REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the Europe for Citizens programme 2014-2020
Date: 2018-04-06
Institutions: Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Subjects: EU programme, European cooperation, European identity, citizens' Europe, civil society, participatory democracy

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 6.4.2018  COM(2018) 170 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS on the mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the Europe for Citizens programme 2014-2020  {SWD(2018) 86 final}  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE 
COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE 
COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS 

on the mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the Europe for Citizens 
programme 2014-2020  

In his 2017 State of the Union address, President Juncker underlined the need to involve civil 
society  at  national,  regional  and  local  level  more  in  the  work  on  the  future  of  Europe.  The 
Europe  for  Citizens  programme  is  one  of  the  tools  for  engaging  European  citizens  in  the 
European project and in stimulating profound interest in and identification with the European 
Union. 

This report sets out the mid-term results obtained by the Europe for Citizens programme and 
discusses the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the implementation of the programme, as 
required by Article 15(4)(a) of Council Regulation No 390/2014 of 14 April 20141. It is based 
on  the  findings  of  an  externally  run  mid-term  evaluation2  and  a  staff  working  document 
prepared by the European Commission3 and it builds on a European Parliament report on the 
implementation of the programme  of March 20174  and a public consultation carried out by 
the Commission between January and April 20175. 

1. 

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND 

The  current  Europe  for  Citizens  programme  2014-2020  was  established  by  Council 
Regulation (EU) No 390/2014. 

The Regulation sets its general objectives as being to: 

  contribute to citizens’ understanding of the EU, its history and diversity; and 
 

foster  European  citizenship  and  to  improve  conditions  for  civic  and  democratic 
participation at EU level. 

Its specific objectives are to: 

 

raise  awareness  of  remembrance,  the  common  history  and  values  of  the  EU  and  the 
EU’s  aim,  namely  to  promote  peace,  the  values  of  the  EU  and  the  well-being  of  its 
peoples by stimulating debate, reflection and the development of networks; and 

1 

2 
3 

4  

5  

Council Regulation No 390/2014/EC of 14 April 2014 establishing the programme ‘Europe for Citizens’ 
programme for the period 2014-2020, OJ L 115, 17.4.2014. 
Mid-term evaluation of the Europe for Citizens Programme, Deloitte and Coffey International, July 2017. 
Commission staff working document accompanying the report on the mid-term evaluation of the 
implementation of the Europe for Citizens programme 2014-2020 
European Parliament Report on the implementation of Council Regulation (EU) No 390/2014 of 14 April 
2014 establishing the Europe for Citizens programme (2015/2329(INI)). 
See: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/content/public-consultation-mid-term-evaluation-europe-citizens-
programme-2014-2020_en 

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  encourage  democratic  and  civic  participation  of  citizens  at  EU  level,  by  developing 
citizens’ understanding of the EU policy-making process and promoting opportunities 
for societal and intercultural engagement and volunteering at EU level. 

The  programme  is  implemented  by  the  European  Commission  with  the  support  of  the 
Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). 

2. 

KEY ELEMENTS AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROGRAMME 

The  programme  supports  a  wide  range  of  activities  and  organisations  that  promote  active 
European citizenship through involving citizens across Europe. The programme’s two strands 
—  European  remembrance  and  democratic  engagement  and  civic  participation  —  are 
complemented  by  a  cross-cutting  measure  (horizontal  action:  valorisation)  for  analysis, 
dissemination  and  use  of  the  projects’  results.  As  provided  by  in  the  Regulation,  the 
programme  uses  action  grants  to  support  projects  of  both  strands  and  operating  grants  to 
support organisations working within the objectives of the programme. 

2.1.  The programme’s strands 

  Strand 1: European remembrance 

This strand supports activities that invite reflection on European cultural diversity and the 
EU’s common values in the broadest sense. It aims to finance projects that reflect on the 
causes of totalitarian regimes in Europe’s modern history and commemorate the victims of 
their crimes. 

