Project fiche 1.

6: Support the participation of the civil sector in decision making

process and in providing social services

1. Basic information
1.1 CRIS Number: 2008/20-311
1.2 Title: Support the participation of the civil sector in decision making
process and in providing social services
1.3 ELARG Statistical code: 1.35
1.4 Location: Skopje, with nationwide project activities.

Implementing arrangements
1.5 Contracting Authority (EC)
European Commission, EC Delegation, on behalf of the beneficiary

1.6 Implementing Agency

European Commission, EC Delegation, on behalf of the beneficiary

1.7 Beneficiary (including details of project manager)

The General Secretariat, Sector for policy analysis and coordination – Unit for
cooperation with Non – Governmental Organizations will be the beneficiary.

The Unit for cooperation with NGOs will implement the project under supervision of
the Secretary General of the Government, Mr. Stojan Todorov.
Mr. Stojan Todorov (Secretary General), General Secretariat of the Government, Tel:
+389-2-3118-022 att.120, [email protected]

Sector for policy analysis and coordination, Head of the Sector, Mrs. Suzana
Nikodijevic Filipovska, Tel: +389 2 3118 022 att.295, [email protected]
Unit for cooperation with NGOs, Head of the Unit, Mrs. Elizabeta Nedanovska, Tel: +
389 -2 - 3118-022 att.215, 202 or 214, e-mail: [email protected] ,
[email protected], www.nvosorabotka.gov.mk
The beneficiaries of the grant scheme will be national Civil Society Organisations.

1 6 Civil Society 1
1.8 Overall cost (VAT excluded)1: EUR 1.300.000.

1.9 EU contribution: EUR 1.200.000

1.10 Final date for contracting: Two years from the date of the conclusion of the
Financing Agreement

1.11 Final date for execution of contracts: Two years from the final date for
contracting

1.12 Final date for disbursements: One year after the final date for execution of
contracts.

1
The total costs of the project should be net of VAT and/or other taxes. Should this not be the case, the
amount of VAT and the reasons why it should be considered eligible should be clearly indicated.

1 6 Civil Society 2
2. Overall Objective and Project Purpose

2.1 Overall Objective

The overall objective of the project is to promote an active civil society sector.

2.2 Project purpose

The project purpose is to support the development and capacity building of the Non-
governmental sector through improved involvement of NGO’s in the process of drafting
legislation and regulations (particularly those connected to the EU integration process, as
well as public awareness raising), increased participation of NGO’s in providing social
services and community-based activities, improved capacities to mobilize resources and
voluntary work and improved involvement in the field of democracy and the rule of law.

2.3 Link with AP/NPAA/EP/SAA

The programme will contribute towards the implementation of the Stabilisation and
Association Agreement objective of “development of civic society and
democratisation”.

For civil society, the Accession Partnership outlines a series of priorities to be

addressed. The AP stresses the importance of ensuring transparency in the
administration, in particular in the decision-making process, and calls for further
promoting active participation by civil society in the decision making processes.

The National Plan for Adoption of Acquis with regard to civil society intends to
further inclusion of civil-society in the decision-making process, ensuring participation
of the civil sector in the work of expert councils of the Government as well as providing
training to the NGOs representatives on issues in the sphere of human freedoms and
rights.

2.4 Link with MIPD

The Multi-Annual Indicative Planning Document (MIPD) indicates that among key
challenges to be supported through financial assistance is strengthening the civil society
dialogue. The Document calls for increased attention to be given to Civil Society
development. It also underlines the importance of participation of the civil society in the
overall process of the country’s accession to the EU in ensuring that the process is
managed in a democratic and transparent way. Furthermore, the Document calls for

1 6 Civil Society 3
treating civil society as a cross cutting issue in the various projects and also supporting
separate activities directly targeting at the civil society, with particular attention to the
implementation of the civil society strategy, and strengthening the capacities of the civil
society organisations.

2.5 Link with National Development Plan

N/A
2.6 Link with national/ sectoral investment plans
The project directly links to the following key strategies and action plans in the sector
(see for a more extensive list annex 3):
• Strategy for cooperation of the Government with the Civil Sector, 2007
• Action plan for implementation of Strategy for cooperation with CSOs, 2007
• Strategy for Equitable Representation, 2007
• Strategy of Reforms of Public Administration, 1999

3. Description of project
3.1 Background and justification
Civil society has played a notable role in the history of the country. A number of charity
associations were functioning prior to World War II while during the socialist period
(1945-1990) many organisations emerged, though they were kept under the control of
the Communist Party. Independence, in 1990, and the transition were important triggers
for civil society rebirth. Civil society organisations play an important role in political
accountability, raising awareness, providing information to the general public as well as
in building social capital, trust and shared values.

