Civil Society plays an increasingly important role in international human and social welfare. The most important prerequisite for the development of the NGO sector is a steady level of trust and engagement from society. This public trust and engagement is based the organization’s level of accountability.
Charity Star is an independent nonprofit organization working to establish an international standard for NGO accountability. We believe in an open society where access to information is key in building trust and engagement.
Our work includes research and advocacy within the field of NGO governance.
Civil Society in the UK Join Forces to advise the Government on Implementation of New European Directives
-
Sector seeks meeting with Francis Maude on EU negotiations
Article posted on civilsociety.co.uk by Vibeka Mair 29 February 2012
A coalition 23 of umbrella bodies is seeking a meeting with Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude to discuss civil society priorities in the UK’s current negotiations in Europe on EU procurement rules.
Negotiations between Member States and the EU institutions are underway, with aims to adopt new European Directives in late 2012.
The coalition of umbrellas is keen to see changes implemented which they say will significantly improve civil society organisation’s ability to bid for public sector contracts.
In particular, the group would like to see implementation of the proposals for:
- Reduced regulation for social services
- Encouraging smaller contracts and obligations to explain large contracts
- An independent advice and oversight body to assist in improving procurement standards
They have sent a letter to Maude, requesting a meeting and outlining why the above proposals would benefit civil society.
The group of umbrellas includes NCVO, Navca, Acevo, Volunteering England, Social Enterprise UK, CFG and the Institute of Fundraising.
Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO said: “This is a crucial moment to bring together a strong coalition of civil society partners. Together we can provide the sector with a clear voice to overcome current challenges and open up new opportunities for small organisations to deliver public services.
“We have a key opportunity to share ideas and work closely with the government to identify persistent problems in legislation and practice, and to find solutions for a more effective UK procurement market.”
Sign up for our newsletter
