Paper/Speech Details of Conference Program for the 29th NISPAcee Annual Conference Program Overview WG8: Non-Governmental Organisations in CEE (Physical) Author(s) Zsuzsanna Kondor Ludovika University of Public Service Budapest Hungary Dr. Györgyi NYIKOS, National University of Public Service, Budapest, Hungary Title The involvement of NGOs in Cohesion Policy implementation in Hungary – A historical perspective (2004-2020) File Paper files are available only for conference participants, please login first. Presenter Zsuzsanna Kondor Abstract The project: The EU Cohesion Policy is helping Europe's regions to address their socio-economic development needs and to speed up the catching up of territories lagging behind. This investment policy accounts for one-third of the EU budget; Hungary, receiving an allocation of € 21.9 billion in the programming period 2014-2020 and €20,6 in the period 2021-2027, is a main beneficiary. The implementation of the policy necessitates that a broad range of bodies – public authorities, socio- economic partners and territorial actors, and the civil society – collaborate effectively throughout the strategic planning and programme delivery course. Partnership constitutes a fundamental principle, the promotion and realisation of which improves the quality of the interventions as well as the transparency of funding decisions. Regulatory requirements have been significantly reinforced over the past decades. The paper presents the approach Hungary has adopted since 2004 to engage NGOs in the design and execution of EU-funded policy interventions. The legal-institutional set-up, the mechanisms and tools employed, cultural norms illustrated important changes in the subsequent programming periods, directly influencing the expanse and intensity of NGO involvement. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic radically changed the environment within which policy delivery and collaboration with NGOs work. The paper explores how the principles of partnership and multilevel governance have been embedded in the devise and delivery processes over time. Research questions: How have the regulatory norms encouraged the selection and meaningful participation of the NGOs? What difference the institutional structure, recalibrated for each programming period, has made to the quality of cooperation? What other external and internal factors have aided or impeded maximising the value of state-NGO collaboration? Methodology: A desk-based research looks at the critical factors of NGO involvement. Scientific literature and documentary (e.g. policy and other official documents, evaluation reports) review is supplemented by interviews with the national authorities (ministries, managing authorities), territorial actors (municipalities, local governments) and the NGOs. Coherence with panel theme: The paper offers empirical experience on how external and internal demand, institutional capacity have played into the satisfaction of the partnership principle. It also presents the importance of capacity building; the comparative assessment of the arrangements in the various programming periods, supplemented by particularities of the COVID-19 context enables the conclusions on key success factors and barriers too.
