Challenges to democracy have intensified in recent years. Civil society organisations have a key role to play to make their voices heard and put their expertise at use. Therefore, raising the profile and reputation of partner organisations is in itself a valuable result.
DEAR project implementers agree that working together in large pan-European partnerships leaves a big legacy of resources in terms of networks, credibility, contacts, knowledge, guidelines, tools, skills, strategies, etc. All this legacy will be reused by partner organisations who can build upon it for future actions and impacts.
For example, establishing partnerships with companies takes time and resources. Corporations and institutions need transparent information regarding the goals of the partnership with NGOs, the roadmap, and the steps that will follow. Thanks to continuous efforts in DEAR projects, civil society organisations are increasingly seen as a constructive, innovative, and reliable partner for the industry in order to create change. (Fish Forward 2)
At national level, most project partners of Make Europe Sustainable for All (MESA) have been invited to participate in the government-led processes on the SDGs (Spain, Germany, Austria), or other consultations around sustainable development (Austria, France, and Slovenia).
Working in large European partnerships also affects the internal working environment and culture. According to Bridge 47, a number of measures have led to increased flexibility, encouraged process efficiency, and positively supported staff confidence in their ability to implement.
As for many other projects, organisations involved in the project Coherent Europe in the World highlighted how they learned about the importance of building broad coalitions which would include all different segments of society, such as private sectors, academia, etc. Furthermore, “our knowledge base is now broader, we are better able to talk about Policy Coherence for Sustainable Development”.