It also supports activities relating to other defining moments and reference points in recent 
European  history.  Particular  preference  is  given  to  projects  which  encourage  tolerance, 
mutual  understanding,  intercultural  dialogue  and  reconciliation  as  a  means  of  moving 
beyond  the  past  and  building  the  future,  with  an  emphasis  on  reaching  younger 
generations. 

  Strand 2: Democratic engagement and civic participation 

This  strand  supports  activities  relating  to  civic  participation,  with  a  particular  focus  on 
activities  directly  linked  to  EU  policies.  Support  is  given  with  a  view  to  increasing 
participation  in  shaping  the  EU’s  political  agenda  in  areas  related  to  the  programme’s 
objectives.  This  strand  also  covers  projects  and  initiatives  that  develop  opportunities  for 
mutual understanding, intercultural learning, solidarity, civic engagement and volunteering 
at EU level. 

The following types of activity are supported under Strand 2: 

-  Town  twinning:  This  measure  supports  projects  that  bring  together  a  wide  range  of 
citizens  from  twinned  towns  to  discuss  topics  aligned  with  the  objectives  of  the 
programme. By mobilising citizens at local and EU level to debate concrete issues on the 
European political agenda, these projects seek to promote civic participation and develop 
opportunities for civic engagement. 

-  Networks  of  towns:  Municipalities,  regions  and  associations  working  together  on 
common themes over the long term can develop networks to make their cooperation more 

3 

 
 
 
 
sustainable  and  exchange  good  practice.  Networks  of  towns  organise  activities  around 
subjects of common interest in the context of the programme’s objectives or multi-annual 
priorities. 

-  Civil  society  projects:  This  measure  offers  grants  to  support  projects  promoted  by 
transnational partnerships and networks that directly involve citizens. These projects bring 
together  citizens  from  different  backgrounds  in  activities  that  provide  opportunities  to 
participate  in  shaping  the  EU’s  political  agenda.  As  part  of  these  projects,  citizens  are 
invited  to  collaborate  on  or  debate  multi-annual  priority  themes  at  local  and  European 
levels. 

 

 Horizontal Action: Valorisation 

This measure includes communication activities, studies, the dissemination of programme 
results,  and  support  for  the  Europe  for  Citizens  Contact  Points  (ECPs)  appointed  in 
Member  States  and  participating  countries.  The  ECPs  provide  advice  to  applicants, 
support searches for partners, and disseminate programme information. 

2.2.  Budget 
The  total  budget  for  the  programme  for  the  2014-2020  period  is  EUR  187 718 0006.  The 
programme used all of its commitment and payment allocations during this reporting period. 
These were divided between the programme’s strands and activities as follows:  

  EUR 9.46 million were granted to European remembrance projects.  
  EUR 12.21 million were granted to town twinning projects. 
  EUR 12.71 million were granted to networks of towns. 
  EUR 10.32 million were granted to civil society projects.  
  A  total  of  EUR 3.64  million  was  granted  as  structural  support  for  European 

remembrance organisations.  

  A  total  of  EUR 16.65  million  was  granted  to  think  tanks  and  European  civil  society 

organisations active in the area of civic participation.  

  The  programme  has  also  provided  EUR 2.8  million  of  funding  for  cross-cutting 

activities, including to make best use of the programme’s results.  

Year  

2014 

2015 

2016 

Total 2014-2016 

Table 1:2014 – 2016 programme’s annual expenditure: 

Amount spent (EUR) 

 22 688 003 

 22 352 785 

 22 765 895 

 67 806 683 

Source: European Commission’s annual reports on the programme activities for 2014, 2015 and 2016 

6 Following the outcome of the negotiations on the current Multiannual Financial Framework 2014-2020 (MFF), 
this budget allocation was reduced by around EUR 29.5 million compared to the budget initially proposed by the 
Commission. 

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2.3.  Applications received and projects selected 

Between 2014 and 2016, more than 7 000 grant applications were submitted. Compared to the 
previous programme, fewer projects received a grant7. This is partly explained by the larger 
size of the projects that did receive grants and larger number of participants in the projects. 

