In accordance with Council Regulation No 390/2014, t he Commission presents a report on the mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the Europe for Citizens programme 2014-2020, which is based on the findings of an externally run evaluation. The report discusses the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the implementation of the programme, and builds on a European Parliament report of March 2017.

The programme supports a wide range of activities and organisations that promote active

European citizenship, with the programme’s two strands - European remembrance and democratic engagement and civic participation – being complemented by a cross-cutting measure (valorisation) for analysis and dissemination. The report notes that 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.

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 the reporting period, divided as follows:

EUR 9.46 million: European remembrance projects; EUR 12.21 million: town twinning projects; EUR 12.71 million: networks of towns; EUR 10.32 million: civil society projects: EUR 3.64 million: structural support for European remembrance organisations; EUR 16.65 million: think tanks and European civil society organisations active in the area of civic participation; EUR 2.8 million: funding for cross-cutting activities, including making best use of the programme’s results.

Applications received and projects selected : between 2014 and 2016, more than 7 000 grant applications were submitted. Grants were awarded to support more than 1 000 projects in the 33 participating countries. Compared to the previous programme, fewer projects received a grant due to 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. The high demand from grant applicants shows that there is scope for additional funding, since a significant number of projects could not be funded due to budget limitations. Stakeholders have stressed that this situation may discourage applicants from reapplying in future years. In its 2017 resolution, Parliament called for a total budget of approximately EUR 500 million for the successor programme.

Hungary has the largest number of beneficiaries, having been awarded approximately 15 % of the total number of project grants between 2014 and 2016, followed by Slovakia and Italy, with approximately 13 % and 11 % of grants awarded respectively.

Achievements : the report states that the programme is performing generally well at mid-term for both strands with regard to its specific objectives. Compared to the previous programme, the stronger focus on European historical memory in the current programme has encouraged reflections on Europe’s cultural diversity and has been essential to achieving its objectives. In the area of town twinning, the programme achieves results by increasing and encouraging mutual understanding and friendship between citizens at a local level. Networks of town grants allowed beneficiaries to develop more thematic and policy-related projects and forge lasting links with partner organisations. Overall, the programme’s current structure 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.

Improvements needed: the report notes that the Commission has identified the following areas for improvement:

Revision of monitoring indicators : one of the simplifications implemented in the current programme was the introduction of only two strands accompanied by a horizontal action. Whilst the new structure has proved to be clearer to applicants, the monitoring process 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.

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

Synergies: these are developed in some areas, such as in the establishment of the VALOR platform for dissemination of project results, or through occasional cooperation of Europe for Citizens Contact Points, the Creative Europe Desks and Erasmus+ National Agencies. However, the mid-term evaluation shows that the programme can further benefit more coordinated approach with other relevant programmes in the future.

PURPOSE: to establish the ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme for the period 2014-2020.

NON-LEGISLATIVE ACT: Council Regulation (EU) No 390/2014 establishing the ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme for the period 2014-2020.

CONTENT: this Regulation establishes the ‘Europe for Citizens’ programme for the period 1st January 2014-31 December 2020.

Scope of the programme : the programme has the overall aim of bringing the Union closer to citizens by pursuing the following general objectives:

· to contribute to citizens' understanding of the Union, its history and diversity;

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

Specific objectives of the Programme : the Programme shall have the following specific objectives which shall be implemented through actions at transnational level or with a European dimension:

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

· to encourage the democratic and civic participation of citizens at Union level , by developing citizens' understanding of the Union policy making-process and promoting opportunities for societal and intercultural engagement and volunteering at Union level.

Structure of the programme : the programme is made up of two strands:

1. ‘European remembrance’;

2. ‘Democratic engagement and civic participation’.

The two strands shall be complemented by horizontal actions for analysis, dissemination and use of project results (‘Valorisation’ action). A series of measures would be financed in this context outlined in the Regulation and its Annexe. To be financed, actions should include a European dimension .

