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Promoting democracy in the world

Nicolas Rougy, European affairs department director for the ‘Club of Madrid\'

1/ You are in charge of the European affaires department in Brussels for the ‘Club of Madrid’, what about your work and the activities you take?

The ‘Club of Madrid’ is a non-governmental organisation (action thank) working in all the world’s regions and aiming at supporting countries that live a democratic transition process. The ‘Club of Madrid’ members are ex prime ministers or ex presidents chosen and elected by the direction committee on the basis of their experience on democracy promotion at the international level. Since 2006, I am director of the office in Brussels where we keep relations with the European institutions. In this field, I lead a continuous research on European funds in order to inform the project’s implementation department of the ‘Club of Madrid’. In fact, their role is the setting up of democracy promotion projects in all the world.

2/Would you describe, please, some of the projects realised by the Club the Madrid and thanks to the European grants ?

Our projects are often beneficiaries of the European funds , particularly if the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) and the Stability Instrument. The first one is a thematic funding instrument for external aid to support projects that promote democracy and human rights worldwide; the second one is a worldwide instrument responding to situations of crisis in third countries and providing technical and economic assistance. The ‘Club of Madrid’ realised two actions financed 80% by the EIDHR (20% financed by other international development agencies): - the project ‘African women leaders’ promoting political women participation and their active role in the civil society in Sierra Leone, Uganda and Nigeria; - the project ‘> Freedom of association in the north-east and northern Africa The third project is financed at 100% by the Stability Instrument and has been realised in East Timor responding to the 2007 political crisis. The ‘Club of Madrid’ acted as mediator trying to establish political dialogue and reconciliation among national leaders promoting debates and conferences for political parties.

3/In the past you made use of Welcomeurope services , particularly consulting and trainings, what are the benefits you received from this collaboration?

Firstly, I participed to the Welcomeurope training “How to get European funds ” and I worked with your consultants on a project concept note during my period in the Altran enterprise. Secondly, since 3 years I subscribed to the Eurofunding e-mail alert service that always keep me informed on the call for proposals published by the European institutions . These calls have been often useful to the ‘Club of Madrid’ that answered with a project proposals. Working with Welcomeurope and having access to your database on the website www.welcomeurope.com (all the European funding programmes are resumed) has been a great chance to make my job more dynamic and professional.

4/You are a professional on European funds , what is for you the most important element to become eligible to these funds?

Thanks to the collected experience, I can say that there is a fundamental principle that project leaders should follow: it is anticipation of expectations. They should stay up to check the new funding opportunities and prepare the project in advance.