On Tuesday, 10^th March, the Fondazzjoni Temi Zammit (FTZ) organised a conference targeting NGOs and Local Councils as part of the Network to Know project. The project has been funded for 12 months from April 2008 by the European Commission Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities DG Progress Programme. There are nine partners to the project. These include FTZ.

Dr. Vanni Xuereb, Head of MEUSAC, and Ms Maria Schembri, Head of the Funding Unit, were invited to address participants at the conference. Dr. Xuereb outlined MEUSAC’s role in disseminating to the public as well as to local ciuncils and NGOs, information on EU funding programmes, showcasing success stories and offering technical assistance to NGOs and local councils with respect to EU funding programmes. Ms Schembri outlined the various opportunities available to NGOs through the EU Structural Funds programmes.

The purpose of the conference was to share experiences of projects implemented through the EU Structural Funds, to promote networking and mutual learning, and to raise awareness of the European Employment Strategy.

As part of the project a website has been developed to provide a mechanism for sharing information between organisations. Guides to raise awareness have also been published and are availble at the project’s site: www.networktoknow.eu.