5.7 Promoting local/territorial development through the CSO-LA Thematic Programme
The EU CSO-LA Thematic Programme has made testing pilot actions promoting local development through a territorial approach one of its three overarching goals.
The projects financed by the CSO-LA Thematic Programme can make a major contribution to the policy and institutional changes critical to successful DLGTD interventions. Notably, they can help build horizontal and vertical partnerships for territorial development. In practice, two main lines of work can be envisaged.
The CSO-LA Thematic Programme combines two elements of support to CSO & LA initiatives:
Financial support can be directed to supporting territorial development
If EU delegations have a clear idea about what they want to do, the call for proposals tool that activates the CSO-LA Thematic Programme offers significant flexibility. In preparing the guidelines for calls for proposals — which is completely within delegations’ purview — they can target specific actors, territories, types of activities, etc., to orient future funding towards identified objectives. By so tailoring the calls, EU delegations can narrow the scope of actions supported and encourage the creation of territorial-based stakeholder coalitions.
Support measures can trigger positive territorial dynamics
When EU delegations receive funds from both the CSO and LA budget lines, they can envisage all types of support measures to accompany the actions for a maximum of 5 per cent of each allocation. This provides tremendous flexibility to EU delegations in putting in place a variety of supporting measures that can trigger positive territorial dynamics in their DLGTD interventions.
Emerging practices show that non-conventional uses of support measures can add countless opportunities to create an adequate environment for the implementation of DLGTD interventions promoted through the thematic programme, for example:
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Connecting local experiences with national platforms engaged in advocacy
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Supporting visibility of the EU and fundamental themes for territorial development
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Supporting the emergence of better national DLGTD policies
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Dissemination of learning and experiences gained through the CSO-LA thematic programme
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Facilitating Innovative CSO-LA partnerships for project implementation
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