Today the Office of the Directorate General of Programmes (ODGP), which coordinates the cooperation dimension of the Council of Europe, held a second Open Day for the Permanent Representations and Observers to the Council of Europe.

The Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni said in her opening speech: ‘We can all agree that there is plenty of work for our Organisation at this present time. Europe’s democracies are under pressure: the refugee crisis; ongoing economic hardship; the terror threat; growing tension in our societies; conflict in and around Ukraine; the problems are many.

To help our members navigate these challenges we need two things. Common standards and joint initiatives, which involve all 47 member states. And we need bespoke co-operation, tailored to suit the needs of the specific country in question, or to address the specific theme. For this second element of our work, ODGP is vital.’

The Director of ODGP, Verena Taylor, introduced the work of the Directorate which was displayed at stands through films, presentations and printed material. The staff of ODGP answered questions and presented the work of Programming, Resource Mobilisation, Programme Support, Field Offices, Central Coordination and Risk Management, the new Project Management Methodology, as well as some joint programmes with the EU: South Programme II, Programmatic Cooperation Framework for Eastern Partnership countries and the Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey.

Several Heads and Deputy Heads of Council of Europe Offices hosted the stand on Field Offices and provided practical examples of their work.

If you wish more information on any aspect of the work of ODGP please do not hesitate to contact us.

Speech by the Deputy Secretary General

ODGP website