On January 19, the head of the EU Delegation, Piotr Świtalski and representatives of five civil society organizations, signed five new grant agreements.
One of the new 5 programs of the EU is the “Access to Information and Investigative Journalism for Better Informed Citizens” initiative.
It is implemented by the Freedom of Information Center and Maastricht-based European Journalism Center. The goal of the project is to assist the Armenian population, especially in the regions, increase the level of awareness of the national budget and inform public of their right to receive information about the ineffective budget expenditures of the Government.
With a budget of 390,000,000 euros (EU investment of € 343,200), the 20-month program will offer courses for civil society organizations and young journalists. Participants will learn how to create and disseminate available information, carry out effective public monitoring of the state budget, and facilitate public debates on Armenia’s budget allocations and costs.
The program’s sub-grant scheme will allow 10 CSOs to collaborate with public administration bodies to develop more effective ways of planning and/or spending of state budget funds and thereby have a positive impact on the economic and social welfare of the Armenian society.
