Example of a Regional Civil Society Initiative During a coordination meeting organised by the FMO, three FOs decide to organise a regional seminar on Hate Speech instead of each organising a separate one in their countries. This will allow better use of funds, increased visibility and enhanced networking.
Regional civil society initiatives are activities that contribute to the Fund objective and aim to promote regional exchange and networking, with a view to strengthening the civil society sector, sharing knowledge, promoting mutual learning, adoption and use of knowledge and good practice across civil society.
The Fund Operator is required to set aside an amount of the total programme allocation for regional civil society initiatives. The maximum amount for each programme is indicated in the Terms of Reference and set in the Programme Implementation Agreement.
Ten percent of the regional civil society initiatives budget will be paid to the Fund Operator fourteen days after the signature of the Programme Implementation Agreement. This allocation is provided to ensure the Fund Operator’s participation early on in regional civil society initiative events such as those organised by FMO or the Donors, travelling to meetings outside the Beneficiary State.
Regional civil society initiatives are organised by at least two Fund Operators, or by the Fund Operator together with another EEA and Norway Grants Programme Operator in the Beneficiary State, or by one or more Fund Operators together with a Donor Contact Point or the FMO, and may also be initiated by the FMO or Donors. Participants in regional civil society initiatives can include the Fund Operators of EEA Civil Society Fund programmes, other EEA and Norway Grants Programme Operators, project promoters and their partners, and civil society stakeholders, as well as international organisations and Donor State entities.
Question: Are costs for participation in a regional civil society initiative (RCSI) event organised by another Fund Operator (in line with the Programme Implementation Agreement) eligible under the RCSI budget line of the participating Fund Operator? Answer: Yes, it is. The Fund Operators should agree between themselves if they wish to cover each other's participation and ensure that costs are only claim towards one programme. All the activities budgeted under RCSI should also be indicated in the Plan for RCSI.
Question: Are participants from countries other than the EEA Grants’ beneficiary states, donor states and states bordering the respective Beneficiary State eligible to have their costs covered for participating in Regional Civil Society Initiatives? Answer: The rules on eligibility of project promoters/partners do not apply to the RCSI, and costs under the RCSI are eligible if they comply with the Article 6.3 of the Programme Implementation Agreement. This entails that also costs of people/entities from outside the Beneficiary/Donors States contributing to the initiative in question may be eligible, provided that they comply with the mentioned provisions of the Programme Implementation Agreement.
Question: Can we cover the travel costs of government representatives to RCSIs? Answer: The funds set aside for the RCSI will also facilitate the participation of relevant stakeholders in events/seminars/activities agreed with the donors. Participants in RCSIs can include the FOs, other EEA and Norway Grants Programme Operators, project promoters and their partners, and civil society stakeholders, as well as international organisations. This list is not exhaustive. For RCSIs, it is the activity that is subject to eligibility requirements and not the participants. The rules on eligibility of project promoters/partners do not apply to the RCSI, and costs under the RCSI are eligible if they comply with the relevant Articles in the Programme Implementation Agreement i.e. the travel costs of government representatives can be covered, as long as these costs comply with the provisions on eligibility of expenditure in the Programme Implementation Agreement.
Question: Can personnel costs related to regional civil society initiatives (RCSI) be covered under the budget line for RCSI? Answer: Personnel costs for implementing RCSI activities can be covered by the budget line for RCSI. Care must be taken to ensure such costs covered directly by the RCSI outcome would not fall under the responsibility of what the Fund Operator is expected to cover with the management fee when it comes to RCSI, paying particular attention to Article 2.1(x) of the Programme Implementation Agreement: the implementation of regional civil society initiatives in line with the objectives stated under Article 6.3. For reference, RCSI activities serve to contribute to the Programme objective and aim to promote regional exchange and networking, with a view to strengthen the civil society sector, sharing knowledge, promoting mutual learning, adoption and use of knowledge and good practice across civil society. Therefore, when planning personnel costs to be charged to the RCSI outcome, one should always consider how those costs link to the above-mentioned activities. If in doubt, please do not hesitate to contact the FMO.
The Fund Operator must keep the FMO informed about any plans in due course.
Within the first year of programme implementation the Fund Operator submits a plan for regional civil society initiatives (non-binding, not part of the Programme Implementation Agreement) to the FMO for approval. The plan should be coordinated based on coordination with other EEA Civil Society Fund Operators.
After the first year, the Fund Operator submits annual updates to the regional civil society initiatives plan to the FMO based on coordination with other Fund Operators as well as other relevant stakeholders. The Fund Operator informs the Donor State Embassies about planned initiatives.
The plan must be in English.