The freedom of association is guaranteed by the Constitution (art. 20), with restrictions
for associations aiming at racial, religious or national hatred and violence. The legal
framework, based on the Constitution, consists primarily in the Law on Citizen
Associations and Foundations (Official Gazette No. 31/98, 29/07). Generally, the Law
is considered to be flexible as it allows civil society organisations (CSOs) to be
registered and work freely, including advocacy activities and public debates. However,
even with the recent improvements, the tax laws for CSOs and tax benefits for
philanthropy remain obstacles to further development. The new Law on Citizen
Associations and Foundations is under preparation. The major expected changes are:
further liberalisation of registration, regulation of economic activities of CSOs and
introduction of the status of public benefit organisation.

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More than 5.000 CSOs are registered in the country (2003). Almost all social groups are
presented as members of civil society, with smaller representation of the poor, rural
communities and the ethnic communities, especially the ethnic Albanians. A large
number of organisations (43%) are concentrated in the capital Skopje and CSOs are
nearly absent from the rural areas. Only 6.3% of the organisations were registered in the
villages (370 out of 5851), while 40% of the population lives in rural areas. They form
an increasingly important part of civil society in the country.

There are around 200 umbrella bodies of CSOs in the country. A majority of the
organisations are members of a union, federation, platform or other umbrella body,
based on type of CSOs or target group. The sports associations, organisations of
pensioners (Union of Association of Pensioners in Macedonia), environmental
organisations (The Ecologists’ Movement of Macedonia), people with disability (Union
of Organisations for Disabled of Macedonia, Inter-party Parliamentarian Lobby
Group), women’s organisations (Union of Women’s Organisations in Macedonia,
Macedonian Women Lobby), and partly farmers (Farmers Federation of Macedonia)
are considered as consolidated sectors mostly due to the umbrella bodies.

According to the analysis of the civil sector under the ‘Index of the Civil Society’
according to the CIVICUS methodology, the civil society is still only moderately
developed. Although there are rather big differences between NGOs operating in
different sectors, a support infrastructure and networking among associations and within
umbrella structures is emerging. There are also some emerging examples of cross-sector
alliances/coalitions of CSOs, such as the Civic Platform of Macedonia (CPM) bringing
the largest CSOs together. Still there is more to be done in the area of cooperation and
with regard to the self-regulation of civil society sector in the country. One of the main
aims of the Civic platform is adoption of the Code of Conduct.

Today, the strengths of the civil society are: empowerment of citizens; high values of
peace, gender and environmental sustainability; and strong focus on "3C –
communication, coordination, cooperation". The most significant impact of civil society
is achieved in the area of empowering the citizens, especially empowering women and
marginalised groups (people with disabilities, Roma, e.t.c). Civil society is known for
its high values of peace, non-violence, as well as gender and environmental
sustainability. The high value placed on peace is a response to the long wars in the

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Balkans and the 2001 conflict in the country itself. In 2001, a large civil society event
was initiated: the NGO Fair - Forum of civil society, which in turn led to the
establishment of the Civic Platform, with the participation of more than 30 leading
CSOs in the country..

The weaknesses of the civil society are: poverty eradication, transparency and self-
regulation, practicing democracy, (not) holding state and private sector responsible, ad-
hoc relations with the government, mutually indifferent civil society and private sector
relations and insufficient resources and lack of diversification (donor dependency).
Although CSOs declare that poverty eradication is a priority, its activities and impact in
this area are far from satisfactory. Most of the actions are ad-hoc and based on social-
humanitarian grounds and treat the effects rather than the causes. The environment is
limiting to a certain degree, possessing a vast deficiency in mutual trust and public
encouraging mood.

Ad-hoc relations between the Government and CSOs were seen as a weakness. The first
step for institutionalized relations was made in November 2004 with the creation of the
Civil Society Unit under the Sector for Policy Analysis and Coordination in General
Secretariat of the Government. The Initiative for establishing the Civil Society Unit,
adopted by the Government in November 2004, explicitly expresses the willingness of the
Government to build on the confidence and cooperation with the civil sector. This Initiative
serves as evidence to confirm the Government’s verification of the significance of the civil
sector activities and emphasizes the need to develop a specific programme for cooperation.
Through the Strategy for cooperation between the Government with the Civil Sector,
the Government is committed to improve systematic conditions to stimulate a
sustainable development of civil sector. The Government included in its Annual
decision of the strategic priorities for 2008 the involvement of the civil society in
decision-making process in the framework of rule of law, fight against corruption and
organized crime, development of democracy, and improving the quality of inter ethnical
relations.
The present IPA 2008 Operational Programme will contribute to strengthening the
institutional capacities of the civil sector and provide support to certain priority areas. In
order to create synergy between state actors and the civil society it is important to
simultaneously mobilise the potential of the EU integration process. Civil society
should also further contribute to community-based activities and social services.

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 3.2 Assessment of project impact, catalytic effect, sustainability and cross
border impact
Supported through the present project, the civil society sector will participate in the
policy making process, and according to the Strategy, the Government aims to develop
a system of fundamental principles for inclusion of citizens and their organisations in
the process of creation, implementation, monitoring of public policies, as well as to
ensure that the needs and priorities of the citizens are reflected in these policies.