On average, less than 10 % of projects submitted in 2014-2016 were funded, except for town 
twinning  projects.  In  2016,  8 %  of  remembrance  projects,  22  %  of  town  twinning  projects, 
9 %  of  network  of  towns  and  5 %  of  civil  society  projects  were  funded8.  The  high  demand 
from grant applicants shows that there is scope for additional funding, including for follow-up 
and dissemination. Despite their positive evaluation, a significant number of projects – which 
could have helped the programme have a wider impact – could not be funded due to budget 
limitations. Stakeholders have stressed that this situation may discourage applicants from re-
applying in future years. In its March 2017 report on the implementation of the programme 
during  the  2014-2020  period9,  the  European  Parliament  called  on  the  Council  and  the 
Commission  to consider a total  budget of approximately EUR 500  million for the successor 
programme  under  the  next  MFF10.  The  European  Economic  and  Social  Committee  came  to 
similar  conclusions  in  its  opinion  on  "Financing  of  civil  society  organisations"  adopted  in 
October 201711. 

Table 2: Number of projects and operating grants awarded versus number of applications received12 

Strand 

Type of 
grant 

No of 
appl. 
received 

No of 
selected 
projects 
2014 

% 
selected 

No of 
appl. 
received 

No of 
selected 
projects 
2015 

% 
selected 

No of 
appl. 
received 

No of 
selected 
projects 
2016 

% 
selected 

STRAND 
1 

STRAND 
2 

Action 
Grants 

Operating 
Grants 
Town 
Twinning 

Networks 
of Towns 

Civil 
Society 
projects 
Operating 
Grants 

472 

22 

36 

6 

8 % 

538 

27 % 

6 

33 

6 

6 % 

468 

100 %13 

6 

38 

6 

8 % 

100 % 

667 

252 

38 % 

1404 

252 

18 % 

1093 

237 

22 % 

224 

35 

16 % 

339 

32 

9 % 

328 

30 

9 % 

538 

139 

29 

29 

5 % 

440 

21 % 

37 

27 

31 

6 % 

541 

84 % 

31 

25 

30 

5 % 

97 % 

7 For example, whereas in 2013, a total number of 544 projects had been funded, in 2016 only 395 projects were 
selected for funding. A total of 353 town-twinning projects and 41 networks of towns were funded in 2013, but 
only 237 town-twinning projects and 30 networks of towns in 2016.  
8 European Commission’s Annual Reports on the programme activities for 2014, 2015 and 2016. 
9 See reference above. 
10 Representing a symbolic ‘1 euro per citizen’. 
11 See: European Economic and Social Committee: "Financing of Civil Society Organisations by the EU", own-
initiative opinion by Jean Marc Roirant of 19 October 2017, EESC 2017, 01953.  
12 Percentages are rounded. 
13 Only organisations originally selected under the call for proposals for the first year of the programme were 
eligible to reapply in 2015 and 2016. 

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Total 

2062 

387 

2764 

381 

2467 

366 

Source: 2017 mid-term evaluation of the programme, Deloitte and Coffey International 

2.4.  Geographical origin of projects 

The programme is open to EU Member States, candidate countries, potential candidates (i.e. 
countries  from  the  Western  Balkans)  and  EFTA  countries  who  are  party  to  the  EEA 
Agreement,  provided  they  sign  an  international  agreement  setting  out  the  details  of  their 
participation in the programme. In 2017, the programme ran in 33 participating countries14. 

Taking into account the involvement of partner organisations, all countries participating in the 
programme  received  project  grants.  Hungary  is  consistently  the  country  with  the  largest 
number  of  beneficiaries,  having  been  awarded  approximately  15 %  of  the  total  number  of 
project  grants  between  2014  and  2016.  Slovakia  and  Italy  are  close  in  terms  of  numbers  of 
projects,  with  approximately  13 %  and  11 %  of  grants  awarded  respectively.  This  is  mainly 
due to the town twinning measure, where these three Member States account for almost half 
of the applications received. 

Table 3: Number of applications received in 2014, 2015 and 2016 by country 

Source: 2017 mid-term evaluation of the programme, Deloitte and Coffey International 

2.5. 

