Avenue de l'Europe
The Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe visits Member States to meet local NGOs and public authorities to introduce them to the Conference of INGOs, better understand the cooperation between NGOs and decision-makers and to discuss NGO participation in the public decision-making process. Certain legal frameworks are in place in countries in order to consult NGOs and to associate them in decision-making.
The Conference hears the point of view of both NGOs and authorities to find out what use is made of these participatory tools. Each visit is followed by a report which highlights the important issues for the NGOs at that specific moment and socio-political context. Recommendations are formulated to improve the effectiveness of cooperation between NGOs and the public authorities. The findings of the visits also contribute to advancing the Council of Europe’s work in this field.
The participation of civil society in decision-making is one of the priorities of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe and guidelines on civil society’s effective and meaningful participation in the political decision-making process are being developed for possible adoption by the Committee of Ministers.
2022
Bosnia and Herzegovina2022
Finland 2019
Armenia 
Italy
2018
North MacedoniaInformation Report (EN)Report (Macedonian)Comments by the Government of North Macedonia
RomaniaInformation Report (EN)Report (Romanian)
United Kingdom2017
SerbiaInformation ReportComments by the Serbian Government
EstoniaInformation ReportComments by the Estonian Government
Ireland2016
HungaryInformationReportComments by the Hungarian Government
Germany Romania
PolandInformation Report (EN)Report (PL)Comments by the Polish Government
2015
BulgariaInformation ReportComments by the Bulgarian Government
MoldovaInformation ReportComments by the Parliament of the Republic of MoldovaStatement by the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Moldova to the Council of Europe
The Conference of INGOs is publishing a report on its fact-finding visit to Italy, which was organised on May 2019.
The report covers the legal Framework for NGOs in Italy, the reform of the Third Sector and participation in the Decision-making Process, including interactions between public authorities and NGOs in the context of migration policy as well as equal opportunities and the fight against discrimination.
More information on the visit can be found here.
Reports of the fact-finding visits to Moldova and Bulgaria by the Conference of INGOs
A delegation of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe carried out fact-finding visits to the Republic of Moldova and Bulgaria to meet with NGOs and discuss with them their participation in the decision-making process. Discussion focused on key questions such as what tools exist which...
Follow-up to the visit to Poland on 1 and 2 June by the President of the Conference of INGOs
A delegation of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe met with representatives of Romanian NGOs and public authorities in a fact-finding visit in Romania, on 12 and 13 September 2016. The purpose of the meetings and debates was to know more about Romania’s recent experience with civil...
Civil participation in the decision-making process
On 25 and 26 October, a delegation of the Conference of INGOs carried out a fact-finding visit to Berlin. This initiative was organised in close collaboration with Bundesnetzwerk Bürgerschaftliches Engagement (BBE) - National Network for Civil Society and the diplomatic representation of Germany...
Civil participation in the decision-making process
From 21 to 22 November, the Conference of INGOs carried out a fact finding visit in Budapest with a view to assessing the participation of civil society in political decision making and to strengthening the connection with national NGOs in the Member States. The fact-finding visit was made...
Civil participation in the decision-making process
The Conference of INGOs held an official visit to Ireland from 24-26 April 2017. The Irish Social Workers Association organised the logistical and substantial support during two meetings with NGOs active in the field of human rights, education and democracy. The meetings with public authorities...
From 25 to 26 September 2017, the Conference of INGOs held a fact-finding visit in Tallinn. Like all other visits, it focused on NGO participation in the decision-making process. Because their impact on civil participation in decision-making should not be ignored, digital tools and the digital...
Civil participation in the decision-making process
The visit of the delegation of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe in Belgrade (Serbia) took place from 13 to 15 November. The visit focused on NGOs participation in the decision-making process in different sectors of public policies and public affairs. The visit was co-organised by...
Civil participation in the decision-making process
The report on the Conference of INGOs’ fact-finding visit in Belgrade that took place from 13 to 14 November 2017, has been published and sent to the Serbian authorities for comments. It will be presented and discussed together with the representatives of Serbian civil society and Serbian...
Civil participation in the decision-making process
The report on the Conference of INGOs’ fact-finding visit in Tallin that took place from 25 to 26 September 2017, has been published and sent to the Estonian authorities for comments. It will be presented and discussed together with the representatives of Estonian civil society and Estonian...
Civil participation in the decision-making process
A year ago, "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" entered a new political dynamic marked by openness and democratic dialogue between public authorities and independent civil society. The importance of this change is necessary not only for this country but also for democratic security...
Civil participation in the decision-making process
The report on the Conference of INGOs’ fact-finding visit to Skopje that took place from 26 to 27 March 2018, has been published and sent to the Government of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" for comments. It will be presented and discussed together with the representatives of the...
From 27 to 30 May, the delegation of the Conference of INGOs of the Council of Europe carried out a fact-finding visit on the participation of NGOs in the decision-making process in different sectors of politics and public affairs in Italy. The visit was co-organized with CILD, the Italian...
The Conference of INGOs is publishing a report on a follow-up visit to Romania that it organised on 3-5 December 2018. During the visit, special attention was paid to the evolution of the legal environment in which NGOs are operating in Romania and on the interactions between NGOs and public...
The Conference of INGOs is publishing a report on its fact-finding visit to Italy, which was organised on May 2019. The report covers the legal Framework for NGOs in Italy, the reform of the Third Sector and participation in the Decision-making Process, including interactions between public...
Following its visits to London on 20 and 21 May 2018, and on 16 October 2018, the Conference of INGOs is publishing a report that highlights the issues that NGOs and representatives of the Ministries and other public agencies had at stake at the time of the visit: regulatory framework, political...
The Conference of INGOs is publishing a report on its official visit to Armenia held on 27-29 November 2019. During the visit, the hosting organisation, the Federation of Youth Clubs of Armenia (FYCA), organised two meetings with more than 50 NGOs: human and civil rights organisations, lawyers...
