WEGA project partnership guidelines for Luxembourgish associations
WEGA has successfully implemented most of its projects through partnerships with Luxembourgish associations. However, during the recent past, these projects have also shown that stricter guidelines need to be in place so that both sides have a clear understanding of what is involved. The Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes – MAEE has ever stricter guidelines on WEGA’s obligations towards the ministry in order to maintain NGO status and obtain operational and project subsidies.
WEGA can’t collect funds for an association without a clear understanding of what the money is intended for. If WEGA is to be involved with events and fund raising by the association then this can’t be for the association to take advantage of MAEE privileges solely intended for NGOs. If a partnership is to be fruitful the association must acknowledge that MAEE privileges can’t be granted without a clear objective. A clear reference to an existing or upcoming project would be best. For fund raising, event expenses and MAEE project subsidies, the association must acknowledge that the both parties have to adhere to MAEE guidelines. This means that money donated to WEGA in the name of a partnering association, and receiving a tax claim (article 111bis), is legally bound to WEGA partnership projects co-financed by the MAEE or other WEGA activities, but it can not be transferred to the association (Ref: Textes législatifs et réglementaires relatifs à la coopération luxembourgeoise au développement).
An association willing to partner with WEGA has to accept that WEGA is a professional entity. The rules imposed by the MAEE for WEGA to maintain NGO status make this unavoidable. Operational expenses will be incurred by WEGA, and if necessary, the association. The partnering association should respect and acknowledge this and the project should take advantage of this fact as pointed out by the MAEE guidelines.
A project that is to be implemented through a partnership agreement between an association and WEGA will require that financial and legal responsibilities are shared by both the association and WEGA. These responsibilities also include the association taking on board the constraints imposed by the MAEE for WEGA to retain its NGO status.
The Ministry NGO Area can be found here:
https://cooperation.gouvernement.lu/fr/espace-ong.html
Please note the MAEE does not maintain the English webpage, so always check the French webpage to be up to date.
WEGA has implemented most past projects together with Luxembourgish associations. Most of these successful projects could not have been realised without partnerships. There is no reason why this should not continue even if the constraints imposed on NGOs are getting stricter. From these past projects WEGA has gained valuable experience and expertise in how to implement such partnership projects. WEGA is very grateful for the valuable work Luxembourgish associations do throughout their tough and dedicated volunteering work.
If the association is willing to accept the constraints WEGA is mentioning then in order to guide you further into a fruitful project partnership, please contact us for more details.