The stronger cooperation within the Government and the civil society is expected not
only to improve the quality of policies and strengthen the legitimacy of government
policies, it is also expected to improve the value judgement the civil society places on
government work. Through on the one hand a better understanding of governmental
processes by the civil society sector and visa-versa, and on the other hand a larger
involvement, it is expected that the project will contribute to a better understanding by
each side of the needs and expectations.

Through the different parts of the project, it is expected that it will contribute to a
strengthening of the organisational level of the NGO sector, which in turn would lead to
more sustainable development plans made by the NGOs, higher level of funding and
more sustainable levels of funding as well as higher levels of voluntary inputs.

3.3 Results and measurable indicators2

The project will consist of two components:
1) Technical Assistance to assist the Unit for Cooperation with NGOs in the General
Secretariat with the implementation of the Strategy for cooperation between the
Government with the Civil Sector, with specific attention to building capacities for
effective and efficient management of the grant schemes
2) Implementation of different activities under the Grant schemes
Component 1. Technical Assistance to assist the Unit for Cooperation with NGOs in
the General Secretariat with the implementation of the Strategy for cooperation between
the Government with the Civil Sector, with specific attention to building capacities for
effective and efficient management of the grant schemes

The expected results include:

2
Please note that some of the indicators have not yet been quantified or been given a benchmark. This
will be done during the development of the detailed Terms of Reference.

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- Unit staff is endowed with appropriate skills and knowledge to implement the
Strategy for cooperation between the Government with the Civil Sector;
- Management system for grant schemes is developed, including guidelines and
distribution of responsibilities in the different phases of grant management as well
as a sound Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism
- Awareness of NGOs about grant schemes is high, testified through number of
proposals submitted to the calls;
- Grant schemes (component 2) are implemented.

The Measurable indicators include:

- Training needs assessment done, training implementation plan made, training
implemented;
- Staff satisfaction with training, measured through after training survey;
- System developed for managing the grants;
- Operationality of system as measured through the reporting produced;
- Number of information sessions, visibility measures, public events, etc;
- Number of proposals received for each grant call for proposals;
- Signed Contracts for each grant scheme.

Component 2. Implementation of different activities under the Grant schemes

The expected results are:
- Grant schemes are implemented covering the following initially defined areas (the TA
project – component 1 – will assist the Unit for Cooperation with NGOs in the General
Secretariat to prioritise the areas and develop the grant application guidelines):
1) NGO participation in the process of drafting legislation and regulations and the
monitoring of the implementation of legislation
2) Awareness raising vis-à-vis the EU integration process
3) Fight against corruption and organized crime
4) Raising of the quality of inter ethnical relations
5) Strengthening NGO management and networking, including joint
implementation of community based activities and social services, Resource
Mobilisation, Mobilising voluntary work, institutional cooperation between
NGOs and between NGOs and the local government.
- The implementation of the projects to be funded under the grant schemes are expected
to lead to:

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 o An appropriate mechanism to include NGOs in the drafting process of
legislation and the subsequent monitoring of the implementation of legislation is
developed and implemented;
o General awareness of the public will increase, as measured through number of
people reached during awareness raising activities;
o An appropriate mechanism to include NGOs in the fight against corruption and
organised crime is developed and implemented;
o General awareness of the public vis-à-vis inter-ethnic relations is improved,
measured through the number of people reached through the awareness raising
activities;
o NGOs demonstrate better capacities to manage themselves, measured through
the number of joint activities developed, funds raised from different sources,
numbers of volunteers active in the NGOs and the coordination mechanisms
between NGOs and between NGOs and the local government that are
operational.

The measurable indicators include:

- Conclusion of the calls for proposals through the signatory of the grant contracts;
- Well implemented call for proposal process measured through the number of
questions for clarifications received and the number of complaints received.
- An appropriate mechanism to include NGOs in the drafting process of legislation
and the subsequent monitoring of the implementation of legislation is developed and
implemented;
- Number of people reached during awareness raising activities;
- An appropriate mechanism to include NGOs in the fight against corruption and
organised crime is developed and implemented;
- Number of people reached through the awareness raising activities;
- Number of joint activities developed,
- Amount of funds raised from different sources,
- Numbers of volunteers active in the NGOs
- The coordination mechanisms between NGOs and between NGOs and the local
government that are operational.

3.4 Activities
Component 1: Technical Assistance to assist the Unit for Cooperation with NGOs in
the General Secretariat with the implementation of the Strategy for cooperation between

1 6 Civil Society 9
the Government with the Civil Sector, with specific attention to building capacities for
effective and efficient management of the grant schemes
• Implement raining needs assessment
• Design training implementation plan
• Implement training according to the plan;
• Develop management system for grant schemes, including the Monitoring and
evaluation of the implementation of the projects by the Unit
• Assist in the total process of managing the grant schemes (component 2), including:
- Assisting in drafting the grant scheme guidelines
- Assisting in implementing awareness raising activities for NGOs in grant
schemes (information sessions, visibility measures, public events, etc. )
- Assisting in the evaluation process of proposals received;
- Assisting in the guidance to be provided by the Unit to grant holders;
- Assisting in the review of reports received from the grant holders

Component 2: Implementation of different activities under the Grant schemes

Drafting the grant scheme guidelines
- Implementing awareness raising activities for NGOs in grant schemes (information
sessions, visibility measures, public events, etc. )
- Responding to questions for clarification;
- Evaluation of proposals received;
- Provide guidance to grant holders;
- Review of reports received from the grant holders

Project Management and Administration

Advisory services will be provided to the beneficiary. The TA contract will provide
next to a team leader additional expertise to assist in key tasks, e.g. in the field of
administrative capacity building, training, grant management mechanisms, monitoring
and evaluation and others. Some of these experts will address the cross-cutting issues.