Among other financed measures, the following actions are planned:

a)Mutual learning and cooperation activities such as:

· citizens' meetings, town-twinning, networks of twinned towns;

· projects implemented by transnational partnerships including different types of stakeholders; remembrance projects with a European dimension;

· exchanges based, inter alia, on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and/or social media.

b) Structural support for organisations such as:

· bodies pursuing an aim of general Union interest;

· Europe for Citizens Contact Points.

c) Union level analytical activities such as studies focusing on issues relating to the objectives of the Programme.

d) Awareness raising and dissemination activities designed to use and further valorise the results of the supported initiatives and to highlight good practices, such as:

· Union level events including conferences, commemorations and award ceremonies;

· peer reviews, expert meetings and seminars.

Union measures : Union measures may take the form of grants or public procurement contracts. Union grants may be provided through operating grants or action grants .

Public procurement contracts shall cover the purchase of services, such as for organising events, studies and research, information and dissemination tools, monitoring and evaluation.

Participation in the programme : the programme shall be open to the participation of the Member States, acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates, and the EFTA countries party to the EEA Agreement, as well as relevant international organisations such as the Council of Europe or UNESCO, on the basis of joint contributions and in accordance with the Financial Regulation.

Stakeholders : the programme shall be open to all stakeholders promoting European citizenship and integration, in particular local and regional authorities and organisations, twinning committees, European public policy research organisations, civil society organisations (including survivors' associations), and cultural, youth, educational and research organisations.

Implementation : the Commission shall be responsible for the implementation of the programme on the basis of annual work programmes adopted by way of implementing acts (in accordance with the advisory procedure). These annual work programmes shall set out the objectives pursued, the expected results, the method of implementation and the total amount of the financing plan.

Coherence and complementarity : the programme will be implemented with coherence and complementarity with other relevant Union policies, especially in the fields of education, vocational training and youth, sport, culture and the audiovisual sector, fundamental rights and freedoms, social inclusion, gender equality, combating discrimination, research and innovation, information society, enlargement and the external action of the Union.

Financial envelope : in line with the multiannual financial framework for the period 2014-2020, the financial reference amount for the Programme is set at 185 468 000 EUR for the duration of the framework.

Preventive measures have been taken to protect the financial interests of the Union within the programme framework.

Communication, monitoring and evaluation : The Commission shall provide the Member States with information on the projects which have received the Union's funding.

In terms of monitoring and evaluation, it is provided that the Commission will ensure that the programme is subject to:

· regular monitoring linked to its objectives by using performance indicators . If necessary, the indicator would be broken down by sex and age;

· regular external and independent evaluation, with reporting to the European Parliament.

The Commission shall also present to the European Parliament and to the Council:

· by 31 December 2017, an interim evaluation report on the results obtained and on the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the implementation of the Programme;

· by 31 December 2018, a communication on the continuation of the Programme;

· by 1 July 2023, an ex-post evaluation report.

Transitional provisions : transitional provisions are planned so that actions which began before 31 December 2013 pursuant to Decision No 1904/2006/EC shall continue to be governed, until their completion.

Annexe: the Regulation contains an Annexe detailing initiatives eligible for funding, the terms and conditions of management and monitoring of the programme as well as the audit and supervision of the projects implemented.

ENTRY INTO FORCE: 17.04.2014. The Regulation shall apply from 01.01.2014.

The European Parliament adopted by 565 votes to 84, with 36 abstentions, a legislative resolution on the draft Council regulation establishing for the period 2014-2020 the programme "Europe for Citizens".

Parliament gave its consent to the draft Council Regulation as set out in the text which was the subject of a compromise between the European Parliament and the Council (please refer to the summary of 17/09/2013 of the procedure file).

Dual legal basis : plenary adopted a statement in which the Parliament affirmed its conviction that this Regulation pursues also the objectives linked to culture and history as enshrined in Article 167 TFEU. Therefore a dual legal basis entailing the ordinary legislative procedure should have been applied to this dossier.

The only reason why the European Parliament gave up its position on the dual legal basis and hence its claim on codecision and accepted the consent procedure - in accordance with the Commission's proposal based on Article 352 TFEU - was its desire to avoid a complete procedural deadlock and a consequent delay in the entry into force of the Programme.

The European Parliament draws attention to its determination not to allow such a situation to arise again .

PURPOSE: to establish for the period 2014-2020 the programme " Europe for Citizens ".

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: following the contacts that the Council Presidency had with the European Parliament which contested the legal basis proposed for the programme , a new version of the text , acceptable to all the institutions, has been formally addressed to the European Parliament with a request for consent .

