This indicator reflects greater effectiveness of advocacy / policy impact, civil society influence on policy and legal reforms and enhanced legitimacy /role of CSOs.

Total count of local laws, policies and strategies developed with Civil Society Organisation (CSO) participation through EU support. CSOs are defined as all non-State, not-for-profit structures, non-partisan and non-violent, through which people organise to pursue shared objectives and ideals, whether political, cultural, social or economic. The scope of the law/policy/strategy must be local: laws, policies or strategies developed or revised at the local government, municipal, community, or regional level.

Developed/revised policies are counted for this indicator once they are endorsed by the local public entity. Developed/revised laws are counted once adopted by the legislative body. Developed means drafted, introduced, or newly established during the period of the Financial Mechanisms. Revised means modified, updated, or amended from their original form to reflect new priorities, regulations, or contexts during the period of the Financial Mechanisms.

Public participation can be defined as a process through which public authorities actively seek the opinions of CSOs (interested and affected groups) for a policy initiative.

Participation of CSOs is defined as including at least one of these elements:

a. A written public consultation has been carried out allowing sufficient time for CSOs to provide comments and comments were made by at least one organisation;

b. CSOs have been part of working groups set up by the public institutions to draft policies;

c. The public authority leading the policy initiative has reported on the outcome of CSO participation;

d. The views of participants in the consultation process have been made public;

e. A report was produced on the outcome of the public consultation including explanations of how comments by CSOs have been taken into account.