Priority 3: ENNA - The New European Policy Contributor
Our Strategic Work Plan 2011-2013
Building a new European Player
At its March 2011 General Assembly in Brussels, the European Network of National Civil Society Associations adopted its first Strategic Work Plan valid until 2013. The Strategic Work Plan, entitled Building a New European Player, identifies a set of priorities for the Network's first years of existence.
The General Assembly adopted three headline priorities for the network:
- ENNA: Focussed on its Members;
- ENNA: the New European Policy Hub;
- ENNA: the New European Policy Contributor.
The priorities underpin ENNA's main objectives to be:
- A membership-led and membership focussed network delivering quality services for its members;
- An active source of information on European policy developments and comparative research on challenges and good practice arising from the membership and civil society;
- And finally a positive contributor to the European construction.
The General Assembly adopted three headline priorities for the network:
- ENNA: Focussed on its Members;
- ENNA: the New European Policy Hub;
- ENNA: the New European Policy Contributor.
The priorities underpin ENNA's main objectives to be:
- A membership-led and membership focussed network delivering quality services for its members;
- An active source of information on European policy developments and comparative research on challenges and good practice arising from the membership and civil society;
- And finally a positive contributor to the European construction.
Our third priority: ENNA - The New European Policy Contributor
We want our expertise recognised as a constructive input; a strong voice for civil society
The General Assembly, in adopting the Strategic Work Plan, set its third priority to establish ENNA as a policy contributor advocating from the unique perspective of national civil society associations as infrastructure bodies most aware of the cross-sectoral needs and interests of civil society.
We seek to secure a collective voice on issues of shared interest, strengthening the frameworks that structure the relationship between EU institutions and civil society organisations.
We seek to secure a collective voice on issues of shared interest, strengthening the frameworks that structure the relationship between EU institutions and civil society organisations.
Three thematic strands
We want our positions to reflect our members' perspective, whilst influencing the European decision makers
Under this priority, we've divided our work under a number of sub-strands:
- Secure strong positions from the members on the policies outlined in ENNA’s statutes enabling the ENNA secretariat to act in a policy advocacy role.
- Contribute to new EU initiatives, consultations, and law-making proposals by contributing and defending position papers, and employing our contacts to secure our positions.
- Secure our presence at key EU events, on panels and other activities which enable ENNA to raise its profile and have its positions heard and supported.
- Secure strong positions from the members on the policies outlined in ENNA’s statutes enabling the ENNA secretariat to act in a policy advocacy role.
- Contribute to new EU initiatives, consultations, and law-making proposals by contributing and defending position papers, and employing our contacts to secure our positions.
- Secure our presence at key EU events, on panels and other activities which enable ENNA to raise its profile and have its positions heard and supported.
What we're putting in place in the coming years
Turning words into action
To achieve this objective, we've begun the process of explaining better what is meant by our statutory aims and objectives. We're doing so by adopting a number of shared position papers which the steering group and our secretariat will be mandated to promote in EU debates. We'll be developing services that enable our members to feed into EU consultations as they happen, as well as supporting members to lobby the institutions on issues affecting them. Our presence in Brussels and in high-level policy forums will ensure that the voice of the national civil society associations is heard.
Policy Position Papers
Starting at the September 2011 Warsaw Annual Meeting of Members is adopting a number of policy position papers further defining the shared national civil society association viewpoint on the hot topics being addressed or ignored at the European level. For 2011-2013, ENNA will be adopting positions on many topics including:
- Civic Participation in Governance
- Accountability and Transparency in Governance
- Promoting volunteering in society
- Legal frameworks governing the non-profit sector
- Civil Society's Role as an Employer Supporting Inclusive Growth
- Funding and tax policies governing the non-profit sector
- Civic Participation in Governance
- Accountability and Transparency in Governance
- Promoting volunteering in society
- Legal frameworks governing the non-profit sector
- Civil Society's Role as an Employer Supporting Inclusive Growth
- Funding and tax policies governing the non-profit sector
Responding to EU consultations
We will be strengthening the reach of our newly-found common voice, by identifying EU public consultations on policy topics that affect our members and their members. Led by our steering group and our secretariat, we will be adopting joint responses to these consultations ensuring the EU is better aware of local, regional, and grassroots infrastructure bodies' analyses on the impact their initiatives will have at the grassroots operating level.