LEGAL BASIS: Article 352 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

CONTENT: with this revised proposal, the Council submits a new version of the programme "Europe for Citizens" 2014-2020.

The salient elements of the new version of the text may be summarised as follows:

Subject matter and scope : under the overall aim of bringing the Union closer to citizens, the general objectives of the Programme are the following:

to contribute to citizens' understanding of the Union, its history and diversity; to foster European citizenship and to improve conditions for civic and democratic participation at Union level.

Specific objectives of the Programme : the Programme should have the following specific objectives which shall be implemented through actions at transnational level or with a European dimension:

to raise awareness of remembrance, the common history and values of the Union and the Union's aim , namely to promote peace, the values of the Union and the well-being of its peoples, by stimulating debate, reflection and the development of networks; to encourage the democratic and civic participation of citizens at Union level , by developing citizens' understanding of the Union policy making-process and promoting opportunities for societal and intercultural engagement and volunteering at Union level.

Structure of the Programme and supported actions : the Programme should be divided into the following two strands:

"European remembrance"; "Democratic engagement and civic participation".

The two strands should be complemented by horizontal actions for analysis, dissemination and use of project results ("Valorisation" action). In order to achieve its objectives, the programme should finance inter alia the following types of action, implemented at transnational level or with a European dimension :

(a) Mutual learning and cooperation activities such as:

citizens' meetings, town-twinning, networks of twinned towns; projects implemented by transnational partnerships including different types of stakeholders; remembrance projects with a European dimension; exchanges based, inter alia, on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and/or social media;

(b) Structural support for organisations such as:

bodies pursuing an aim of general Union interest; Europe for Citizens Contact Points;

(c) Union level analytical activities such as:

studies focusing on issues relating to the objectives of the Programme;

(d) Awareness raising and dissemination activities designed to use and further valorise the results of the supported initiatives and to highlight good practices, such as:

Union level events including conferences, commemorations and award ceremonies; peer reviews, expert meetings and seminars.

Union measures : Union measures may take the form of grants or public procurement contracts. Union grants may be provided through operating grants or action grants .

Public procurement contracts shall cover the purchase of services, such as for organising events, studies and research, information and dissemination tools, monitoring and evaluation.

Participation in the programme: the Programme shall be open to the participation of the Member States; acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates and the EFTA countries party to the EEA Agreement. The Programme may support joint activities in the field covered by it, with relevant international organisations, such as the Council of Europe and UNESCO, on the basis of joint contributions and in accordance with the Financial Regulation.

Stakeholders : the Programme shall be open to all stakeholders promoting European citizenship and integration, in particular local and regional authorities and organisations, twinning committees, European public policy research organisations (think-tanks), civil society organisations (including survivors' associations), and cultural, youth, educational and research organisations.

Implementation : in order to implement the Programme, the Commission shall adopt annual work programmes by way of implementing acts in accordance with the advisory procedure.

The annual work programmes shall set out the objectives pursued, the expected results, the method of implementation and the total amount of the financing plan.

Coherence and complementarity : the Commission should ensure the coherence and the complementarity between the Programme and instruments in other areas of Union action, especially education, vocational training and youth, sport, culture and the audiovisual sector, fundamental rights and freedoms, social inclusion, gender equality, combating discrimination, research and innovation, information society, enlargement and the external action of the Union.

Budget : the financial reference amount for the implementation of the Programme for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020 is set at EUR 185 468 000 .

Communication, monitoring and evaluation : the Commission should provide the Member States with information on the projects which have received the Union's funding by transmitting the selection decisions to them within two weeks of their adoption.

It should ensure that the Programme is regularly monitored against its objectives using performance related indicators . The results of the monitoring and evaluation process shall be used in implementing the Programme. Progress of the specific objectives should be measured against indicators. Indicators shall be disaggregated by gender and age.

The Commission shall ensure that a regular, external and independent evaluation of the Programme be carried out and shall report to the European Parliament on a regular basis.

The Commission should submit the following to the European Parliament and the Council:

by 31 December 2017, an interim evaluation report on the results obtained and on the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the implementation of the Programme; by 31 December 2018, a communication on the continuation of the Programme; by 1 July 2023, an ex-post evaluation report.