The core project team – consisting of the team leader and other expertise will be placed
within the General Secretariat, Unit for NGO Cooperation.

The team leader will be responsible for the overall management, representation (co-
ordination with the EU and other international bodies) as well as reporting. The team
leader is responsible for an appropriate management of resources. During the inception

1 6 Civil Society 10
phase of the project, a detailed deployment plan will be developed in coordination with
the Unit for NGO Cooperation.

The expected contracting arrangements are:

Financed through IPA:

- 1 Service contract will be concluded following an international restricted tender
procedure with duration of 12 to 24 months. Implementation is expected to start in
2nd quarter 2010, one month after the signature of the contract and the contract value
will be approx. EUR 0.5 Million.

- Approximately 15 grants will be signed after call for proposals for the different
areas (5 calls for proposals). The public announcement should be in the 4th quarter
of 2010, while the implementation should start in the 2nd quarter of 2011. The
contracts will be for a period of one year and their value will range from 30.000
(minimum) to 60.000 Euro (maximum). The total budget available from IPA for the
grants is approximately 700.000 Euro. It is expected that an actual co-financing of
10 to 15% from the grant Beneficiaries will bring the combined budget of all grants
to 800.000 Euro.

3.5 Conditionality and sequencing

The project includes the following conditions:
1) Endorsement by all key stakeholders of the Terms of Reference, specifications for
the individual contracts to be engaged;
2) Appointment of counterpart personnel by the beneficiary before the launch of the
tender process;
3) Allocation of working space and facilities by the beneficiary for technical assistance
before the launch of the tender process;
4) Participation by the beneficiary (General Secretariat) in the tender process as per EU
regulations;
5) Organisation, selection and appointment of members of working groups, steering
and coordination committees, seminars by the beneficiary as per work plan of the
project;
6) Appointment and availability of the relevant staff of the beneficiaries to participate
in project implementing activities (especially training activities) as per the
workplan;

1 6 Civil Society 11
In the event that conditions are not met, suspension or cancellation of projects will be
considered.

3.6 Linked activities

A PHARE project was implemented in 1997 - 99 for the “Development of NGOs and
Regional Resource Centres”, targeting environmental NGOs, while ECHO programmes
provided complementary activities in the field of community services.

CARDS 2002 included an NGO strengthening programme, with an emphasis on

capacity building of NGOs and supporting the cooperation among the NGOs and
between NGOs and local authorities.

CARDS 2003 focused the establishment of a national network (or “platform”/”forum”)

for lobbying and advocacy–building amongst CSOs as well as institutional capacity
building for selected umbrella civil society organizations.

CARDS 2004 addressed the provision of assistance to the Government in developing a

strategy for the third sector and in establishing a civil society unit within the
Government structures. This project has produced four main results:
• A Strategy of the Government for cooperation with the civil society sector,
incorporating a mapping and comparison of similar practices in other transition
countries with respect to cooperation between governments and civil society. On the
basis of the mapping and comparisons, the strategy incorporated recommendations
for the specific context of the country.
• Developed Training and Capacity Building Plan and its subsequent implementation
in which capacity building needs for the Unit and liaison officers in other
governmental institutions were addressed.
• Developed and implemented visibility measures in close cooperation with the Unit's
staff. These visibility measures incorporate website, publications, dissemination
material, networking activities, conferences and other activities that reach out to civil
society in the country.
• Developed recommendations for transparent selection criteria and selection
procedures for governmental support to the CSOs on a competitive basis. These
recommendations resulted in a draft system of budget allocation for governmental
support to CSOs

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The project will be implemented in close relation to the regional project for civil society
developed under the Multi-Beneficiary IPA Programme 2008.

3.7 Lessons learned

Most of the Civil Society Organisations only have limited capacity to manage grants
under EU regulations. Although one of the grant award criteria during the evaluation of
the proposals is the management capacity of the beneficiary, many organisations do face
difficulties. It is very important to ensure that during the call for proposals an excellent
information package is available to the potential applicants and that a series of public
information events is organised to ensure appropriate information availability.

Secondly, it is of key importance to ensure an appropriate level of transparency during the

award process. Non-successful applicants should receive appropriate information
explaining why their application was not successful.

Specific attention should be given to organisations from the more remote areas to allow
them to participate on equal footing with the organisations seated in the big cities.

