The Financial Mechanism Office has presented “Bridging Europe”, its first digital Annual Report.
It is not an exaggeration to say that millions benefit from programmes and projects supported by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants. It will always be a challenge to display the wide range of work we fund, but even harder if the possibilities provided by a digital report would not be fully embraced. In addition, the Financial Mechanism Office appreciates the opportunity to share our success stories in an environmental friendly way, which is in line with our ambitions to work for a green, competitive and inclusive Europe.
The humans behind the facts and figures
Through the Grants, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway have channelled €1.8 billion through nearly 150 programmes in 16 countries. Presenting the results and achievements from these programmes to readers has always been a pleasure. Admittingly the task is even more giving when videos, dynamic tables, links and shareable content can be utilises to display main objectives of reducing social and economic disparities in Europe and strengthen bilateral relations between donor states and beneficiary countries.
This year the priority was given to telling our stories and more clearly to presenting the humans behind all the facts and figures. From the Foreword video, where the three ministers from the Donor States in person introduce the Annual Report, to the project stories under Our results and achievements, readers will meet the change makers.
Results presented this year
The EEA Grants have been one of the main sources of support to civil society in the beneficiary countries in the past years, supporting more than 1000 civil society organisations in promoting democratic values and human rights. In the Civil Society chapter you can listen to the people behind K-Monitor tell how they are fighting corruption with new technology.
It is increasingly hard to avoid the consequences of climate change. Through the EEA and Norway Grants, we have contributed to nearly 40 climate change adaptation strategies developed at local, regional and national level. In the chapter Energy and climate change, you can click around on the map to see the massive impact climate change has on Europe, and learn more about what we are doing to mitigate.
In the chapter Justice and home affairs, you can read about Eliška, a Czech prisoner trying to get her life back together. The women’s prison where she was incarcerated received support from the Norway Grants and hence benefitted from our funding of programmes that aim to protect human rights, strengthen the capacity of institutions, increase the skills of professionals and promoted cooperation and mutual learning.
These are just a few teasers from the digital annual report.
Would like to invite you to read, watch and interact with the digital annual report here.