Social Platform Annual Conference on Civil Dialogue - How can we shape the Europe we want? – 9/10 December - Brussels

On 9-10 December 2008, EPHA participated at the Social Platform Annual Conference.

The conference aimed at answering some of the following questions:
 Why do NGOs and decision makers engage in ‘civil dialogue’? Who should take part?
 What civil dialogue structures are necessary for a more ‘social’ Europe that is based on fundamental rights?
 What role should be played by European networks: drivers of European integration, watchdogs or merely facilitators of European propaganda?
 How can the ’hard to reach’ communities bring their voices to the too often inaccessible European decision-making process?

The Conference Programme can be found here and the background document here.

Please find below the reports of the four workshops that were organised:

1. What is the future for the Open Method of Coordination on social inclusion?

2. Funding for public concerns: where should the money come from?

3. What is the role of European NGO networks in bridging the gap between European and national levels?

4. New faces in Europe: how can we connect with the ‘hard to reach’ communities across the EU?

EPHA contributed to the organisation of the Workshop on NGO Funding. The objective of the workshop was to provide space for critical reflection on the strengths and weaknesses of the systems used to fund NGOs working in the public interest. To facilitate this reflection the workshop was drawn on national- and European-level experiences. The workshop aimed to establish concrete conclusions and recommendations on the future funding of NGOs.

Monika Kosinska made a speech on "Challenges faced by health European level NGOs."

Next step

Based on the conference and further discussions with its members, the Social Platform will issue a common position with concrete recommendations on how to move civil dialogue forward, and will start a campaign on this in 2009.