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4. Indicative Budget (amounts in M€)

SOURCES OF FUNDING
IPA COMMUNITY
TOTAL EXP.RE NATIONAL CONTRIBUTION PRIVATE CONTRIBUTION
CONTRIBUTION

IB INV EUR EUR %(2) Total % Central Regional/ IFIs EUR % (2)
(1) (1) (a)=(b)+(c)+(d) (b) EUR (2) EUR Local EUR (d)
ACTIVITIES
(x) EUR
(c)=(x)+(y)+(z) (z)
(y)
Component
1: Capacity
Building
Service
Contract
X 0.5 0.5 100 –
Component
2: Calls for
proposals -
Grants for
NGO’s
Grants (15) X 0.8 0.7 87 0.1 13
……

TOTAL IB 1.3 1.2 92 0.1 8

TOTAL INV
TOTAL PROJECT 1.3 1.2 92 0.1 8

Amounts net of VAT

(1) In the Activity row use "X" to identify whether IB or INV
(2) Expressed in % of the Total Expenditure (column (a))

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5. Indicative Implementation Schedule (periods broken down per quarter)

Contracts Start of Tendering Signature of Project Completion

contract
Contract 1 – TA Contract Qu4 2009 Qu2 2010 Qu2 2012
Contract 2 – Calls for Qu4 2010 Qu2 2011 Qu2 2012
proposals Grants (15)

6. Cross cutting issues

The cross-cutting issues will be addressed throughout the project. Up to some 10% of
the budget of the service contract for capacity building may be allocated to assist the
Unit for cooperation with NGOs to comply with European standards and best practices,
implement relevant existing Government strategies and develop internal measures to
ensure each cross-cutting issue is appropriately mainstreamed.
Throughout the project cycle, in particular when developing project ToR, state actors
specifically addressing (one of) the cross cutting issues shall be consulted.

Equal opportunities and non-discrimination;

The training activities will include a specific component to train ministerial staff in the
implementation of the Government Gender Strategy, while reference will be made to
the EC Programme of Action for the mainstreaming of gender equality in community
development cooperation (2001-06). An output of this training component will be to
assist the beneficiary to implement an ‘internal gender assessment’ to identify areas
where it could improve its internal performance vis-à-vis gender.

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ANNEXES
1 - Log Frame in Standard Format

2 - Amounts contracted and Distributed per Quarter over the full duration of Programme

3 - Description of Institutional Framework

4 - Reference to laws, regulations and strategic documents

− Reference list of relevant laws and regulations
− Reference to AP/NPAA/EP/SAA
− Reference to MIPD
− Reference to National Development Plan
− Reference to national/sectoral investment plans

5 – Details per EU funded contract (*) where applicable:

− For TA contracts: account of tasks expected from the contractor
− For Twinning covenants: account of tasks expected from the team leader,
resident twinning advisor and short term experts
− For Grant schemes: account of components of the shceme
− For Investment contracts: reference list of feasibility study as well as
technical specifications and cost price schedule + section to be filled in
on investment criteria
− For works contracts: reference list of feasibility study for the
constructing works part of the contract as well as a section on investment
criteria (**); account of services to be carried out for the service part of
the contract

(*) non standard aspects (in case of derogation to PRAG) also to be specified

(**) section on investment criteria (applicable to all infrastructure contracts and

construction works):
• Rate of return
• Co-financing
• Compliance with state aids provisions
• Ownership of assets (current and after project completion)

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ANNEX 1- Logical frame in standard format

LOGFRAME PLANNING MATRIX FOR Project Fiche: Support the participation of the Programme name and number
civil sector in decision making process and in providing social services Civil Society Development and Dialogue
Contracting period Execution period Disbursement period
expires two years expires two years expires one year from
from the date of the from the final date the final date for
conclusion of the for contracting execution of contracts.
Financing
Agreement
Total budget : IPA budget:
EUR 1.3 million EUR 1.2 million

Overall objective Objectively verifiable indicators Sources of Verification

The overall objective of the project is to promote and - Number of NGOs NGO registration records
active civil society. - Number of NGOs involved in the Project records
calls for proposals

Project purpose Objectively verifiable indicators Sources of Verification Assumptions

The project purpose is to support the development and Number of NGOs involved in: Project records Lack of interest and
capacity building of the Non-governmental sector - NGO’s in the process of drafting misunderstanding of
through improved involvement of NGO’s in the legislation and regulations (particularly the role of civil
process of drafting legislation and regulations those connected to the EU integration sector
(particularly those connected to the EU integration process, as well as public awareness
process, as well as public awareness raising), increased raising)
participation of NGO’s in providing social services and - in providing social services and
community-based activities, improved capacities to community-based activities,
mobilize resources and voluntary work and improved - training on improved capacities to
involvement in the field of democracy and the rule of mobilize resources and voluntary work
law. and improved involvement in the field of
democracy and the rule of law.

