On 6 September Professor Håkan Johansson participated in a hearing on Financing of civil society organisations by the EU at the EESC (European Economic and Social Committee).
The goal of the hearing was to come up with recommendations for revised financial regulations and the future Multiannual Financial Framework after 2020 that would enable better civil dialogue and easier and more transparent access to resources.
Lack of systematic research
Professor Johansson participated in a panel titeld "Recommendations for the future Multiannual financial framework concerning civil society", and emphasized the importance of EU-funding for European civil society originations. However, he also highlighted that in a Swedish context, few organisations apply for and use EU-funding and that this varies from country to country. Johansson also stressed the importance of the EU continuing to learn about this issue, as there is no systematic research on different countries' funding systems for civil society organisations and the role that the EU plays. Johansson pointed to the relevance of this in relation to the fact that governments in several EU countries try to control and restrict civil society through the money given to civil society organisations.
