Participants gathered to jointly celebrate the launch of the EEA NGO Programme in Portugal, the biggest of such events to date.
The Active Citizenship Programme, worth €5.8 million, will support NGO engagement in shaping and implementing public policies. This will be done through advocacy efforts, promoting democratic values, human rights, minority rights and anti-discrimination, and capacity-building of the sector.
The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation will operate the programme. The first calls for proposals will be launched on 29 April 2013. Seed money to support bilateral cooperation is already available.
Support to civil society is one of the key priorities of the EEA and Norway Grants, read more in our factsheet: Civil society