17
Results indicators Sources of Verification Assumptions
Component 1. Technical Assistance to assist the The Measurable indicators include: Project records - Unit staff is
Unit for Cooperation with NGOs in the General - Training needs assessment done, available
Secretariat with the implementation of the training implementation plan made,
Strategy for cooperation between the Government training implemented;
with the Civil Sector, with specific attention to - Staff satisfaction with training,
building capacities for effective and efficient measured through after training
management of the grant schemes survey;
The expected results include: - System developed for managing the
- Unit staff is endowed with appropriate skills grants;
and knowledge to implement the Strategy for - Operationality of system as measured
cooperation between the Government with the through the reporting produced;
Civil Sector; - Number of information sessions,
- Management system for grant schemes is visibility measures, public events,
developed, including guidelines and etc;
distribution of responsibilities in the different - Number of proposals received for
phases of grant management as well as a each grant call for proposals;
sound Monitoring and Evaluation mechanism - Signed Contracts for each grant
- Awareness of NGOs about grant schemes is scheme.
high, testified through number of proposals
submitted to the calls;
- Grant schemes (component 2) are
implemented.
Component 2. Implementation of different The measurable indicators include: Project records - Sufficient
activities under the Grant schemes - Conclusion of the calls for proposals Government NGO records number of NGOs
The expected results are: through the signatory of the grant interested to
- Grant schemes are implemented covering the contracts; submit proposals
following areas: - Well implemented call for proposal for each of the
- NGO for participation in the process of process measured through the elected areas
drafting legislation and regulations and number of questions for clarifications - Sufficient
the monitoring of the implementation of received and the number of number of eligible
legislation complaints received. proposals received
- Awareness raising vis-à-vis the EU - An appropriate mechanism to include to issue grant
integration process NGOs in the drafting process of contracts
- Fight against corruption and organized legislation and the subsequent

18
 - crime monitoring of the implementation of
- Raising of the quality of inter ethnical legislation is developed and
relations implemented;
- Strengthening NGO management and - Number of people reached during
networking, including joint awareness raising activities;
implementation of community based - An appropriate mechanism to include
activities and social services, Resource NGOs in the fight against corruption
Mobilisation, Mobilising voluntary work, and organised crime is developed and
institutional cooperation between NGOs implemented;
and between NGOs and the local - Number of people reached through
government. the awareness raising activities;
- The implementation of the projects to be funded - Number of joint activities developed,
under the grant schemes are expected to lead to: - Amount of funds raised from
o An appropriate mechanism to include different sources,
NGOs in the drafting process of - Numbers of volunteers active in the
legislation and the subsequent monitoring NGOs
of the implementation of legislation is - The coordination mechanisms
developed and implemented; between NGOs and between NGOs
o General awareness of the public will and the local government that are
increase, as measured through number of operational.
people reached during awareness raising
activities;
o An appropriate mechanism to include
NGOs in the fight against corruption and
organised crime is developed and
implemented;
o General awareness of the public vis-à-vis
inter-ethnic relations is improved,
measured through the number of people
reached through the awareness raising
activities;
o NGOs demonstrate better capacities to
manage themselves, measured through the
number of joint activities developed,
funds raised from different sources,

19
 numbers of volunteers active in the NGOs
and the coordination mechanisms between
NGOs and between NGOs and the local
government that are operational.

20
Activities Means Costs Assumptions
Component 1. Technical Assistance to assist the Service Contract 500.000 EUR
Unit for Cooperation with NGOs in the General
Secretariat with the implementation of the
Strategy for cooperation between the Government
with the Civil Sector, with specific attention to
building capacities for effective and efficient
management of the grant schemes
• Implement raining needs assessment
• Design training implementation plan
• Implement training according to the plan;
• Develop management system for grant
schemes, including the Monitoring and
evaluation of the implementation of the
projects by the Unit
• Assist in the total process of managing the
grant schemes (component 2), including:
- Assisting in drafting the grant scheme
guidelines
- Assisting in implementing awareness
raising activities for NGOs in grant
schemes (information sessions, visibility
measures, public events, etc. )
- Assisting in the evaluation process of
proposals received;
- Assisting in the guidance to be provided
by the Unit to grant holders;
- Assisting in the review of reports received
from the grant holders

21
Component 2: Implementation of different Grant contracts 800.000 (including 100.00 co- - Sufficient number of
activities under the Grant schemes The Unit for financing) NGOs interested to
NGO Cooperation, together with the contracting submit proposals for each
authority, will be responsible for: of the elected areas
- Drafting the grant scheme guidelines - Sufficient number of
- Implementing awareness raising activities for eligible proposals
NGOs in grant schemes (information sessions, received to issue grant
visibility measures, public events, etc. ) contracts
- Public announcement of the calls for proposals;
- Responding to questions for clarification;
- Evaluation of proposals received;
- Signatory of contracts;
- Provide guidance to grant holders;
- Review of reports received from the grant holders

Pre conditions

The project includes the following conditionalities:

• Endorsement by all key stakeholders of the Terms of Reference, specifications for the individual contracts to be engaged;
• Appointment of counterpart personnel by the beneficiary before the launch of the tender process;
• Allocation of working space and facilities by the beneficiary for technical assistance before the launch of the tender process;
• Participation by the beneficiary in the tender process as per EU regulations;
• Organisation, selection and appointment of members of working groups, steering and coordination committees, seminars by the beneficiary
as per work plan of the project;
• Necessary legislation in force; and
• Appointment and availability of the relevant staff of the beneficiaries to participate in project implementing activities (especially training
activities) as per the workplan.

