Being a EU citizen and a volunteer

As a EU citizen, you have many opportunities to become a volunteer abroad depending on your project and your free time. Here are some examples to help you!

European Voluntary Service (EVS)

The volunteer carries out a public interest mission within a non-profit organisation (charity, NGO, local authority). The areas are different: Culture, environment, youth, support to vulnerable groups, etc.

EU programmes and funds for the 2014-2020 period - SECOND EDITION

I am pleased to let you know that the new guide on EU grants for the 2014-2020 period is now available. This is an updated version for 2016-2017.

Your feedback is welcome!

Click here to find out more on the guides I wrote.

#EUinMyRegion : Concours photo / Photo Competition

Je suis heureuse de participer au concours photo « #EUinMyRegion / L’Europe dans ma région » organisé par la Commission européenne. 

J’ai soumis trois photos et vous avez la possibilité de voter pour elles jusqu’au 11 septembre 2016 inclus (cliquez sur « Vote ! », suivez le lien et cliquez sur le bouton « Vote »).

***

I am pleased to take part in the #EUinMyRegion Photo Competition that is organised by the European Commission. 

I entered the competition with three pictures and you can vote for these up to 11 September 2016 (click on "Vote !", follow the link and click on the "Vote" button).

Photo 1 / Picture 1

Pôle Gares Saint-Omer, Hauts-de-France (France)

Vote !

Photo 2 / Picture 2

Cap Blanc-Nez Hauts-de-France (France)

Vote !

Photo 3 / Picture 3

Motte castrale Saint-Omer, Hauts-de-France (France)

Vote !

Merci pour votre aide ! 

Thanks for your support!

Europe in my region: The Louvre-Lens Museum

This post has been selected for the #EUinmyRegion blogging competition 

organised by the European Commission.

Do you like it? Click here, let it know and share it on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc.

Many thanks for your help.

Emilie.

I created an interactive map showing concrete action of the European Union within the Hauts-de-France new region in northern France. One of these projects caught my eye because of its great impact on the region: The Louvre-Lens Museum.

Background

Lens is located in the department of Pas de Calais within the Hauts-de-France region in northern France. This town of 33,000 inhabitants is at the centre of an area delimited by three European capital cities: Paris, Brussels and London.

When coal was found in the ground Lens entered a long period of prosperity from the XIX^th century with the industrial revolution. The region was particularly affected by the First World War: In 2014 L’Anneau de la Mémoire (“Ring of Remembrance”) was unveiled to remember the victims of the war.

Interactive map: The EU within the Hauts-de-France region

Did you know?

The European Union supports many projects throughout its Member States and their regions. I took the example of the Hauts-de-France / Nord-Pas de Calais-Picardy region in northern France to create an interactive map.

This map highlights great projects such as Louvre-Lens Museum, Amiens Cultural Center, Maison du Marais in Saint-Omer, etc.

Create a map

Click and see!

Good Practice on Project Development and Management VERSION 2

The second edition of the guide on Good Practice on Project Development and Management is now available for free download in partnership with the External Funding Team at East Sussex County Council.

NEW IN THE GUIDE:

• Building a strong partnership
• BID PREPARATION
• Timing and deadline
• Tips for bid preparation
• Organising your arguments
• Jargon Buster
• How to define a communication plan
• Project costing
• Risk analysis
• Implementation timeframe
• Successful bid writing
• Project approval
• Project refusal
• ANNEXES
• Time management: Meeting tight deadlines
• Organising and facilitating a meeting

Feel free to share and give us some feedback!

Guide on EU programmes and funds for the 2014-2020 period

I am pleased to let you know that the guide on 

EU programmes and funds for the 2014-2020 period is now available for download.

Please feel free to give me feedback.

www.ow.ly/WzdG9

#COP21: EU process for environment and climate

As COP21 will take place from 30 November to 11 December 2015, I will write some posts to help you to better understand its stakes and the role of the European Union in tackling global warming. After a general introduction to COP21, EU competences and EU policy for climate and environment, let’s see the EU process for environmental protection and fight against climate change.

© EMAH

EU actions so far

From 1957 with the Treaty of Rome, environmental protection is a European concern.

In 1973, EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Environment (DG ENV) is created to protect the environment in Europe.

#COP21: EU policy for environment and climate

As COP21 will take place from 30 November to 11 December 2015, I will write some posts to help you to better understand its stakes and the role of the European Union in tackling global warming. After a general introduction to COP21 and EU competences, let’s see the EU policy for environmental protection and fight against climate change.

© EMAH

EU action

As explained previously, environmental protection and fight against climate change are a shared competence between the EU and the Member States. According to the subsidiarity principle, the EU can act when its action is considered as more efficient than that of Member States.

