A Stable EU Neighbourhood
The ENP’s main objective is to build more effective partnerships towards a stable EU Neighbourhood, in political, socio-economic and security terms, and strengthening the resilience and efficiency of neighbour states and civil society organisations. It implements projects through a tailor-made approach, taking each country’s individual needs and wider reflection on the region into account. It focuses its efforts on good governance, the rule of law and protection of human rights; economic growth, including wider access for neighbouring countries to the EU market; peace and security; environmental sustainability, intercultural understanding and migration and mobility.
Regional and Sub-regional Facilitation
To that effect, the EU established the ENI as the core funding source that facilitates the ENP’s ventures and turns decisions taken on the political level into tangible actions. The instrument supports civil society by promoting a cross-border culture of open dialogue, equality and democracy and enhancing cooperation and mobility as well as connecting people. It also encourages environmental sustainability and empowers CSOs through Neighbourhood and regional collaboration. In addition, through ENP’s programmes and networks such as Majalat, CSF South, Cross-Border Cooperation (CBC), Med Dialogue and the Civil Society Forum, the EU provides assistance to the civil society in the form of bilateral and multilateral programmes which address problems common to all or a number of involved neighbour countries, and which affect the future of the region as a whole. This assistance is implemented through various actions, such as organising trainings, seminars and safe spaces for CSOs to meet and facilitating information sharing through online platforms, resources and technical trainings on evidence collection, analysis and monitoring of public administration activities. On the sub-regional and regional level; the EU supports North-South exchanges and network-building, and encourages CSOs to collaborate on issues of common interest. It also holds regional workshops to support joint ventures between CSOs and local, national, and regional authorities.
Strengthening CSOs’ Capacity: Regional Programmes
The EU is committed to the promotion of human rights principles and fundamental freedoms in the EU and neighboring countries. It has implemented a number of core programmes in the Southern Neighborhood to strengthen the capacity of CSOs and support them financially and non-financially to promote and defend accountability, rule of law, media freedom, ending violence against women and sustainability among other human rights.
