Future Vision for the European Affairs Office
24 October 2019
by Mike STANNETT
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by Mike STANNETT
The EU Affairs Office is now the European Affairs Office to represent the whole of Europe. We recognise that the world is changing, as is Europe, and that there are new issues and challenges that have arisen:
- How do we relate to Europe?
- How do we relate to each other?
- How do we relate to other churches, organisations, and authorities at a European level?
- How can we best support European territories?
- What are our main mission priorities?
- How do we develop relevant transnational areas and partnerships?
- How do we strengthen relevant networks, task forces, and groups that work in partnership with the European Affairs Office?
The main issues and challenges that the whole of Europe is facing in the present-day are:
- Refugees
- Human trafficking and modern slavery
- Undocumented migrants
- Racial and religious intolerance
- Increased digitalisation
- High unemployment
- Climate change
- Changing population demographics (an aging population)
Most of all, Europe faces a ‘loss of personal value, identity, and purpose of life’.
Vision: Align with the SDG's
- Shift in society and governments towards SDG’s
- TSA in Europe hardly recognises that we already contribute considerably to the SDG’s
- To interpret present and future social and community provision as contributions not only to social justice values but also contributions towards SDGs
Benefits to alignment with SDG's:
- Reminds and encourages national governments and local authorities of their commitments
- TSA is and can be a partner to help in meeting these commitments
- Strengthens negotiations and influence on policy and provision of funding and implementation of human rights
- The Church seen as relevant to the needs of society
- Opportunity to inform and inspire the general public and other sponsors that by supporting us, they are also contributing to the SDG’s
- Motivational for our own members and employees that they are also playing their part in contributing to the SDG’s
- Adds more cohesion to social justice and human rights at local, national, and international levels
Vision: More effective networks
To make the existing European networks more effective by:
- Ensuring that they are also including SDG’s on their agenda
- Developing transnational partnerships to meet common SDG priorities
- Develop inter-network cooperation
- Developing multinational funding partnerships and transfer of knowhow. EU, EEA, and other funds
- Developing inter-network cooperation, adding more cohesion across the Army
- TSA leadership to require more accountability from networks to produce results
Vision: Opportunity and Trends
For Corps and Social:
- The European Affairs Office provides information, best practice, funding information, potential partners that benefit both Corps and Social for Mission
- TSA Experts to represent the Army at EU level meetings and conferences
- Wider mission brings wider opportunities for ministry
- Social Services to sub-contract to Corps for local based actions in regional or national projects
- Opportunities to receive information from two dimensions rather than one
Vision: The Support of Your Territories- Support of the European Affairs Office Vision
- To align with the SDG’s
- Develop a more cohesive and effective approach between Norway and other territories through the networks
- Give decisive input on to the Agenda of the networks
- Strategically develop partnerships and support countries with common interests
- Develop the TSA influence at the highest levels of civil society
- Increase the capacity of the TSA to do mission and ministry in an ever changing and challenging world
The Europe Zone leads the way and provides a model for other zones
- Future development?
- To have a full-time office, full-time officer leadership, two full-time employees, one for policy, one for funding and full internship programme: 250-300,000 euros
Funding can be from two sources, THQ budget, Social services budget: 50/50