European Commission

European Commission (DG CONNECT, DG JUST, Secretariat-General)

Do

Harmonise and slim reporting (shared templates, joint audits; accept narrative/audio or secure channels for sensitive cases).

Budget for safety and care as eligible costs: organisational security, psycho-social support, legal defence/SLAPP response, secure cloud and cybersecurity.

Co-create with local actors from concept stage (documented involvement, regional expert sourcing, flexible scopes).

Fund long-term/core support where viable; add emergency lines that don’t cannibalise existing grants.

Invest in audience/market and needs assessments before calls; allow adaptive MEL and mid-course corrections.

Don’t

Don’t over-specify topics/formats from Brussels; avoid donor-driven agendas that misalign with local realities.

Don’t over-rely on big-tech platform infrastructure in ways that entrench dependency or “legitimise” platforms vis-à-vis local ecosystems.

Best practice / How

Build a “Do No Harm package” for calls: standard risk matrix, privacy/data-minimisation guidance, visibility-waiver form, independence clause, and burden cap (e.g., max % time on admin).

Pre-publish checklist & examples of when EU visibility can/should be waived (conflict zones, captured states, high-polarisation contexts).

Encourage shared due-diligence and pooled overheads across DGs to reduce repetitive vetting.