Participants and partners 

Between 2014 and 2016, grants were awarded to support more than 1 000 projects in the 33 
participating  countries.  Altogether,  3.3  million  citizens  were  directly  involved  in  activities 
supported  by  the  programme  (for  example  participants  in  town  twinning  activities, 
participants at events organised by civil society organisations, etc.) and a further 3.9 million 
were  indirectly  involved  (for  example  users  of  online  material  produced  as  part  of  the 
programme,  readers  of  studies  produced  by  think  tanks,  etc.).  The  data  on  first-time 
beneficiaries suggest that the programme is successful in reaching out to new audiences both 
by  attracting  new  beneficiaries  and  through  larger,  more  transnational  partnerships.15  The 

14  28  EU  Member  States,  as  well  as  Albania,  Bosnia  and  Herzegovina,  the  former  Yugoslav  Republic  of 
Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia. 
15 See chapter 3 of the staff working document accompanying this report 

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programme  reached  almost  4 500  towns  in  Europe  through  town  twinning  projects  and 
networks of towns16. 

The  total  number  of  partners  participating  in  each  project  also  increased  considerably. 
Applicants have  become more experienced over time and as  a consequence  submitted more 
complex  projects  involving  more  partners.  In  total,  more  than  2 500  organisations  were 
involved,  split  into  approximately  700  remembrance  organisations  and  1 800  civil  society 
organisations.  

2.6.  Quality of projects 

The introduction of a system of multi-annual thematic priorities to replace the former system 
of annual priorities brought flexibility and major improvements at project level. Multi-annual 
priorities  covering  the  remaining  period  of  the  programme  (2016-2020)  were  introduced  to 
give applicants more time to plan and prepare projects, allowing them to better focus on the 
programme’s  objectives  and  to  submit  more  structured  proposals  with  higher  potential 
impacts.  The  programme’s  strong  focus  on  citizens  alongside  an  emphasis  on topical  issues 
such  as  migration,  solidarity,  cultural  diversity,  social  inclusion,  European  cultural  heritage 
and  historical  memory  offered  participants  the  opportunity  to  bring  grassroots  perspectives 
into the European debate while allowing EU institutions to directly engage with people on the 
ground.  

This has helped to improve the overall quality of town twinning projects, demonstrated by the 
scores received during the evaluation. In the past, town twinning projects often consisted of 
meetings  between  people  from  different  countries  to  address  various  topics  such  as 
environment or sport. As a result of this programme, targeted actions by the Commission and 
the Executive Agency have allowed programme-funded town twinning and networks of towns 
projects to become progressively more inclusive and structured. These projects now usually 
involve a large number of partners (an average of 5 for town twinning projects and of 10 for 
networks of towns)17 and focus on key issues such as migration or the debate on the future of 
Europe. 

Content  requirements  were  also  made  more  stringent  for  European  remembrance  and  civil 
society projects, creating a stronger link with the programme’s objectives. In consequence, an 
increasing  number  of  organisations  introduced  more  innovative  projects  with  a  stronger 
European dimension18. 

2.7. 

Structural support for organisations 

Between 2014 and 2017, European civil society organisations and think tanks received multi-
annual  structural  support  through  operating  grants19.  On  the  basis  of  their  work  programme 
for  2014-2017,  the  selected  organisations  were  awarded  annual  operating  grants.  Following 
the  externally  run  mid-term  evaluation  of  the  programme,  multi-annual  operating  grants 

16 Monitoring programme data, provided by EACEA. 
17 See for example the French ‘Festival of Europe’ town twinning project, described in Annex 4 of the 
accompanying staff working document. 
18 See for example the ‘In Between?’ remembrance project, described in Annex 4 of the accompanying staff 
working document. 
19 Call for proposals for structural support for European public policy research organisations (think tanks) and for 

civil society organisations at European level — COMM-C2/01-2013. 

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allowed  beneficiaries  to  work  with  a  longer-term  vision  and  therefore  to  increase  the 
efficiency of their activities. 

3. 

WHAT HAS THE EUROPE FOR CITIZENS PROGRAMME ACHIEVED? 