Transitional measures : transitional measures should be provided to monitor actions which began before 31 December 2013 pursuant to Decision No 1904/2006/EC. They should continue to be governed, until their completion, by that Decision.

PURPOSE: to establish for the period 2014-2020 the programme " Europe for Citizens ".

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: Council may adopt the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the act.

BACKGROUND: following the contacts that the Council Presidency had with the European Parliament which contested the legal basis proposed for the programme , a new version of the text , acceptable to all the institutions, has been formally addressed to the European Parliament with a request for consent .

LEGAL BASIS: Article 352 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU).

CONTENT: with this revised proposal, the Council submits a new version of the programme "Europe for Citizens" 2014-2020.

The salient elements of the new version of the text may be summarised as follows:

Subject matter and scope : under the overall aim of bringing the Union closer to citizens, the general objectives of the Programme are the following:

to contribute to citizens' understanding of the Union, its history and diversity; to foster European citizenship and to improve conditions for civic and democratic participation at Union level.

Specific objectives of the Programme : the Programme should have the following specific objectives which shall be implemented through actions at transnational level or with a European dimension:

to raise awareness of remembrance, the common history and values of the Union and the Union's aim , namely to promote peace, the values of the Union and the well-being of its peoples, by stimulating debate, reflection and the development of networks; to encourage the democratic and civic participation of citizens at Union level , by developing citizens' understanding of the Union policy making-process and promoting opportunities for societal and intercultural engagement and volunteering at Union level.

Structure of the Programme and supported actions : the Programme should be divided into the following two strands:

"European remembrance"; "Democratic engagement and civic participation".

The two strands should be complemented by horizontal actions for analysis, dissemination and use of project results ("Valorisation" action). In order to achieve its objectives, the programme should finance inter alia the following types of action, implemented at transnational level or with a European dimension :

(a) Mutual learning and cooperation activities such as:

citizens' meetings, town-twinning, networks of twinned towns; projects implemented by transnational partnerships including different types of stakeholders; remembrance projects with a European dimension; exchanges based, inter alia, on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and/or social media;

(b) Structural support for organisations such as:

bodies pursuing an aim of general Union interest; Europe for Citizens Contact Points;

(c) Union level analytical activities such as:

studies focusing on issues relating to the objectives of the Programme;

(d) Awareness raising and dissemination activities designed to use and further valorise the results of the supported initiatives and to highlight good practices, such as:

Union level events including conferences, commemorations and award ceremonies; peer reviews, expert meetings and seminars.

Union measures : Union measures may take the form of grants or public procurement contracts. Union grants may be provided through operating grants or action grants .

Public procurement contracts shall cover the purchase of services, such as for organising events, studies and research, information and dissemination tools, monitoring and evaluation.

Participation in the programme: the Programme shall be open to the participation of the Member States; acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates and the EFTA countries party to the EEA Agreement. The Programme may support joint activities in the field covered by it, with relevant international organisations, such as the Council of Europe and UNESCO, on the basis of joint contributions and in accordance with the Financial Regulation.

Stakeholders : the Programme shall be open to all stakeholders promoting European citizenship and integration, in particular local and regional authorities and organisations, twinning committees, European public policy research organisations (think-tanks), civil society organisations (including survivors' associations), and cultural, youth, educational and research organisations.

Implementation : in order to implement the Programme, the Commission shall adopt annual work programmes by way of implementing acts in accordance with the advisory procedure.

The annual work programmes shall set out the objectives pursued, the expected results, the method of implementation and the total amount of the financing plan.

Coherence and complementarity : the Commission should ensure the coherence and the complementarity between the Programme and instruments in other areas of Union action, especially education, vocational training and youth, sport, culture and the audiovisual sector, fundamental rights and freedoms, social inclusion, gender equality, combating discrimination, research and innovation, information society, enlargement and the external action of the Union.

Budget : the financial reference amount for the implementation of the Programme for the period from 1 January 2014 to 31 December 2020 is set at EUR 185 468 000 .

Communication, monitoring and evaluation : the Commission should provide the Member States with information on the projects which have received the Union's funding by transmitting the selection decisions to them within two weeks of their adoption.

