The involvement of NGOs in national economic and social councils and in programming structural funds at national level

This study has examined 21 national Social and Economic Councils to study NGOs membership and their involvement in programming EU Structural Funds. From the findings of this study following observations can be made: Most Member States with a national social and economic council or committee have a formalised and institutionalised form of social dialogue. In countries with a national social and economic council or committee, NGOs are implicated as a formal statutory member in nearly half of them. Most national social and economic councils or committees are relatively young. Most perceived national social and economic councils were established after 1990. The involvement of NGOs is more present in the newly established national social and economic councils. Seven countries do recognise NGO's representatives as a formal member. Only one national Economic and Social Council reported an active role in organising a structured way of consultation for the programming of EU Structural Funds. In some countries NGOs seem to be better organised to respond to the consultations than in other Member States with an Economic and Social Council. Evidence seems to suggest that countries with a national social and economic council that do have NGOs as a formal member have more response from civil society in programming structural funds.