Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme - Performance

Programme in a nutshell

Concrete examples of achievements (*)

^{(*) Key achievements in the table state which period they relate to. Many come from the implementation of the predecessor programmes under the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework. This is expected and is due to the multiannual life cycle of EU programmes and the projects they finance, where results often follow only after completion of the programmes.}

Budget for 2021-2027

^{(*) Only Article 15(3) of the financial regulation.}

Rationale and design of the programme

The citizens, equality, rights and values programme (CERV) seeks to promote the rights and values of the EU.

Budget

Budget programming (million EUR):

^{(*) Only Article 15(3) of the financial regulation.}

^{(**) Financial programming for 2022, 2023 and 2024 includes top-ups pursuant to Article 5 of the multiannual financial framework regulation.}

  Financial programming:
  + EUR 16.8 million (+ 3%)
  compared to the legal basis (*)

^{(*) Top-ups pursuant to Article 5 of the multiannual financial framework regulation are excluded from financial programming in this comparison.}

• This increase consists out of transfers to CERV lines in 2021 by PPPAs and EIGE (EUR 1.8 million), 2022 conciliation (EUR 5.5 million), 2023 conciliation (EUR 3 million) and top-up conciliation from DB 2021 (EUR 6.5 million). 

Budget performance – implementation

Multiannual cumulative implementation rate at the end of 2022 (million EUR):

Annual voted budget implementation (million EUR)⁽¹⁾:

^{(1) Voted appropriations (C1) only.}

Contribution to horizontal priorities

Green budgeting

Contribution to green budgeting priorities (million EUR):

• In 2022, the CERV programme supported the horizontal Commission priority on climate by supporting 20 projects engaging citizens and communities in discussions and action related to our climate and environment under the call for proposals on citizens’ engagement and participation. For example, one of these projects, ‘Citizens’ Observatory for Green Deal Financing’, aims to improve citizen engagement concerning the EU Green Deal objectives and raise awareness on how it will impact their lives in the future. Besides, the project would amplify citizens’ voices in key policy processes for the transformation of our economies and democracy such as the European Semester, the Annual Growth Survey and the revision of the European democracy action plan in 2023.

Gender

Contribution to gender equality (million EUR) (*):

<sup>(*) Based on the applied gender contribution methodology, the following scores are attributed at the most granular level of intervention possible:
- 2: interventions the principal objective of which is to improve gender equality;
- 1: interventions that have gender equality as an important and deliberate objective but not as the main reason for the intervention;
- 0: non-targeted interventions (interventions that are expected to have no significant bearing on gender equality);
- 0*: score to be assigned to interventions with a likely but not yet clear positive impact on gender equality.</sup>

• The design of the CERV programme puts the promotion of equality at its heart. In 2022, the programme continued to promote gender equality through all of its strands. Each project financed through grants has been assessed in terms of its contribution to the promotion of gender equality and has been attributed a score. While we have also started to introduce a gender perspective into procurement activities, the data is not at the same level of granularity as the data collected for grants. Therefore, the estimate of the procurement activities’ gender score is based on their programming.
• Score 2:
  Overall, around 18% of grants have received a score of 2 in terms of their contribution to gender equality. Thus, almost every fifth euro of financing in grants contributes strongly to gender equality. This is especially true for the Daphne strand, with its focus on preventing and combating gender-based violence.
• Score 1:
  The majority of funds provided via grants have received a score of 1. In total, approximately 57% of grants have been allocated this score. The large amount of funding with this score can be explained by the thematic focus of the different strands and calls for proposals. A significant contribution comes from the EU values strand, which mainly supports civil society organisations, including capacity building on gender equality mainstreaming.
  Procurement activities on promoting Roma equality and combating hate crime contributed to this score, as they help discriminated groups to exercise their rights and to be protected from violence. Almost half of all procurement activities funded fall within this category.
• Score 0*:
  Around 21% of the funds from grants have received a score of 0*. The citizens' engagement and participation strand plays a significant role in getting this score. The focus of the strand is on promoting democracy and participation. These topics have potential for further integrating a gender perspective into the design, implementation and evaluation of the projects. Another example that explains this score is funding provided to national contact points. National contact points help raise awareness of the CERV programme and its calls for proposals in participating states. Their activities have potential to promote gender equality, as national contact points may help applicants gender mainstream their proposals. However, more time is still needed to focalise efforts.
• Score 0:
  Finally, about 3% of the funding from grants received a score of 0. This score is rather unusual for the programme. However, there are some activities that are very small in their scale and scope, meaning that opportunities to meaningfully integrate a gender perspective are limited. An example of small-scale projects is projects funded under the action grant for town twinning. These projects focus on cultural exchange between citizens, for example by organising a dinner or a concert. As the scope of these events is very limited, the opportunities to address gender equality in an extensive way are few. Finally, the programme financed via procurement the work of IT experts that do not have a strong link to gender equality.

