Study - Mapping civil dialogue practices in the EU institutions

The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is planning to launch a procurement procedure for a study on Mapping civil dialogue practices in the EU institutions.

1. WHAT IS THIS NOTICE ABOUT?

This announcement is made pursuant to Annex I.14 of Regulation (EU, Euratom) 2018/1046 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 July 2018 on the financial rules applicable to the general budget of the Union, to award a low value contract for a study as a result of a negotiated procurement procedure. It is published ahead of the procurement procedure with basic information on the subject matter of the contract, to give economic operators the possibility to express interest in participating as tenderers in the subsequent procurement procedure.

INDICATIVE DESCRIPTION

Background

The EESC has long called for a more structured approach to civil dialogue in the EU institutions and the implementation of the related Article 11 TEU (cf. SOC/782, EESC Resolution 'United for Democracy', SOC/605 or SC/032 - CESE 465/2010).

In its chapter in European Democracy, the final report of the Conference of the Future of Europe recommended under proposal 39 called for "…reforming the way the European Union works by better involving social partners and organised civil society …". Proposal 36 recommended to "increase citizens’ participation and youth involvement", amongst other things by "strengthening cooperation between EU legislators and civil society organisations to utilise the link between decision-makers and citizens which civil society organisations constitute".

While there is strong demand for more participatory approaches, there is a lack of knowledge on the type of practices which are already in place. Specifically, in the case of dialogue with civil society organisations, various forms of dialogue are taking place in different formats in the EU institutions. Likewise, institutions have increasingly been using instruments for direct citizen participation and deliberation, such the European Citizens’ Panels being organised by the European Commission since 2022. However, there is a lack of clear and up to date and comparable information on which consultative processes are currently being organised, by which institutional service and along which kind of methodology.[1]

Interested candidates may refer to the following non exhaustive background references on civil dialogue:

- The EESC opinion SOC/872 – Strengthening civil dialogue and participatory democracy in the EU: a path forward (adopted in February 2024).

- The EESC's compendium Participatory Democracy - A success story written by the EESC (2020).

Indicative tasks and objectives

The requested study should therefore firstly undertake a mapping of the current civil dialogue practices in the EU institutions, specifically in the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. In addition to identifying current practices, the analysis should aim to understand their functioning, taking into account a number of indicators such as chosen topics, organising service, selected stakeholders, access to information, timeline, policy impact and feedback given. The study will then analyse these findings according to principles such as regularity, structure, transparency, inclusiveness and feedback quality, and provide recommendations.

The mapping and the subsequent recommendations would constitute a basis to assessing the quality and effectiveness of current practices and a way to identify best practices and areas for improvement on the basis of the above-mentioned principles and considerations for the future. The analysis should rely on a mixed methodological approach, combining a review of secondary literature with a qualitative analysis, including stakeholder interviews.

The study would thus support more precise and applicable action in the implementation of civil dialogue at EU level, with the overall objective to improve the quality of the legislation and its reception on the ground.

Secondly, the study should propose a concise presentation of direct citizen participation and deliberation practices put in place in the EU institutions, specifically in the European Commission. This task should lead to a factual overview on the topic and a proposal on how to map these practices in the future, on the basis of desk research.

Languages/geographical area

The study shoud be carried out in English and cover practices in the EU institutions, specifically in the European Commission and the European Parliament and the Council.

NB.: The final list of tasks will be provided as part of the tender specifications at a later stage. Economic operators with expertise on the topic are encouraged to express their interest via the form below.

Indicative timeline

This notice will be translated into French. Please, take into account the translation deadlines!

1. Launch of the invitation to tender: May 2024.
2. Contract award: July 2024.
3. The final study report is expected within 10 months following the signature of the contract.
4. Deadline for submission of tenders: approximately June 2024.

1. WHO MAY EXPRESS INTEREST TO BE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SUBSEQUENT CALL FOR TENDERS?

Participation is open on equal terms to all natural and legal persons established in the European Union (EU) or in a third country which has a special agreement with the EU in the field of public procurement on the conditions laid down in that agreement. This includes:

• All EU Member States;
• Parties to special international agreements with the EU in the field of public procurement:
  • European Economic Area agreement (EEA): Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein;
  • Stabilisation and Association Agreements (SAA): North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.

1. HOW TO EXPRESS INTEREST?

Entities established in a country that has access to procurement can express interest in participating in the planned procedure by filling in and submitting the contact form (see link at the bottom of this page).

DATA PROTECTION

By submitting your contact details, you consent to the EESC processing this personal data in line with this Privacy Statement. To access, change or delete your data at any moment, please contact the data controller by sending an email to studies-eesc@eesc.europa.eu.

DISCLAIMER

Please note that this announcement does not create any obligation for the EESC to launch a procurement procedure. The EESC will take the submitted information into account only to identify potential candidates. Expressing interest to participate in this type of negotiated procedure does not create any legal right or legitimate expectation on the part of any economic operator, and the EESC has the right to cancel the procedure at any time. The documents of the actual call for tenders (invitation letter, tender specifications and draft contract) will only be provided to the identified candidates when the procedure is launched, and any tender received from a legal or natural person not invited to tender will be rejected.