The project

The European House, a Hungarian civil society organisation, in co-operation with its project partners the Swedish Studieförbundet Vuxenskolan (SV) and the Romanian Pro Democracy Association (APD) with the financial support of the European Commission DG Justice, Freedom and Security, implemented a one-year project entitled "Trilateral Transparency - from European policy to national practive. A Hungarian-Swedish-Romanian civil society initiative". The project builds on the relevant experience gained from "The European Parliament minute by minute – a Hungarian transparency initiative" project (January – December 2007) implemented by the European House and its Swedish partner organization, SV and supported also by DG Justice, Freedom and Security. The project is in relevance with the objectives of the European Transparency Initiative and its related development.

The initiative aimed to compare and harmonize European policy on transparency with existing national practices by

• raising awareness and knowledge of CSOs on the European policy on transparency and increasing their involvement in consultations and debates at the European and national level;
• using Swedish best practices and traditions of transparency and openness in the form of transfer of know-how and expertise;
• organising study visits to Brussels and to the three partner countries, exchanging experience and best practice, making contacts, facilitating networks and partnerships;
• enhancing capacity, networking and coalition building of civil society organisations of the participating countries.
• contributing to more democratic participation and active European citizenship;
• producing three case studies on national practice of transparency;

Main project events:

1. Launch event in Budapest attended by the project partners and more than 80 Hungarian CSOs (15 February, 2008);
2. Visit to Brussels to the EU institutions; study transparency policy on European level (6-9 April, 2008);
3. Study visit to Romania hosted by the Pro Democracy Association, the Romanian project partner (1-4 July, 2008);
4. Study visit to Hungary hosted by the European House, the Hungarian project partner (31 August – 3 September, 2008);
5. Study visit to Sweden hosted by SV, the Swedish project partner (9-13 November, 2008);
6. Concluding project event in a crossborder setting in Timisoara and Szeged (22-24 January, 2009).