Tania Marocchi’s Post

Development Sweden Issue 48 In this issue, we delve into the heated debate sparked by Minister for Development Cooperation Benjamin Dousa’s statement that "onward funding is illegal." This declaration, made during a meeting with civil society organizations, has raised concerns and questions about the legalities of onward funding, a cornerstone of how Swedish aid is distributed. A Year of Tensions Civil society organizations have experienced a challenging 2024, marked by strained relations with the government and Sida (Sweden's aid agency). Frustrations center on a perceived lack of dialogue, transparency, and predictability. Efforts to rebuild trust, such as the revival of "Joint Commitments" discussions, have been met with mixed results, with disagreements about the process for implementing new agreements. Minister Dousa’s Statement At the November meeting, Minister Dousa claimed that onward funding is illegal, citing debates and reviews over the years as justification for government restrictions. His comments have led to a backlash, with organizations formally requesting access to documents to understand the legal basis for this claim. Critics argue that onward funding is a common practice across sectors, raising the question of whether civil society is being uniquely targeted. Legal and Operational Complexities Sida has pushed back on the minister’s claims, stating that onward funding operates under a clear legal mandate. Allegations of excessive layers of onward funding in past audits were dismissed after being proven unfounded. Furthermore, Sida argues that its funding process does not violate laws governing delegation of authority, as decision-making remains within the agency. Unresolved Questions The Ministry of Foreign Affairs later clarified that there is uncertainty around the legal framework supporting some aspects of onward funding. The debate is still ongoing, with unresolved questions about the legality of onward funding in programs run by international bodies like the World Bank and EU. #SwedishAid #OnwardFunding #CivilSociety #DevelopmentCooperation #TransparencyMatters #Sida #LegalDebate #BenjaminDousa #AidPolicy #InternationalDevelopment #SwedishGovernment #NGO #TrustRebuilding #GlobalAid #AidAccountability #LegalFramework #SustainableDevelopment

✨️ Last week I had the honor of moderating the first panel of European Policy Institute - Skopje's annual conference - Forum Europaeum. This event was focused on rule of law instruments in view of EU accession and more specifically, on the preventive mechanisms comprising the rule of law toolbox which may be applied to candidate countries, as well as the new Growth Plan for the Western Balkan countries, which also includes one of those mechanisms - the conditionality mechanism. 👏 Many thanks to the panelists Ivan Novosel, Dr. Biljana Kotevska, Edo Kanlić and Ionut Sibian with whom we discussed the European rule of law mechanism and the inclusion of several candidate countries in the rule of law reports, as well as the perspective of the CSOs in the candidate countries in the Western Balkan. We dabbled in the work of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights with the candidate countries and their inclusion in its reports, as well as the initiative by the European Economic and Social Committee to welcome civil society experts from those countries to participate in its work. ⏭️ Looking forward to many more fruitful discussions on tackling rule of law challenges within the European Union and in its neighbourhood. #ruleoflaw #rol #eu #accession #enlargement #candidatecountries #westernbalkan #wb #fra #eesc

➡️ EU-EaP Local Leaders Seminar: Strengthening Local Government Capacities for EU Engagement in the Eastern Trio – Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine On 28 November, Local government associations (LGAs), EU institutions, think tanks, NGOs and senior national representatives gathered in Brussels for a seminar on engagement of local authorities in EU Integration, co-organised by SALAR International and PLATFORMA. In focus were Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, given the former’s candidate status and the opening of accession negotiations in the latter two. Representatives from other candidate countries in the Western Balkans were also on hand to share their experience, and draw inspiration. Through the seminar it became clear that the degree of local engagement varies greatly between countries. For example, some LGAs are invited to screening meetings and involved in negotiation working groups, while others are largely ignored. An expectation from the EU that national governments should involve the local level more systematically could help to smooth preparations, avoid costly mistakes and strengthen citizen engagement. 👉 Participants highlighted several concrete ways to involve local representatives in the accession process, such as: ▫️ Consultation on adaption of legislation to the EU body of law (EU acquis) ▫️ Inclusion in high-level dialogue and working groups on key chapters of the negotiations ▫️ Capacity-building efforts ▫️ Involvement in the programming and monitoring of EU funds. As EU legislation for the next package of pre-accession assistance begins to take shape, LGAs need to step up advocacy efforts at both national and European levels to ensure local access and engagement. Local governments involvement is key to successful EU integration! ______________________________________   Big thanks to all panellists and participants, and to our co-organiser PLATFORMA and Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)! #salarinternational #localgovernance

