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ASSOCIATIONS AND
FOUNDATIONS
Communication on Promoting the Role of Voluntary
Organisations and Foundations In Europe
June 1997Commission presented its Communication on
Promoting the Role of Voluntary Organisations and Foundations in
Europe, intended to initiate a dialogue between the Commission and the
key actors in the sector, including umbrella bodies, practitioners,
academics, and national and local authorities.
It brings to the attention of policy makers the increasing importance
of associations and foundations for the development of Europe, and
suggests specific measures, at European, national, and sectoral level, in
favour of the development of this sector.
It was greeted with considerable interest by the sector, the
Parliament, the Economic and Social Committee, the Council of the Regions,
and the Consultative Committee for Cooperatives, Mutual Societies,
Associations and Foundations.

Text
of the communication
Press
release 
1997 - 1999A series of interservice consultations, seven
national conferences and nine experts meetings have been held, organised
around themes of the Communication. In addition, the Commission supported
in June 1999 an International Conference in Budapest on "Dialogue for the
Europe of the Future - European Integration and Civil Society". 
Click here for the speech
of the Commission representative , Mr. Guy Crauser, Director General: 
  
2000: 
Commission services prepared a progress report on the dialogue generated by the Commissionłs Communication
on Promoting the Role of Voluntary Organisations and Foundations in Europe
and on other actions taken at all levels within Europe since the
publication of the Communication that have helped promote the role of the
sector, which was never published due to restructuring of Commission
services.
However, in
recognition of the need to improve the relationship with the voluntary
sector organisations, the Commission adopted on 18 January 2000 its
Discussion Paper "The
Commission and Non-Governmental Organisations: Building a Stronger
Partnership".  
The Discussion Paper
aims to provide an overview of the existing relationships between the
Commission and NGOs and to suggest some possible ways to develop these
relationships by considering the measures needed to improve them. 
Intended to define the baseline of the Commissionłs long-term commitment
to NGOs, it is the beginning of an ongoing process in the development of
the relationship. Consequently, many of the issues raised during the
dialogue generated by the Communication are now being taken forward within
the framework of the Discussion Paper.
Last update:
27/08/2001