CSVnet Europe

CSVnet Europe Department works to promote the development of Italian CSVs at international level. It conducts system actions on three fronts: information, networking at European level and projects planning for the benefit of volunteering.

Located at walking distance from Schuman station, at the heart of the European Quarter, the Brussels office works as a bridge between the territorial realities and the articulate world of the organizations represented in the Belgian capital, first of all the institutions and networks of civil society.

These are the main activities of Europe Department:

• gathering information and connecting the territorial level to the European context;
• networking and attending events/seminars at European and international level;
• taking part in European projects within the scope of EU Programming for the period 2014-2020;
• supporting and taking active part in the initiatives promoted by the European Volunteers Centre (CEV, Centro Europeo del Volontariato), an association including the main organizations working on volunteering issues in Europe.

The groups supporting Europe Department

Building on its widespread organization deeply rooted in its territory, CSVnet has long ago started the “Europa Group” made up of experienced operators coming from Italian CSVs. Since 2015, this Group has split in two subgroups:

1. The National Planning Group, including a limited number of people who have been working in the CSVs system for several years and with high-level professionalism in European planning, both in terms of expertise and results. This group aims at supporting Europe Area both at strategic and operating level. The focus is on the opportunities linked to the operational programs at national level.
2. The Regional Europe Group, consisting of 20 representatives from almost all Italian regions: its goal is to collect the best practices and share them in the network. This group intends to further explore also the issue of the operational programs at regional level.

Both groups meet several times throughout the year.

Infobandi

Infobandi.net is the on line platform created by CSVnet to support the organizations of the third sector in their search for the best opportunities to finance their projects and activities. Thanks to a user friendly structure, the international, European and national opportunities for financing available in this platform are easy to access. These are the main features available:

• search for calls for tenders,
• archive of open and closed calls for tenders,
• customizable subscription to newsletter (activation in progress),
• database of partners for the organizations of the third sector (implementation in progress).