principles to promote effective stakeholder engagement in Europe 2020 that includes people experiencing poverty and their NGOs, at the EU, national and sub- national level. 3

4. Objectives & outputs of the TF
Output 2: Action Note: Produce an action note to help members to use the Principles and handbook in order to improve civil dialogue and engagement, in Europe 2020 and similar policy processes.
Output 3: Capacity Building: Prepare a capacity building exchange with the EUIS to build on the learning and to take forward demands at EU, national and sub-national level. 4

5. Guidelines: 'Give a Voice to Citizens !'
How to build stakeholder engagement
for effective decision-making
Introduction: Strong message
What ?:
Clarifying concepts
Core principles 5

6. WHAT ? - Clarifying concepts - Core principles: Participative
Inclusive
Respectful
Continuous
Open
Transparent
Accountable
Coherent
Effective 6

7. WHY ? - The Added Value Bringing in essential expertise & knowledge
Empowering people & communities
Promoting mutual learning & understanding
Building consensus, accountability & legitimacy
Raising visibility & public awareness
Enhancing coördination 7

8. WHY ? - Necessity & EU basis
Governance principles in the Lisbon Treaty
Open Method of Coördination
Europe 2020
Social Investment Package
- The Lack of Stakeholder Engagement today
Lack of Meaningful Participation
Scepticism about the EU & Europe 2020 8

9. WH0 ?
- Policy Actors
- Other Stakeholders 9

10. - Ensure you reach the right stakeholders
HOW ?
- Define the scope and terms of the dialogue and engagement – what you want to achieve and how, with a timeframe.
- Ensure you reach the right stakeholders
- Invest in the engagement – allocate the resources
- Establish clear coordination contact point for stakeholders and person responsible for continuous quality in the engagement. 10

11. HOW ?
-Plan the engagement – set out a clear timeline, giving sufficient time for engagement – this means pre-preparation for some groups. – Invest in effective methodology (before during after)
- Invest in capacity building of administration, decision-makers and stakeholders- to learn more about each other, but also to develop their skills for participating better in this kind of processes 11

12. - Establish a legal framework for civil dialogue
HOW ?
- Establish a legal framework for civil dialogue
- Promote mutual learning and exchange on methodologies and results with other administrations and at EU level.
- Ensure that stakeholder involvement processes are used where functional 12

13. - At regional (sub-national) level - At local (town/ community) level
ACT !
- At EU level
- At national level
- At regional (sub-national) level
- At local (town/ community) level 13

14. WHAT WE WANT FROM YOU ?
- CONCRETE examples: good practices, less good practices, inspiring practices... (especially on the 'HOW' part)
- feedback on the document 14

15. ACTION NOTE & CAPACITY BUILDING
- How to use the guidelines, what can you do to try to build or enforce structural stakeholder engagement (related to EU2020):
- when there is no structural stakeholder engagement at all in your country
- when there is some form of structural stakeholder engagement
- when you already have a strong structure/practice of stakeholder engagement 15