Two-day training “CSO Participation in the Policymaking: Experiences from Poland and Hungary” was held in Budva, Montenegro, on 12-13 May 2017. The training, which was organized by Institute Alternative in cooperaton with European Policy Centre (CEP), gathered member organisations of the TEN network and partners from Poland and Hungary, as well as a representative of ReSPA (Regional School of Public Administration).
Participants had the opportunity to gain knowledge and insight into the features of Poland and Hungary’s policymaking systems, practical considerations, experiences of CSO involvement in the policymaking, and other good practices regarding the participation of civil society in these countries.
The training, moderated by the experts from Poland and Hungary, was interactive and provided the platform for discussion and sharing views among the participant organisations.
Mr Maciej Kolczyński, the expert at IDEA foundation from Poland, talked about the policymaking practices and CSO participation in Poland, presenting the “Citizens for Democracy” case. He explained that CSOs in Poland suffer from ad-hoc, project-based funding which threatens their sustainability and influence.
Mr Andrew Cartwright, Research Fellow at the Center for Policy Studies of the CEU, introduced participants into the Hungary’s policymaking systems and gave insight into the best practice examples of involvement of Hungarian CSOs in policymaking processes. Among other experiences, he shared that the NUTS transformation in Hungary was artificial and made a negative impact on the CSO cooperation and capacities to influence policymaking.
The training was organised as part of the project “Raising capacities and advocacy potential towards the more substantive involvement of CSOs of V4 and WB6“, implemented by TEN network and supported by the Visegrad Fund.