It should ensure that the Programme is regularly monitored against its objectives using performance related indicators . The results of the monitoring and evaluation process shall be used in implementing the Programme. Progress of the specific objectives should be measured against indicators. Indicators shall be disaggregated by gender and age.

The Commission shall ensure that a regular, external and independent evaluation of the Programme be carried out and shall report to the European Parliament on a regular basis.

The Commission should submit the following to the European Parliament and the Council:

by 31 December 2017, an interim evaluation report on the results obtained and on the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the implementation of the Programme; by 31 December 2018, a communication on the continuation of the Programme; by 1 July 2023, an ex-post evaluation report.

Transitional measures : transitional measures should be provided to monitor actions which began before 31 December 2013 pursuant to Decision No 1904/2006/EC. They should continue to be governed, until their completion, by that Decision.

The Committee on Culture and Education adopted the report by Hannu TAKKULA (ADLE, FI) on the proposal for a Council regulation establishing for the period 2014-2020 the programme "Europe for Citizens".

The committee adopts the Commission’s proposal subject to the following amendments:

Legal basis : Members consider that a dual legal basis is appropriate for programme as the two objectives of the programme were regarded equal in importance, yet distinctly covered by different Articles of the TFEU, namely Articles 167 and 352 . This dual legal basis would imply the adoption of the programme acting in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure and the requirement for unanimity in the Council . The use of this dual legal basis is justified by a judgment of the Court of Justice which stipulates that the recourse to a dual legal base is possible "exceptionally when a measure simultaneously pursues a number of objectives or has several components that are indissociably linked, without one being secondary and indirect in relation to the other", which is clearly the case according to the committee as regards the programme established by this Regulation, where the two main objectives, namely raising awareness in relation to remembrance and encouraging civic participation, are to be placed on an equal footing.

General objectives of the programme : the programme shall contribute to the following general objectives:

- contributing to citizens' understanding about the Union, and fostering their sense of belonging to a Europe united in its diversity, through remembrance, with a view to developing a sense of a common history ;

- fostering European citizenship and improving conditions for civic and democratic participation and for intercultural dialogue at Union level , through a better understanding of the Union's institutions, policies and politics.

Specific objectives :

raising awareness of remembrance , common history, cultural heritage, identity , and the Union's aim of promoting peace, tolerance, mutual understanding, its values, its cultural and linguistic diversity and the well-being of its peoples, by stimulating debate, actions, reflection and the development of networks and by bringing together people from local communities and associations across Europe to share and exchange experiences and to learn from history; encouraging interaction between citizens and civil society organisations from all participating countries as well as democratic and civic participation and intercultural dialogue at Union level, by developing citizens' understanding of, and participation in, the Union's policymaking process and promoting opportunities for societal engagement and volunteering at Union level .

The report gives special focus to: (i) Roma and to other minorities in the Union; (ii) measures to increase awareness, such as conferences, commemorations or award as well as debates/studies and interventions on defining moments in European history and European integration ceremonies in order inter alia to keep alive the memory of the crimes committed under all the dictatorships in Europe's modern history, such as Nazism, Fascism and totalitarian communist regimes including Stalinism ; (iii) awareness-raising initiatives to combat discrimination and xenophobia .

Progress will be measured by using performance-related indicators.

Horizontal aspect of the programme : the report states that a horizontal dimension of the programme should ensure the valorisation and transferability of results for enhanced impact and long-term sustainability, inter alia through networking, platforms for information exchange or the sharing of knowledge and best practice, including specific methods such as extending the use of information technologies, data bases and social media .

Improve access to the programme for citizens : Members consider that special attention should be paid to the balanced integration and participation of citizens and civil society organisations from all Member States in projects and activities, taking into account the cultural, linguistic and geographical diversity of the Union and the need to include groups that are hard to reach. Access to the programme should be granted, in particular, to small and medium-sized projects . Particular care should be taken to ensure that administrative and financial procedures are simplified .

Participation by natural persons in the Member States' overseas countries or territories who possess European citizenship and by public and/or private organisations and institutions in those countries or territories should be recognised and encouraged with a view to strengthening the link with the Union and disseminating Union values in the most effective way in these staging posts of the Union in the world.