The EU and COP21

As COP21 will take place from 30 November to 11 December 2015, I will write some posts to help you to better understand its stakes and the role of the European Union in tackling global warming.

1. Understanding COP21
2. #COP21: Competences of the EU
3. #COP21: EU policy for environment and climate
4. #COP21: EU process for environment and climate
5. #COP21: EU grants for environment and climate 

#COP21: Competences of the EU

As COP21 will take place from 30 November to 11 December 2015, I will write some posts to help you to better understand its stakes and the role of the European Union in tackling global warming. Let’s focus on the competences of the EU before moving on to EU policy for climate and environment.

The competences of the EU are assigned by the Member States through the treaties. The European institutions (mainly the “institutional triangle” formed by the European Commission, the Council of the EU and the European Parliament) implement the EU policies thanks to legislative acts (regulations, directives, decisions, etc.).

The EU has competence in some specific areas which are organised in three different categories:

Understanding COP21

As COP21 will take place from 30 November to 11 December 2015, I will write some posts to help you to better understand its stakes and the role of the European Union in tackling global warming. Let’s start with a quick presentation of COP21.

What is COP21?

COP21 stands for “21^st Conference of the Parties”. “Parties” are the 195 countries that signed the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

EU grants for environment and climate

COP21 will take place in Paris from 30 November to 11 December 2015. Here is a list of different EU grants available for protection of the environment and fight against climate change:

Guide des Programmes et fonds européens pour la période 2014-2020

Le guide des Programmes et fonds européens pour la période 2014-2020 est maintenant disponible en ligne.

Vous y trouverez toutes les informations indispensables sur les subventions européennes pour vous permettre de trouver des financements pour votre projet.

Le guide de Bonnes pratiques pour le montage et la gestion de projet est toujours disponible ici.

English version of the guide on EU programmes and funds for 2014-2020 period should be published later this year.

The guide on Good practice for project development and management is still available for free on East Sussex County Council’s website.  

Presidency of the Council of the EU: Luxembourg

The Council of the European Union is a EU institution which brings together ministers from each EU Member State who are qualified in a specific field of action (i.e. agriculture, trade, etc.). The Council of the EU votes on EU laws and budget which are proposed by the European Commission, in co-decision with the European Parliament. For more information in EU institutions, you can take a look at this article.

Since the signing of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007, the rotating presidency applies to the Council of the EU only, as the presidency of the European Council is now held by a President elected for two and a half years by the members of the European Council, who are the Heads of State or Government of each Member State.

Every six months, one of the Member States holds the presidency of the Council of the EU. From 1^st January to 30^th June 2015, Latvia took over the presidency. From 1^st July to 31^st December 2015, it will be Luxembourg.

Luxembourg has chosen to focus its presidency on the following points:

Projets d'Europe - European Projects : free advice for everyone's EU project

Our non-for-profit organisation Projets d'Europe - European Projects was created to make EU grants better known and offer free advice to organisations interested in developing and managing EU projects.

You can now visit our bilingual website at 

www.projets-deurope.com

Find us on Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin

Carmen, Linda Marlène and I are looking forward to answering your questions, 

feel free to contact us!

INTERREG - 25 years of European cooperation

For the 2014-2020 period, the European Union is conducting different policies as:

• Competitiveness for growth and jobs;
• Economic, social and territorial cohesion;
• Sustainable Growth: Natural Resources;
• Security and citizenship;
• Global Europe.

The economic, social and territorial cohesion policy is supported by the European structural and investment funds, which are:

• Cohesion Fund (CF);
• European Regional Development Fund (ERDF);
• European Social Fund (ESF);
• European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD);
• European Maritime & Fisheries Fund (EMFF).

The territorial cooperation, better known as INTERREG, is funded by the ERDF. It was created in 1990 and has known until now five programming periods:

• INTERREG: 1990-1993;
• INTERREG II: 1994-1999;
• INTERREG III: 2000-2006;
• INTERREG IV: 2007-2013;
• INTERREG V: 2014-2020.

Good Practice on EU Project Development and Management guide (French version)

The French version of the guide is now available for download. Enjoy!

I'll be back soon

It has been a long time since my last post and I'm sorry about that. I'm working hard on a big project which is the translation in French of my guide on project development and management good practice. The result will be available very soon!

Here is a preview of the cover:

2015, European Year for Development

Every year and since 1983, the European Union highlights one of their community policy’s topics. The European Commission makes a proposal that will have to be approved both by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. In 2015, the priority is European development policy.

This initiative aims to raise public awareness on the issue throughout the year, to promote debate and the setting-up of dedicated policies in each Member State and at the EU level, in order to reach the objectives. This year, the actions that will be carried out will be focused on the following topic: “our world, our dignity, our future”.