As demonstrated in the accompanying staff working document, the programme is performing 
generally well at mid-term for both strands with regard to its specific objectives, based on the 
impact indicators in the impact assessment, the performance-related indicators set out in the 
Regulation and views expressed by stakeholders. 

3.1.  The programme’s relevance and European added value 

In a challenging political, social and economic climate, the programme played an important 
role in fostering the civic engagement of citizens across Europe. It has encouraged people to 
participate more actively in  the development of  the EU and promote  its fundamental values 
such as tolerance, solidarity and non-discrimination, through projects and activities in which 
they  could  participate  and  make  their  voices  heard.  A  large  number  of  projects  directly 
addressed current political and societal issues such as the migration and economic crises. The 
programme  has  also  supported  volunteering,  in  particular  by  providing  placements  for 
members of the newly established European Solidarity Corps. 

The  rise  of  Euroscepticism  experienced  during  this  period  highlighted  the  programme’s 
importance, reinforcing the need to encourage the development of a shared sense of European 
identity and to reflect on the causes underlying questions surrounding the attractiveness and 
added value of the European Union to participating countries and European citizens. Against 
this background, the programme offered a public forum that gives people the opportunity to 
express their ideas about the future of Europe through a grassroots approach. 

Compared to the previous programme, the stronger focus on European historical memory in 
the  current  programme  has  been  essential  to  achieving  its  objectives.  It  has  in  particular 
encouraged  reflection  on  Europe’s  cultural  diversity  and  common  values,  and  has  created 
links  between  lessons  learned  from  recent  European  history  and  the  debate  about  Europe’s 
future. 

All  activities  funded  under  Europe  for  Citizens  programme  have  either  a  cross-border 
dimension,  involving  citizens  and  organisations  from  several  participating  countries,  or  are 
related to the European Union itself Activities related, among others, to remembrance, town-
twinning  or  pan-European  networks  are  intended  to  broaden  perspectives  and  to  develop  a 
sense  of  European  identity  and  belonging.  The  programme  demonstrates  European  added 
value in the aggregate effect of its impact on participants and its complementarity with other 
EU initiatives which is not likely to be attained by other means if it was not continued. 

3.2.  Achievement of the programme's objectives  

Through  the  European  remembrance  strand,  the  programme  helped  raise  awareness  of 
European  historical  memory  and  remembrance,  including  through  the  development  of 
activities linking remembrance with civic participation and democracy in the broadest sense. 
In the area of projects relating to the Holocaust and genocide, an exchange crossing national 
boundaries  and  promoting  a  European  approach  to  history  was  encouraged  thus  adding 
substantial  value  to  relevant  debates.  According  to  the  externally  run  mid-term  evaluation, 
participants  concluded  European  remembrance  projects  by  recognising  that  they  share 
common values with citizens from other participating countries and that the projects had the 

8 

 
 
potential  to  contribute  to  lasting  changes  in  participants’  attitudes  towards  the  EU  and  its 
history, values and culture20. 

In the area of town twinning, the programme achieves results by increasing and encouraging 
mutual understanding and friendship between citizens at a local level. Town twinning offers a 
grassroots  approach  to  citizenship  by  involving  citizens  from  local  communities  in 
experiencing  and  recognising  the  added  value  the  EU  provides21.  These  experiences  in  turn 
lead  to  an  increased  sense  of  belonging  to  the  EU  and  finally  to  civic  participation  at  EU 
level. 

Networks  of  towns  complemented  the  traditional  town  twinning  measure  by  offering  towns 
and municipalities the opportunity to develop larger-scale projects with the aim of increasing 
their projects’ impact and sustainability. This allowed beneficiaries to develop more thematic 
and policy-related projects and forge lasting links with partner organisations22. 

The programme targeted civil society organisations through operating grants and civil society 
projects.  Both  involved citizens  in  civic  and  democratic  participation  at  the  European  level, 
andcontributed  to  the  overall  programme  objective  of  bringing  the  EU  closer  to  its 
citizens.For  both  strands  the  available  budget  was  spent  at  a  relatively  even  rate  each  year. 
The high  number of direct and indirect  participants reached by Europe for  Citizens projects 
illustrates that the programmes has been effective at a relatively low cost.  