Very happy to see this out on #WorldRefugeeDay! In our piece, Eleonora Milazzo, PhD and I argue that argue that the EU approach to cooperation with 3rd countries in the #NewPact on #migration and #asylum and beyond falls short of ensuring adequate protection of refugees and to pursue genuinely balanced partnerships based on mutual interests. We recommend policy-makers and authorities implementing the new rules to: 📌 Put fundamental rights at the centre of any form of cooperation with third countries, through rigorous impact assessment, monitoring, and explicit human rights conditionality; 📌 Prioritise funding projects in third countries with a protection component or which facilitate legal migration over those with a containment objective; 📌 Avoid entering into partnerships with autocratic and highly unstable regimes; 📌 Take into account the interests of third countries when negotiating partnerships, and avoid prioritising deterrence and return at the expense of other foreign policy objectives; 📌 Engage more with the evidence on the drivers of migration before formulating and implementing policies to contain migration. The policy study is part of a series developed by the European Policy Centre and the Odysseus Academic Network for Legal Studies on Immigration and Asylum in Europe in collaboration with FEPS Europe and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. To know more, check 👉 https://lnkd.in/dmUsP_Qf

EU:n koheesiofoorumissa keskusteltiin Suomen maakuntien edustajien ja komissaari Elisa Ferreiran kanssa koheesiopolitiikan ja aluekehityksen tulevaisuudesta. 🌍 Engaging discussions at the EU Cohesion Forum with representatives from Finnish regions alongside Commissioner Elisa Ferreira, discussing the future of cohesion policy and regional development. 🌍 #CohesionPolicy #EU #RegionalDevelopment

💡 The #NewPact policy studies series by FEPS, FES and EPC is a useful tool to navigate today’s #EUCO debate on migration and learn more about the challenges posed by the implementation of the New Pact.  ➡ https://lnkd.in/eA6KWEH6    🔴 Some EU leaders are tempted to imitate the Italian way and are pushing for the creation of return hubs outside the EU. The EU must refrain from these temptations. Outsourcing the management of migration is not an option.   Despite its shortcomings, the EU should focus on the best possible implementation of the #NewPact.   FEPS, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung and European Policy Centre, have published a series of Policy Studies that focus on the challenges that the implementation of the New Pact will raise for the member states.   The studies offer also some proposals to ensure its correct implementation and the protection of vulnerable applicants.   📌 Interested? SAVE THE DATE. On 12 November, we’ll host a panel discussion with legal experts, policymakers and CSO to explore the changes introduced by the New Pact and ways to ensure their proper implementation.  ℹ️Info: https://lnkd.in/eA6KWEH6

#OutNow 📢 OECD report on promoting #DeliberativeDemocracy in the #Basque country in Spain: Lessons from the Tolosa Citizens’ Assembly. This report provides insights into improving deliberative processes, including strengthening the connection between participants and the broader public, enhancing civil servants' roles, and improving governance structures and systematic evaluation. Building on the strong legislative, administrative, governance, and societal foundations in the Basque Country, the report outlines three key pathways for improving deliberative processes: 1) institutionalising deliberative practices; 2) embedding deliberation in­ public administration; and ­3) mainstreaming deliberation both within and ­outside government. This report was prepared in collaboration with Arantzazulab Learn more ➡️ https://lnkd.in/dvdw2pqJ Carlos Santiso David Goessmann Mauricio Mejia Arantxa Mendiharat iDeemos Lab

📄𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗣𝗨𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 Mobility and labour dynamics after the EU Year of Skills Are we fit for the future International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) European Policy Centre Enabel EGMONT - Royal Institute for International Relations This policy brief aims to foster debate on enhancing skills mobility as a global priority and offers recommendations for EU and national policymakers as well as other key actors in the context of the EU Year of Skills. #EU #skills #Labour https://lnkd.in/eetecSUU

💡 MedMA of the EPLO European Public Law Organization participated in a panel discussion as part of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) Athens Thematic Meeting titled "External Dimension of Migration Management - Tools for Regular Pathways." hosted at the premises of the Ministry of Migration and Asylum. 👉 The panel discussion, "A New External Migration Management for Safe and Orderly Migration: Multilateral and Bilateral Approaches," featured MedMA's Director, Dr Markos Karavias and members of the ICMPD, European University Institute, & ELIAMEP (Hellenic Foundation for European & Foreign Policy) 👉 They discussed the concepts and typologies of #legalpathways, policy dilemmas for mobility, and explored how policy design can lead to partnerships that benefit migrants and the relevant countries.