Are you working at a county council and looking to develop ideas that are sustainable and replicable in other countries? Or are you keen to learn how other county councils around Europe tackle social and environmental challenges? ​

Local authorities and nonprofits working together across Europe can develop networks of towns to engage deeply on shared learning and make their cooperation more sustainable. Projects are up to 24 months long.  Networks created by a series of town twinning links should be used for developing long-lasting cooperation between towns. Deadline for proposals: Tuesday 3 March 2020 @4pm GMT. Apply through this link.

"Town Twinning" supports projects that aim to bring together a wide range of citizens from twinned towns around topics in line with the objectives of the programme. It funds great projects that mobilise citizens at local and EU level, encouraging them to debate issues on the European agenda. 

We were delighted to learn this month that Skerries Town Twinning Association have been successful in their application for funding for their project "Our future in Europe - The effects of Brexit and the challenges facing local communities in EU border countries". Upon completion of the project in Skerries this Summer and submission of their final report, they will receive funding of €7560 from the Europe for Citizens Programme. Well done all! 

The Call for Proposals under European Remembrance is NOW open.  In addition to this, the Commission has now published an updated Programme Guide for 2020 - Read it here.

If you are applying for funding, also don't forget to consult the Programme Priorities for 2020. This lists the dates in 20th century European history that are to be commemorated via projects i.e.:

• 1950 Robert Schuman Declaration
• 1990 German reunification and democratic transition of other countries in Europe
• 2000 Proclamation of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights

Other priorities that can form the basis of your project are:  

• Civil society and civic participation under totalitarian regimes
• Antisemitism, anti-gypsyism, xenophobia, homophobia and other forms of intolerance: drawing the lessons for today 
• Democratic transition and accession to the European Union 

Please contact europe@wheel.ie in the New Year for application and technical advice and we'd be delighted to help.

Engaging in European partnerships can benefit organisations of all sizes, allowing them to develop new research, ideas, programmes and resources. It can facilitate collaboration and learning between partners throughout Europe and enable organisations to build an international profile.

So how can you find and keep good partners for your Europe for Citizens project?

The Wheel will be hosting a webinar on Friday 13 December 2019 at 10am introducing EU partnership building and best practice. The session will feature a guest who can provide a contextual background to partnership building and management based on their first-hand experience.  

By the end of this event, participants will have:

• Increased their understanding of how European funding partnerships and consortia work
• Improved their understanding of how to find partners within the EU
• Gained an understanding of good practice in partnership building
• Head a real-life experience and case study from a guest on the webinar who has worked on multiple EU partnerships
• Heard about the upcoming funding deadlines for the Europe for Citizens programme

​Sign up here

According to a report published this month by the EACEA on the results of Europe for Citizens in 2018, 1796 applications were submitted from all around Europe with 16 coming from Ireland, six of which were selected. The average success rate by country was 23% but for Ireland the success rate was 38%, the fifth highest based on a ratio of those submitted/selected per country.

Europe for Citizens continues to be competitive so applicants need to focus on designing good projects and writing strong proposals. To win funding in 2018, the minimum score required for Civil Society Projects in 2018 was 82.5 but for Town Twinning, a score of 71 or more was suffice. Irish-led projects tended to have lower numbers of partners, possibly attributable to our geographical distance from mainland Europe. 

Stats and data are useful, but most important of all is the difference the programme is making at local, national and EU level. Speaking on the programme’s impact, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitri Avramopoulos said;

"In 2018 the Europe for Citizens programme continued to stimulate EU citizens' democratic engagement to debate and act on the issues that are at the top of the EU political agenda and EU policies: the future of Europe, migration, security and socio-economic solidarity. Funding small, high-impact projects with reasonable budgets is an important way to connect citizens to, and engage them in, the Union, promote its democratic values and  - to coin a Greek phrase – make a  European demos a reality”.

Do you want to apply for funding and want to understand the stats? Contact europe@wheel.ie to discuss these results or read the full report here.

Results are in! The Wheel wishes to congratulate the following Irish organisation which has been awarded funding from Europe for Citizens, Town Twinning strand:

• Twilight Community Group, Kilkenny:  "International Community Enterprise" - €10,080

Irish organisations have been successful as partners too in the Network of Towns call, participating in exciting new projects which will start later this year.  Well done to:​

• Limerick County Council
• Bundoran Douzelage Town Twinning Committee
  

 Are you also seeking to apply? Attend our practical workshops in November 2019 for top tips and guidance on EU funding applications.  See here.

Today we are delighted to announce the results of the 2019 European Remembrance funding round from Europe for Citizens. Against a deadline of 1 February 2019, the EACEA received 262 eligible funding proposals, including four from Ireland.

So who from Ireland has been successful? The Wheel wishes to congratulate the following Irish organisations who have been awarded funding:

• Smashing Times Theatre Company: "EU 1979: A People’s Parliament - Democracy, Human Rights and Women’s Political Participation" - €98,280
  
• Holocaust Educational Trust: "The Crocus Project: Remembering the Holocaust, learning lessons for
  contemporary Europe" - €98,280

Remembrance projects reflect on European cultural diversity and common values, examining the root causes of totalitarian regimes in Europe's modern history and commemorating the victims of their crimes. It also funds projects that look at other defining moments and reference points in recent European history.

The next funding deadline will be 1 February 2020. Are you seeking to apply? Attend our practical workshop on 19  November 2020 for top tips and guidance on EU funding applications.  Book here.

You may be considering applying to the Europe for Citizens programme but looking for ideas and inspiration to get you started...

A new report published by the Commission explores the impact of the programme around Europe between 2014 and 2019. Packed with lively stories and testimonies, this public report shows that the Europe for Citizens programme has created democratic space for citizens to discuss the Europe they want and where it came from.

Read the report today and if preparing a proposal, discuss it with your colleagues, partners and beneficiary groups. What projects interest you and what makes them innovative? Contact us if you wish to discuss your ideas further. 

In advance of the funding deadline for Network of Towns 1 March 2019, we have received a number of requests for partners to join projects. 

Tackling challenges around migration, volunteering, integration and climate change at local and European level, these projects look innovative.  Irish county councils or town twinning groups may like to join; all you need is your PIC number to join a project as a partner.

Contact Deirdre at The Wheel today to get full project descriptions and an opportunity to join. GOOD LUCK!