The participation of stakeholder organisations in the programme influenced their perceptions 
of  Europe.  Most  participating  organisations  noted  positive  effects  on  their  knowledge  of 
Europe and were committed to becoming more engaged with civil society. Participation in the 
programme  also  allowed  civil  society  organisations  and  their  partners  to  build  capacity  and 
international  experience,  learn  from  each  other,  and,  in  some  cases,  form  sustainable 
networks. 

the  programme's  results,  projects  created 

long-lasting 
As  regards  sustainability  of 
relationships  between  partners  who  in  many  cases  continued  to  engage  in  further  civic 
activities after the end of the project. As a result, for example, networks of towns were set up 
following  town-twinning  projects  and  follow-up  events  were  organised  between  the  same 
beneficiaries allowing for activities and projects to continue after their initial funding by the 
Europe for Citizens programme. However, some activities were also "one-off", such as events 
and  meetings  whose  purpose  was  to  strengthen  the  exchange  of  experience  by  focusing  on 
social and cultural aspects 

One  of  the  simplifications  implemented  in  the  current  programme  was  the  introduction  of 
only  two  strands  accompanied  by an  horizontal  action.  This  new  structure  has  proved  to  be 
clearer  to  the  applicants  and  to  work  satisfactorily,  while  the  introduction  of  multi-annual 
priorities, the move to a lump-sum-system and a range of e-measures (reporting system) have 
brought further improvements.  

20 See for example, the Irish remembrance project ‘Women, War and Peace’, described in Annex 4 of the 
accompanying staff working document. 
21 See for example the town-twinning project of San Bartolomé de las Abiertas (Spain) and Lavernose-Lacasse,  
described in Annex 4 of the accompanying staff working document. 
22 See for example the Dutch network of towns ‘Town to Town, People to People — Building A European 
Culture of Zero waste’, described in Annex 4 of the accompanying staff working document. 

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The monitoring process however was challenging, as there were different sets of indicators in 
the  regulation  which  were  not  directly  comparable  with  the  indicators  used  in  the  impact 
assessment.  

3.3.  Valorisation activities – making the most of the programme 

Financially supporting the information structures in EU Member States and other participating 
countries — the Europe for Citizens Contact Points (ECPs)23 — has been the main activity in 
this  domain.  The  external  mid-term  evaluation  confirms  the  effectiveness  of  the  ECPs  as 
actors  at  national  level  in  promoting  the  programme,  supporting  potential  applicants,  and 
establishing links with grassroots organisations and stakeholders in participating countries. 
In addition, dissemination tools such as the VALOR platform for project results24 have been 
developed and maintained. This new online database helps to promote the exchange of good 
practice and synergies between EU funding programmes in the areas of education, culture and 
citizenship. 

While dissemination activities have broadly helped raise awareness about the programme, it 
would  be  beneficial  to  develop  a  more  strategic  approach  during  the  second  half  of  the 
programme,  to  further  improve  the  visibility  of  the  activities  and  the  transferability  and 
sustainability of the projects’ results. 

3.4. 

Policy events and meetings 

Events  organised  throughout  the  first  half  of  the  programme  helped  raising  awareness  and 
overall visibility of the programme and involving more actively stakeholders. Since 2010, the 
European  Commission  has  organised  yearly  European  Remembrance  Networking Meetings, 
which bring together representatives of organisations that are active in the area of European 
remembrance.  Since  2012,  the  European  Commission  has  also  organised  a  special  annual 
event  in  Brussels  to  commemorate  the  victims  of  the  Holocaust  on  International  Holocaust 
Remembrance  Day,  27 January.  In  addition  to  encouraging  the  development  of  a  pan-
European remembrance network, these events improve dialogue on the multi-annual priorities 
of the remembrance strand of this programme and have the potential to raise the programme’s 
overall profile. 

Under the civic participation strand, two conferences have been organised in cooperation with 
stakeholder organisations (in 2014 in Rome and in 2016 in Barcelona), increasing the political 
visibility of activities funded under the programme. 

