Europe

Implications for charities and community groups from the Brexit referendum include political uncertainty, slow progress on government policy change, and potential financial challenges, according to a new briefing from NCVO.

An NCVO joint project will become a stronger voice for charities in Europe following successful funding bids, it was announced today.

Commenting ahead of the Prime Minister’s speech on Europe, Sir Stuart Etherington, Chief Executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said:

"This country’s membership of the European Union brings with it a vast range of benefits, as leaders in politics and business have rightly said. Above and beyond its free market, however, Europe speaks to a principle that we hold dear – coming together to address common problems.

NCVO has today (7 March) set out its vision for reform and renewal in Europe through its manifesto, Towards a More Open Europe. Elections to the European Parliament will take place on 22 May.

A European equivalent of the UK’s Compact agreement between government and the voluntary sector is within sight of becoming a reality, European charity leaders heard yesterday.

Government must seize a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve funding for education, training and employment support for the most vulnerable groups in society when the UK leaves the EU, a cross-sector working group has said.

The group convened by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) today published proposals for a successor to the European Social Fund (ESF) that it said would help boost productivity and create a fairer and more inclusive society.

Big Lottery Fund is in advanced talks to match over £260 million of Lottery funding with money from Europe in a move that will open up new funding opportunities for the sector, Big Lottery Fund chief executive, Dawn Austwick, told delegates today at the National Council for Voluntary Organisations’ conference, Evolve.

With just under three months until the referendum, NCVO has published a short discussion paper looking at the implications of EU membership for charities.

Commenting on the announcement of the general election, Sir Stuart Etherington, chief executive of NCVO, said:

We will be using the coming weeks to remind politicians of all parties of the crucial role of charities and volunteering in our national life. We know that, with the right conditions, charities can make an even bigger difference.

Brexit is going to be a very big part of the election debate. Charities have many interests in Brexit negotiations, for example on freedom of movement and staffing. Now is the time to make the case for policies and positions that would be best for them and the people they work for.

NCVO has welcomed today’s release of the Government’s supplementary guidance for Local Enterprise Partnerships, the 39 local bodies which will determine how key European funds are spent in England in the next European funding round, which runs from 2014-2020 (1).

Local charities must get a say in setting the priorities for local European funding, NCVO Chief Executive Sir Stuart Etherington said today, following the publication today of government guidance that sets out how priorities for European funding will be set locally (1). 

A broad sector coalition working with local and national partners in the European Funding Network has joined forces to call on the government for a greater role for civil society in the next programme of EU funding.