Financial envelope : the report states that the financial envelope specified in the legislative proposal is only an indication to the legislative authority and cannot be fixed until agreement is reached on the proposal for a regulation laying down the multiannual financial framework for the years 2014-2020. They reiterate that sufficient additional resources are needed in the next MFF in order to enable the Union to fulfil its existing policy priorities and the new tasks provided for in the Treaty of Lisbon. They point out that even with an increase in the level of resources for the next MFF of at least 5% compared to the 2013 level , only a limited contribution can be made to the achievement of the Union’s agreed objectives and commitments and the principle of Union solidarity.

Members also propose an indicative breakdown (in percentages) of the total budget to the different strands of the programme in the Annex.

Ensuring a geographical balance in the allocation of funds : Members consider that when selecting the projects, the executive agency should try as far as possible to ensure a geographical balance in the allocation of funds and should monitor that compensation of project funding takes place on the basis of real expenditure.

Grants awarded in 2014 : for grants awarded in 2014, it will be possible for the period of eligibility of expenditure to start on 1 January 2014.

In public deliberation, the Council reached a partial general approach on the proposal for a regulation establishing for the period 2014-2020 the “Europe for Citizens" programme, which replaces the current programme of the same name that will expire in 2013.

Main issues discussed :

Structure of the new programme : delegations in general welcomed the Commission proposal, in particular the balance achieved by, on the one hand, simplifying the structure of the Programme, whilst, on the other hand, including an annex which sets out more detailed information on both initiatives that could be supported under each of the three strands (remembrance, civic participation and valorisation) and on the management and monitoring of the Programme, including indicators against which the progress regarding the performance of the Programme can be measured.

Main amendments : during the examination, several parts of the text have been adjusted in response to the concerns of delegations, including some recitals. The main changes made to the Commission proposal can be summarised as follows:

- Types of activities funded (Article 3 (2)): the activities to be funded under the Programme have been organised according to the type of the activities, rather than thematically. Within this restructuring, a visible place was given to the national contact points for Europe for Citizens as the principal advice and information structures that implement the Programme.

- Access to the programme (Article 6): delegations have endorsed the idea proposed by the Commission that the Programme should be open to all stakeholders promoting European citizenship and integration, whilst enlarging access to regional authorities and organisations, and to cultural and youth organisations.

- Implementing provisions (Articles 8 and 9): delegations have supported the view of the Commission to use the advisory procedure. Nevertheless, in order to balance this flexibility with an appropriate involvement of Member States during the implementation of the Programme, two main changes have been made. Firstly, an indicative budgetary breakdown between the three strands has been included in the Regulation itself (Annex to Annex, Sections I and II), and secondly, a new article on communication has been introduced according to which the Commission will provide ex-post information to Member States on selection decisions (Article 13a).

- Indicators : delegations have supported the need for indicators as a means to measure the impact of the Programme and asses its progress towards the set out objectives. However, the proposed structure of indicators has been simplified, qualitative indicators have been added, such as the quality of projects applications , and the description of indicators has been made more precise. Particular attention was paid to the geographical indicator which was modified so it can be clearly shown how many submitted and selected projects come from a given country.

Since the proposal for the Europe for Citizens is part of the Multiannual Financial Framework (2014 - 2020), the general approach does not include the financial envelope . To recall, the Commission proposes a budget of around EUR 229 million .

- Support from the delegations : the text resulting from the work of Council’s preparatory bodies meets with the broad support of all delegations, subject to parliamentary scrutiny reservations from DE, DK, CZ, FR and UK.

PURPOSE: to establish the programme "Europe for Citizens" for the period 2014-2020, succeeding the current "Europe for Citizens" programme from 2007-2013.

PROPOSED ACT: Council Regulation.

BACKGROUND: the Commission adopted a proposal for a multiannual financial framework (MFF) for the period 2014-2020 establishing the budget for the Europe 2020 strategy. In its proposal, the Commission stresses the need to continue the programme "Europe for Citizens" 2007-2013. The latter programme has shown the need to increase citizens' understanding of the history and origins of the EU and their awareness about the EU project.

The Treaty on European Union takes a big step towards bringing the Union closer to its citizens and fostering greater cross-border debate about EU policy issues (the new rules on the citizens' initiative is part of this process.)