Stakeholders  participate  in  the  programme’s  policy-making  process  through  civil  dialogue, 
consisting  of  regular  meetings  between  Commission  staff  and  around  50  key  stakeholder 
organisations  who  are  actively  involved.  Through  its  Civil  Dialogue  group,  the  programme 
ensures  the  presence  of  independent  civil  society  voices  in  EU  debates  and  offers  them  a 
forum for dialogue with the Commission and other institutions. 

23 Between 2014 and 2016, all Member States and participating countries except the United Kingdom, Albania, 
Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro had designated ECPs. 
24  

See: http://ec.europa.eu/programmes/europe-for-citizens/projects/ 

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3.5.  Complementarities and synergies with other EU programmes 

The Europe for Citizens programme is consistent with other EU policies and tools dedicated 
to  increasing  EU  citizens’  participation  in  EU  civil  society  and  is  in  line  with  other 
instruments  in  the  areas  of  volunteering,  youth,  research  and  innovation.    It  complements 
other  EU  funding  programmes,  notably  Erasmus+,  the  European  Solidarity  Corps,  Creative 
Europe’s Culture sub-programme and the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 by adding 
a focus on participation and a strong emphasis on citizens and societal aspects of the EU. 

While synergies are already developed in some areas, for example in the establishment of the 
VALOR platform mentioned above, or through occasional cooperation of Europe for Citizens 
Contact  Points,  the  Creative  Europe  Desks  and  Erasmus+  National  Agencies,  the  mid-term 
evaluation  shows  that  the  programme  can  further  benefit  more  coordinated  approach  with 
other relevant programmes in the future. 

4. 

CONCLUSIONS AND WAY FORWARD 

Political and  societal  developments  in  Europe  over  the last  decade  have  brought  citizenship 
issues  to  the  fore  and  emphasised  the  need  to  increase  the  value  EU  citizens  see  in  the 
European project. 

This  report  on  the  mid-term  evaluation  of  the  2014-2020  Europe  for  Citizens  programme 
confirms  the  programme’s  use  in  promoting  civic  participation,  strengthening  the  sense  of 
belonging  together  and  supporting  mutual  understanding.  The  programme  plays  a  positive 
overall role in encouraging civic participation and democratic engagement, reaching out to a 
large number of citizens who would not otherwise have engaged with the European project. 
Participation  in  the  programme  helps  to  strengthen  awareness  of  EU  issues  and  develop 
mutual  understanding  of  and  identification  with  Europe,  thereby  helping  to  support  the 
European  integration  process  in  the  longer  term.  Since  its  very  beginning,  the  Europe  for 
Citizens programme has been recognised as a step towards more consistent EU strategy and 
policy  in  the  areas  of  civic  participation  and  European  remembrance.  In  this  context,  the 
programme can also have a positive impact on the interest and participation of citizens in the 
upcoming European elections. 

The  programme’s  current  structure,  with  two  strands  and  a  cross-cutting  measure  on 
valorisation,  has  contributed  to  a  debate  on  the  future  of  the  EU,  based  on  lessons  learned 
from its past. Both operating and action grants have helped deliver the desired outcomes. 

While  most  EU  funding  programmes  directly  relate  to  specific  EU  policies,  the  Europe  for 
Citizens programme fills a gap by addressing the Commission’s overall objective of bringing 
citizens closer to the EU. By working directly with citizens, the programme provides a unique 
forum through which to involve people in the EU via a grassroots approach. The programme 
has demonstrated its added value at EU level both in its impact on participants and its role as 
a complement to other EU funding instruments and policy initiatives. 

In  the  framework  of  the  preparation  of  the  next  multiannual  financial  framework  and  the 
future  EU  funding  programmes,  the  Commission  will  assess  the  findings  of  the  mid-term 
evaluation and address all aspects that have been identified for improvement, in particular the 
increase  of  the  programme's  visibility,  the  revision  of  the  monitoring  indicators  and  the 
strengthening of synergies with other relevant EU funding programmes and initiatives.  

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