Digital

Contribution to digital transition (million EUR):

• The CERV programme contributes to the digital transition by supporting initiatives on (i) innovative democratic approaches and tools, notably digital ‘e-democracy’ tools; (ii) data protection as a pillar of citizens’ empowerment and the EU’s approach to the digital transition; and (iii) the ECI, by being a catalyst for the use of electronic identification means (e-ID) and enabling citizen participation through digital means.
• For example, the 'Machines for Good – Engaging teenagers through AI and Arts' project aims to contribute to unlocking the potential of artificial intelligence for civil participation purposes. It will use artificial-intelligence-based tools and artistic performances to stimulate debate and inspire visionary scenarios. During the events, the participants will not only discuss the proposed topics but also have a real-life experience of using artificial intelligence as a tool for democratic participation; they will have the opportunity to understand how it works and get familiar with it.

Budget performance – outcomes

• In 2022, in total 1 378 civil society organisations received support from the CERV programme. This number includes only those organisations with which direct grant agreements have been concluded under the programme. The real number of civil society organisations reached will be much higher, thanks to the regranting schemes in place. This data will start to be incorporated into the values of indicators as from 2024. The performance of the CERV programme regarding support to civil society organisation is on track.
• In 2021-2022, at least 18 167 894 people were reached by CERV projects. This data is partial due to the ongoing development of e-Grants – the real number of people reached being much higher. The data is expected to be updated once the development of e-Grants is completed.
• The programme's performance is also assessed with help of the EU Survey, which is filled in by the participants during activities carried out by CERV-funded projects. The results of the EU Survey are collected centrally by DG Justice and Consumers. The latest results, on the basis of 2 354 answers received, show that more than 70% of respondents gave 5 out of 5 as the overall assessment of the event in which they participated. The respondents indicated ‘increased awareness’ as the greatest benefit that the event brought them. More than 80% also indicated that their perception of the topic has changed and they think that they are now likely to react differently when confronted to the topic. What is also worth noting is that more than 50% of the respondents highlighted that they are not satisfied with the way democracy works in their country, even though they had been made aware of CERV topics.
• As the sharp increase in energy prices in 2022 had a tangible impact on everyone, including on the running costs of the CERV beneficiaries and of applicants, adjustments had to be made for future calls. For the ongoing grants, since the EU contribution is fixed in the grant agreement and, in principle, cannot be increased, beneficiaries experienced difficulties implementing all the activities planned. Solutions had to be found on a case-by-case basis. This problem is likely to continue impacting ongoing projects in 2023, because inflation is not reflected in the unit cost for travel, accommodation and subsistence. As the unit costs are not affected by the actual costs, beneficiaries may incur a financial loss in case of inflation. It remains to be seen, if there is a need to intervene, how this blow can be softened for the beneficiaries, on a case-by-case basis.
• Delays in implementation in the previous years, caused by COVID-19 pandemic, continued to have repercussions on a number of ongoing projects, for which the amendments had to be prepared.
• The e-Grant tools remained a challenge in 2022 for beneficiaries of the calls managed by the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. A lower participation rate was recorded compared to the previous programme; the call for proposals for town twinning and the network of towns was the most affected. Reflection on how to best address the issue is currently ongoing. It should also be mentioned that the decision on lump sums should be revised to include the latest indexation – this is expected to take place in 2023.