The Commission proposes with this programme to take action to build capacity for civic participation. The programme will build on the analysis of the strengths and the weaknesses of the current programme. It aims to address the need for more genuine debates on Union related issues at the local, regional and national levels, and, through a broad set of organisations, to reach out to the large group of citizens who would normally not seek to influence or take part in Union affairs.

IMPACT ASSESSMENT: the impact assessment relating to this programme was integrated into the cumulative impact assessment of the MFF 2014-2020.

LEGAL BASIS: Article 352 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. (TFEU).

CONTENT: this proposal aims to establish the new programme « Europe for Citizens » 2014-2020, which builds on the preceding programme over the period 2007-2013.

Programme objectives : the programme aims to strengthen remembrance and enhance capacity for civic participation at the Union level.

More specifically, the programme The programme shall have certain specific objectives, which shall be implemented through actions on a transnational level or with a clear European dimension:

raise awareness on remembrance, the Union's history, identity and aim by stimulating debate, reflection and networking; encourage democratic and civic participation of citizens at Union level, by developing citizens' understanding of the Union policy making-process and promoting opportunities for societal engagement and volunteering at Union level.

The Commission to set more firm indicators and subsequently be able to objectively, and more in detail, establish progress and impact.

Structure of the programme : the programme shall consist of the following two strands:

(a) "Remembrance and European citizenship"

(b) "Democratic engagement and civic participation".

The two strands shall be complemented by horizontal actions for analysis, dissemination and exploitation of project results ("Valorisation" actions).

In order to achieve its objectives, the programme shall finance certain types of actions, details of which are set out in the proposal and the annex. The actions will be implemented on a transnational level or with a clear European dimension.

The following types of action will be financed:

in the case of "Remembrance and European citizenship", the programme seeks to support organisations to promote debate and activities on European integration and history at a transnational level or when a clear European dimension is addressed. For certain actions under "history", a European dimension suffices. Historical archives, sites of remembrance are bound by their location but have in many cases a Union-wide significance; in the case of "Democratic engagement and civic participation", the programme seeks to develop citizens' understanding and capacity to participate in the Union policy making process and to develop opportunities for solidarity, societal engagement & volunteering at Union level. Such a wide scope and ambition could only be addressed at a Union level; in the case of "Valorisation", this is a horizontal dimension of the programme as a whole. It will focus on the analysis, dissemination, communication and valorisation of the project results from the above-mentioned strands. National and regional platforms would help collecting best practices and ideas about how to strengthen civic participation but pan-European platforms and common tools are also needed to broaden the perspective and facilitate the transnational exchange.

Implementation: like its predecessor, the programme be implemented through operating grants and action grants based on open calls for proposals and through service contracts based on calls for tender. The implementation of the programme should be further simplified by recourse to lump sums, flat-rate financing and the application of unit-cost rates.

The Commission may use, on the basis of a cost-benefit analysis, an existing executive agency for the implementation of the programme, as provided for in Council Regulation (EC) No 58/2003 laying down the statute for executive agencies to be entrusted with certain tasks in the management of Community programmes.

In management terms, the Regulation aims at a more streamlined and simplified approach, resulting in increased cost-effectiveness. Economies of scale will be significant when actions of a similar nature have similar implementing rules and procedures, simplifying both for beneficiaries and for management bodies at EU and national level.

Participation in the programme : the programme shall be open to the participation of Member States, acceding countries, candidate countries and potential candidates, and may cover joint activities with relevant international organisations, such as the Council of Europe and UNESCO, on the basis of joint contributions and in accordance with the Financial Regulation.

Effectiveness: the programme contains a clause on monitoring and evaluation so that it may be regularly monitored against its objectives using performance related indicators. In addition, there will be an interim evaluation report on the results obtained no later than 31 December 2017.

The Commission shall ensure the coherence and the complementarity between this programme and instruments in other areas of Union action, especially education, vocational training, culture, sport, fundamental rights and freedoms, social inclusion, gender equality, combating discrimination, research and innovation, the enlargement policy and the Union external action.

BUDGETARY IMPLICATIONS: the Commission's proposal for a Multiannual Financial Framework for the period 2014-2020 provides that EUR 229 million in current prices will be allocated for a "Europe for Citizens" programme.