In the event that conditionalities are not met, suspension or cancellation of projects will be considered.

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ANNEX 2 - Amounts (in million EUR) contracted and Distributed per Quarter over the full duration of Programme (only IPA funds)

2010 2011 2012

Contracted Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

TA contract 0.7
Calls for
proposals - 0.5
Grants

Cumulated 0.7 1.2

Disbursed

TA contract 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1

Calls for
proposals - 0.2 0.2 0.1
Grants
Cumulated 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.6 0.9 1.0 1.2

Please note that it is expected that some 15 grant contracts will be signed.

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ANNEX 3 – Description of the Institutional Framework

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 The Rulebook for Internal Organization and Systematization of the General Secretariat of the
Government regulates the internal organization and the mode of work of the Secretariat General as
a technical service to the Government, the types of organization as well as their responsibilities
and competencies.
Sectors and Units are established dependant on the type, the scope, the level and the degree of
complexity of the work as well as of the inter-relations, responsibility and other factors and
conditions for successful functioning of the General Secretariat.
The Sector for Policy Analysis and Coordination is one of nine sectors within General
secretariat. This Sector has eighteen (18) public servants.
In accordance with the acts for internal organization and systematization of working positions
in the General Secretariat of the Government, in December 2004, the Unit for cooperation with
NGOs was established under the Sector for Policy Analysis and Coordination of the General
Secretariat of the Government. The Unit has five (5) public servants for the following working
posts: Head of Unit, two Advisors and two Junior Associates.

The Budget of the Government - General Secretariat for 2008 is 944.430.000 denars. This
Budget is divided into programs (Administrative and Governmental) and is projected according to
the needs of the sectors and units of the General secretariat. The beneficiaries of this Project -
Sector for policy analysis and coordination and the Unit for cooperation with NGOs don’t have
their own Budget, but their activities are covered with the Budget of the Government - General
Secretariat. In this Budget for 2008, 15.000.000 denars will be transferred to NGOs on the basis of
Public Call and decision of the Government.

According to the Rulebook for Internal Organization of the General Secretariat, the
responsibilities of the Unit are:

- Coordination of the implementation of the Strategy for Cooperation of the Government

and the Civil Sector, as well as creating mechanisms for promoting the liaison between
the Government and the civil sector.
- Preparing a review of the legislation, continuous update, proposing initiatives to the
Government and the relevant ministries in order to instigate drafting of new legislation
for the civil sector in the country.
- Monitoring of international legislation in particular countries that might enable further
development of the civil sector, to perform comparative analysis and suggest
amendments to the legal framework of the country in compliance with the standards of
the European Union.
- Mediating the inter-ministerial cooperation as well as of the other state authorities and
the civil sector, and monitoring and upgrading the cooperation with the civil sector.
- In accordance with legislation, actively participating in the cooperation with the relevant
ministries (managing projects) by organizing public debates on relevant legislation,
projects, and initiatives.
- Providing the administrative support to the Committee for Allocating financial resources
from the Budget for partial funding of public-interest projects, which are to be
implemented by the civil sector.
- Maintaining cooperation with the organizations and the institutions of the NGO sector.
- Considering a holistic approach in addressing citizen’s needs in Government policy-
making process.
- Providing education/training for the civil servants and the representatives of the local
self-government in order to acquire essential knowledge and skills, necessary to obtain
transparent and accountable partnership relations with the civil sector representatives.
- Establishing a network for continual and timely information regarding the civil sector in
reference to all national and local level activities.
- Organizing regional conferences and similar events in order to exchange experiences
with other EU candidate states, including those accessioned this year for modes of

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 cooperation of their governments and the civil sector, as well as participating to such
events organized by the counterpart countries.

The Unit will carry out its responsibilities through the implementation of the mutual strategic
goals supporting the development of the civil sector, specified in the Strategy for Cooperation with
the Civil Sector addressing the following:

• Enabling a more favorable legal framework for the development of the civil sector;
• Participation of the civil sector in the decision-making process.
• Creating more favorable conditions for sustainability of the civil sector.
• Involvement of the civil sector in the process of integration in the European Union.
• Maintaining inter-institutional cooperation;
• Maintaining inter-departmental cooperation;
• Continuous development of the civil sector.

