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EaP CSF Newsletter
For the newsletter in Russian, please click here
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In June, the Co-Chair of the EaP CSF Steering Committee Hennadiy Maksak took part in the EaP Ministerial Meeting in Luxembourg, where he could share the civil society's point of view on the reform of the multilateral EaP structure and EaP 2020 deliverables.
Several meetings last month were dedicated to youth and education issues: 5th Monitoring Report of the Roadmap implementation for higher education reform in Belarus (February-May 2017) was published; Working Group 4 "Contact between people" met in Warsaw, followed by the EaP Youth Forum, where eleven EaP CSF members actively participated.
The EaP CSF Steering Committee also adopted a statement on the European Parliament Resolution on the case of Afgan Mukhtarli, while the Georgian National Platform held meetings with authorities and issued several appeals on the proposed constitutional reform.
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On 19 June 2017, the EaP CSF was represented at the Eastern Partnership Ministerial Meeting in Luxembourg, by Hennadiy Maksak, Co-Chair of the EaP CSF Steering Committee.
In his address, Hennadiy Maksak highlighted the developments in the EaP region in the first half of 2017, as well as the enhanced role of the civil society in shaping the Eastern Partnership’s goals. He also voiced the concerns of civil society about the political and economic control exercised by the Russian authorities in the EaP region, and called on the EU to continue contributing to the stability in the region.
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We have launched the webpage of the upcoming 9th Annual Assembly and EaP Civil Society Conference 2017 in Tallinn. Selected attendees will receive emails with the registration link at the end of July. More information about the event and its agenda can be found here.
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Youth, Culture and Education
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On 20-21 June, WG4 meeting brought together around 30 CSOs from the EaP and the EU countries and comprised discussions with external stakeholders. During the meeting, the topics in focus were the priorities of the WG and EaP CSF as a whole for 2017, the 2018-2020 Strategy and internal reform, as well as Policy Brief on the 2020 Deliverables. Likewise, participants exchanged their views on the Civil Society Declaration to the EaP Summit, presented re-granting projects 2017, while each of the sub-groups provided relevant updates.
After the event, eleven WG members took part in the 3rd EaP Youth Forum 2017, where Alexandra Kalatozishvili spoke during the opening session on how to enable young people to engage in a diverse, connected and inclusive Europe. WG4 members presented the EaP CSF work during the networking meetings and discussed youth rights, higher education and civil society empowerment with the young people from the EaP and EU countries.
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On 30 June 2017, a delegation of students from Gagauzia visited the office of the EaP CSF Secretariat to learn about the Forum's activities and discuss the developments in the Autonomous Region of Gagauzia from the youth's point of view.
The meeting took place in the framework of a study visit to Brussels and EU institutions, organized by the EU-funded project GAMCON – Gagauzian Modernization Convention, aimed at supporting the modernization of Gagauzia, youth empowerment and local development, in times when the region is facing a brain drain, depopulation and an overall lack of civil participation and engagement.
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Bologna Process in Belarus
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The Belarusian Independent Bologna Committee and Ad Hoc Commission of Belarusian National Platform of the EaP CSF released the 5th Monitoring Report on the Roadmap implementation for higher education reform in Belarus for the period of February-May 2017.
The Monitoring Report presents the analysis of the implementation of the Roadmap provisions in view of the new Education Code edition. Considering the current developments in the country and that this year the Roadmap should be implemented fully, the report suggests extending the implementation period of the Roadmap for at least 2-3 years.
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On 6-8 June, the Working Group 2 “Economic Integration & Convergence with EU Policies” held its annual meeting in Chisinau, allowing for meetings between the WG2 members and several external stakeholders.
At the meeting, coordinators of the National Platforms summarized developments and challenges in their respective countries, often highlighting development of SMEs, digital reform and agriculture issues. After re-granting projects 2017 were presented, Moldovan stakeholders provided their views on the DCFTA implementation, situation in Transnistria, challenges in the EaP region and role of civil society.
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Following the EP Resolution on the case of Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli, the EaP CSF Steering Committee issued a statement welcoming its adoption by the European Parliament on 15 June 2017.
While greeting the emphasis of the Resolution on democratic reforms, rule of law, good governance, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms as the core of the new EU-Azerbaijan agreement, the SC also called on the European Parliament for a greater consideration of the civil society monitoring in its assessment of the situation.
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During the past months, the EaP CSF Georgian National Platform (GNP) issued a number of statements regarding the amendments to the Georgian Constitution. In these documents, the GNP stressed the importance of the fundamental principle of electoral equality, which the proposed system would substantially violate.
While the GNP welcomed the proportional system proposed for the Parliament elections, it also voiced its concerns about the modifications hindering the proportional representation of political parties in the Parliament (the prohibition of electoral blocks and the requirement to reach a 5% threshold in order to enter the Parliament), as well as the abolition of direct presidential elections.
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EaP Think Bridge is a platform uniting expert communities in the countries of Eastern Partnership region to fill the gap in distributing analytical products for stakeholders.
EaP Think Bridge, July 2017
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The European Commission launched a contest for “Altiero Spinelli Prize for Outreach: Spreading Knowledge about Europe”. The Prize will reward outstanding contributions that enhance citizens’ understanding of EU founding values, history, action and key benefits to wider society, while helping to build trust in the EU. Prizes range from 17.000 EUR to 50.000 EUR. Applications must be submitted here before August 16th.
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Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum
Secretariat of the EaP CSF Steering Committee
Rue de l'Industrie 10
1000 Brussels
Belgium
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