MFF 2014-2020 – Rights, equality and citizenship

The Rights, Equality and Citizenship programme aimed to contribute to the further development of an EU where people’s equality and rights are promoted and protected.

Budget

Cumulative implementation rate at the end of 2022 (million EUR):

Performance assessment

• The programme provided around EUR 430 million between 2014 and 2020 in support of initiatives promoting justice and fundamental rights. These initiatives included training sessions, seminars and mutual-learning events, research and studies, and awareness-raising and media campaigns to the ultimate benefit of EU citizens. The programme succeeded in contributing to the further development of an area where equality and the rights of persons are promoted, protected and effectively implemented.
• In 2021, the ex post evaluation looked into the performance and results of the 2014-2020 rights, equality and citizenship programme. The evaluation showed that, despite the effects of the economic crisis (which led to a general reduction in the amount of national resources and funding available for social and fundamental rights issues), the programme has proved its EU added value and its crucial role in developing a European area of equality and rights. Evaluation also showed that although the benefits of projects’ implementation outweigh the costs, the administrative costs are still perceived by beneficiaries on average to be higher in comparison with other non-EU alternatives or with national programmes.
• A complex interplay of internal and external factors hindered the programme’s performance at various times. The internal factors mainly relate to difficulties in the application process, the internal capacity of project partners and the type and quality of consortia. Common external factors relate to the impact of external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenge of involving public entities and stakeholders in the activities planned.
• The evaluation found that the success factors in projects under the rights, equality and citizenship programme include the quality of partnerships, bringing together organisations with complementary expertise and covering managerial and coordination skills with experience of working with target groups on the ground. Another element of success is the capacity of the projects to respond to the aims of the calls while also pursuing the longer-term strategies of the implementing organisations.
• As regards the baseline situation, as described in the 2011 impact assessment and the 2015 ex post evaluation of the three predecessor programmes (Daphne III, fundamental rights, and citizenship and progress), the evaluation evidence shows that almost all of the difficulties identified in the programme were overcome, except for the geographical imbalance, which still persisted.

MFF 2014-2020 – Europe for citizens

The programme provided an opportunity to people in the European Union to take part in the debate on Europe and its history and to play a strong role in developing the EU. It was part of the common effort to uphold rights and values by reinforcing a rule-of-law culture in the EU.

Budget implementation

Cumulative implementation rate at the end of 2022 (million EUR):

Performance assessment

• The Europe for citizens programme played a positive overall role in encouraging civic participation and democratic engagement, while strengthening the mutual sense of belonging and supporting mutual understanding and identification with Europe, thereby helping to support the European integration process in the longer term.
• As evidenced by the midterm evaluation, Europe for citizens has successfully demonstrated its added value at the EU level, in terms of both its impact on participants and its complementary role with regard to other EU funding programmes and policy initiatives in the fields of education, culture and EU citizenship.
• Aspects that have been identified for improvement mostly relate to increasing the programme's visibility, amending the monitoring indicators and strengthening synergies with other relevant EU funding programmes and initiatives.
• Of the 1 761 applications received, 419 projects were selected, and around 1 250 000 participants are expected to have been involved in the programme’s activities. The number of participants is satisfactory and suggests that the programme has contributed to achieving its general objectives.
• The Europe for citizens programme was affected by the COVID-19 crisis. This resulted in delays in implementing a certain number of projects. However, this should not impact the overall performance of projects. Where possible, projects changed their in-person events to online or hybrid meetings while staying in line with planned themes and content that impacted the schedule less heavily. For some projects, however, this was not an option, and such projects had to be delayed until sanitary conditions would allow for physical meetings in order to deliver quality results.

Contribution to the sustainable development goals