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ANNEX 4 - Reference to laws, regulations and strategic documents

4.a) Reference list of relevant laws and regulations

Key laws and regulations on the sector:
• Constitution, 1991 (amended 1992, 1998, 2001, 2003, 2005)
• Strategy for Cooperation of the Government with the Civil Sector, 2007
• Law on Government, 2000 (amended 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007)
• Rules of Procedure for Operation of the Government, 2001 (2008-consolidated text)
• The Methodology on Policy Analysis and Co-ordination, 2006
• Law on Civic Association and Foundations, 1998, 2007
• Law on Sponsorship and Donations, 2006
• Law on Voluntary Work, 2007
• Law on Prevention of Corruption, 2002 (amended 2004, 2006, 2008)
• State Programme for Prevention and Repression of Corruption, 2007
• Ohrid Framework Agreement, 2001
• Law on Local Self-Government, 2002

4.b) Reference to AP/NPAA/EP/SAA

Reference to SAA (2001): The program addresses the objectives of the SAA for “the development of
civic society and democratisation”.

Reference to Accession Partnership (2007-2008): The program will address the following AP
priority: “Implement effectively the measures adopted to ensure transparency in the administration, in
particular in the decision-making process, and further promote active participation by civil society”.

Reference to the Progress Report (2007): The latest progress report makes the following evaluation:
“As regards freedom of assembly and association, the Law on civic associations and foundations has
been amended to provide for such bodies to be registered in the Central Registry”; “The Government
adopted a strategy for cooperation with civil society organisations and developed an action plan. One
of its aims is to involve civil society more in the policy development process and in legislative
drafting. The activities of civil society are still hampered by lack of finance and heavy dependence on
foreign sources of financing. The 2006 Law on Sponsorship and Donations has not been implemented
pending the necessary bylaws. The transparency of the criteria for allocating grants from the state
budget to NGOs remains to be strengthened”.

Reference to National Plan for Adoption of Acquis (2007): The Plan has following priorities with
regard to civil society: “Increased transparency and further promotion of the civil-society participation
and inclusion of social partners in the decision-making process”; “Participation of the civil society in
the process of policy-making is one of the strategic objectives also contained in the Strategy for
Cooperation between the Government and the Civil Sector (2007-2011). In the course of 2007 the
Rules of Procedure of the Government will be amended so as to ensure that draft laws are available to
the public through web-sites of the Ministries and of other state administrative bodies; thus ensuring
participation of the civil sector in the work of expert councils of the Government (Legal and Economic
Councils) and other bodies”; “For the purpose of strengthening the cooperation with Ombudsman and
the civil sector, training shall be carried out for the employees in the Sector with the Ombudsman as
well as with the NGOs representatives on issues in the sphere of human freedoms and rights”.

4.d) Reference to MIPD

Multi-Annual Indicative Planning Document (2008-2010) refers to: “Key challenges to be supported
through financial assistance are: … strengthen the civil society dialogue”; “Increased attention will be
given to strengthening Civil Society dialogue and development”; “As the country is on its way towards
accession, it is imperative in terms of sustainability and public acceptance to ensure that this process is
managed in a democratic and transparent way, thus seeking the broad participation of the civil society
in the overall process. Therefore, pre-accession assistance shall help strengthening the civil society

1 6 Civil Society 27
dialogue and development. This will be done, on the one hand, by treating civil society as a cross
cutting issue in the various projects, but on the other hand, also by supporting separate activities
directly targeting at the civil society. In particular, attention will be given to the implementation of the
civil society strategy, and strengthening the capacities of the civil society organisations”.

4.e) Reference to National Development Plan

N/A

4.f) Reference to national / sectoral investment plans

The project directly links to the following strategies and action plans in the sector:
• Strategy for cooperation of the Government with the Civil Sector, 2007
• Action plan for implementation of Strategy for cooperation with CSOs, 2007
• Strategy for Equitable Representation, 2007
• Strategy of Reforms of Public Administration, 1999

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Annex 5- Details per EU funded contract

Project Management and Administration

Advisory services will be provided to the beneficiary. The TA contract will provide next to a team
leader additional expertise to assist in key tasks, e.g. in the field of administrative capacity building,
training, grant management mechanisms, monitoring and evaluation and others. Some of these experts
will address the cross-cutting issues.

The core project team – consisting of the team leader and other expertise will be placed within the
General Secretariat, Unit for NGO Cooperation.

The team leader will be responsible for the overall management, representation (co-ordination with the
EU and other international bodies) as well as reporting. The team leader is responsible for an
appropriate management of resources. During the inception phase of the project, a detailed
deployment plan will be developed in coordination with the Unit for NGO Cooperation.

The contracting arrangements are as follows:

- 1 Service contract will be concluded following an international restricted tender procedure
with duration of 12 to 24 months. Implementation is expected to start in 2nd quarter 2010,
one month after the signature of the contract and the contract value will be approx. EUR
0.5 Million.
- Approximately 15 grants will be signed after call for proposals for the different areas (5
calls for proposals). The public announcement should be in the 4th quarter of 2010, while
the implementation should start in the 2nd quarter of 2011. The contracts will be for a
period of one year and their value will range from 30.000 (minimum) to 60.000 Euro
(maximum). The total budget available from IPA for the grants is approximately 700.000
Euro. It is expected that an actual co-financing of 10 to 15% from the grant Beneficiaries
will bring the combined budget of all grants to 800.000 Euro.

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