 80 organisations were present at a partnership seminar that was arranged in Prague on monday 1. March.
The seminar was a part of a project initiated by NROS, the czech NGO Fund intermediary, and the Norwegian Helsinki committee. The aim of the project is to increase the amount of partnerships between Czech and norwegian organisations under the new EEA mechanisms that is under construction. An official date for the launching of a new mechanism is yet to be announced, but Kjetil Aasland from the Norwegian embassy in Prague underlined in his presentation that from the Norwegian side, one is working hard to finalize the remaining negotiations.
After Monday’s seminar, Czech NGOs can now apply to NROS for seed money, and will have the possibility to particpiate on a study trip and seminar to Norway in May. The idea behind this project is that organisations from the Czech Republic and Norway can meet and develop projects together before the new NGO fund is launched. With this strategy, contacts will be developed before the NGO Fund is launched, and, hopefully, lead to more partnerships between Czech and Norwegian organisations.
 Kjetil Aasland emphasized the importance of partnerships between Czech and Norwegian organisations under the new EEA mechanism that is being developed. Increasing the amount of partnerships is a main goal, and with seminars such as this, we hope to achieve this goal, Mr. Aasland said in his introduction.
 Vanja Bentsen Kleven was in her presentation focusing on the role that the Norwegian Helsinki Committee has had under the past mechanisms as a coordinator and responsible for information under the different NGO funds. -Civil society is the cornerstone of modern democracies, and what we have learned in the past is that partnerships leads to an added value of sharing experiences across national borders, Miss Kleven said in her presentation.
On this particular project, the NHC will be responsible for targeting the Norwegian NGOs that will have an interest in partnership with the Czech organisations that will eventually have their applications approved. The NHC will also assist Czech NGOs in search of a Norwegian partner under the call that was launched on Monday.
 Anne Bjerke from the Association of NGOs in Norway was also at the seminar, giving an introduction on how the Norwegian civil society is working. – Civil society is the glue of Norwegian society. It strengthens democracy, citizenship and adds social capital, Miss Bjerke said in her introduction.
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