Donate and support us to strengthen the civil society of the Eastern Partnership

We need your help to strengthen the Civil Society of the Eastern Partnership! We, at the EaP CSF, make sure that voices of EaP changemakers have an impact and are heard by decision-makers at the highest levels. Donate now and contribute to  a resilient and peaceful future in the EaP, and implicitly, the EU! 

14th Annual Assembly of the EaP CSF will take place on 5-7 December in Prague

Over 200 representatives of civil society organisations as well as decision-makers from the countries of the Eastern Partnership and the European Union will gather at our 14th Annual Assembly entitled “Resilient Civil Society for a more ambitious Eastern Partnership” to discuss the future shape of Eastern Partnership multilateral cooperation, the role of civil society and how to ensure its future resilience. Stay tuned, follow the debates and actively participate under #EaPCSFPrague.

EaP CSF and “Promote Ukraine” protest an illegal annexation of Ukrainian regions in Brussels

On 8 October 2022, the EaP CSF, in cooperation with Promote Ukraine, organised a protest demonstration “Ballot=Bullet! Illegal referendums are Russian terrorist acts!” in front of the Russian Mission to the EU in Brussels, against the sham referenda organised by Russia in the occupied territories of Ukraine. Tania Marocchi, EaP CSF Policy and Advocacy Manager, spoke at the protest on behalf of the EaP CSF and called on all our partners – governments, international organisations, businesses, donors, civil society organisations and citizens – to keep up the momentum and to maintain the incredible solidarity with Ukraine that we continue to witness. Tania reiterated the EaP CSF’s call to scale up military and humanitarian support to Ukraine and expand sanctions against Russia.

Ales Bialiatski, representative of our member organisation “Viasna” in Belarus, is among three Nobel Peace Prize 2022 laureats

The 2022 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee to human rights advocate Ales Bialiatski from Belarus who represents EaP CSF member organisation “Viansa”, the Russian human rights organisation Memorial and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Center for Civil Liberties.

Ana Furtună, EaP CSF Director, commented: “I am extremely happy to see this news today for many reasons, but among the most important is that the role of civil society is acknowledged, seen and appreciated. Only by having civil society as the guardians of democracy and human rights, can peace be restored! I hope more awards will follow for the courageous people and activists fighting autocratic regimes before they are sent behind bars, dissolved or pushed in exile! Despite the difficult times we all live in, today it is a good day to celebrate these brave people!”

Thank you & goodbye, Calum! Welcome to Pascal!

After 1 and a half years with the EaP CSF Secretariat, we are saying goodbye to Calum Thomson who started as an intern working on our Index and then became our Administrative and Statutory Affairs Manager. We express our huge thanks to Calum and wish him all the best in his next career and personal adventures!

At the same time, we are happy to announce and warmly welcome Pascal Willaumez who has joined our team and will take the role of Administrative and Statutory Affairs Manager. Pascal is from Brussels, Belgium and has a background in international relations and security/conflict studies. He has spent the last two years working on Statutory Affairs with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva. He has previously also gained experience with the UN and the EU institutions in Brussels. You can reach Pascal at pascal.willaumez@eap-csf.eu

EaP CSF Co-Chair Statement: Russia’s new barbaric wave of missile strikes across Ukraine targets energy supplies and civilians

Ana Otilia Nuțu, Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the EaP CSF, condemned in the strongest possible terms the latest wave of terror unleashed on the Ukrainian people and critical Ukrainian infrastructure by Russia and expressed deep concern at the latest increase in wider regional tensions. On 9-10 October 2022, Russia launched at least 84 cruise missile and 24 drone strikes at civilians and energy infrastructure targets across Ukraine, including in the cities and regions of Kyiv, Zhytomir, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Lviv, Rivne, Kharkiv, Konotop, Dnipro, Ivano-Frakniv, Kryvyi Rih, Odesa, Khremenchuk, Sumy, Kirovograd and Transcarpathia. On the same day, the Lukashenka regime in Belarus announced it will deploy a joint military task force with Russia on the country’s western borders. Read the statement.

EaP CSF speaks at the Eastern Partnership Senior Officials Meeting

On 13 October 2022, EaP CFS participated in the Eastern Partnership Senior Official Meeting. Ana Furtună, Director of the EaP CSF, said: “Civic space in the Eastern Partnership region has never been more vital, nor under greater threat than it is today. Moving forward, EaP multilateral cooperation must include civil society. Belarusian democratic forces should be part of this process too. Alongside energy, environment and people to people contacts, the EaP should become a leading platform for trust building initiatives among EaP partners and their civil society. This will further strengthen the synergy between the EaP and the enlargement process, and give EaP countries the opportunity to work towards better neighbourly relations.”

EU-Moldova and EU-Armenia Human Rights Dialogue preparatory meetings

The EaP CSF gave concrete recommendations to improve Armenia’s and Moldova’s human rights track record at the preparatory meetings for each country’s Human Rights Dialogue with the EU. For Moldova, the EaP CSF recommended developing a relevant national prison policy to provide appropriate and effective medical care for prisoners; to strengthen efforts to prevent and combat human trafficking; to strengthen anti-discrimination legislation and to fight hate speech, hate crimes and domestic violence. For Armenia, the EaP CSF recommended adopting a gender and disability-sensitive approach to ensure the rights of IDPs are respected, to improve mental health programmes for soldiers and citizens facing trauma and to urgently address the problem of mental health institutions.

Moldova Association Implementation Report

The EaP CSF was invited by the European External Action Service to submit its input and recommendations on the implementation for the EU-Moldova Association Agreement and its Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. Based on input received from our Moldovan members, the EaP CSF highlighted Moldova’s progress in terms of media freedom, non-discrimination policies and hate speech prevention, civil society matters, and judicial reform. We also recommended that the Moldovan authorities maintain a sustainable environment for independent media, monitor the evolution of the advertisement market and the lack of advertising revenues for independent outlets, ensure the de-politicisation of the audience measurements provided by the Audio Visual Council, and continue judicial reform efforts and improve the process used in the appointment of judges.

EaP CSF members’ initiatives in support of Ukraine

Civil society in and outside of Ukraine is at the forefront of mobilising help, fostering solidarity with people fleeing the war, and calling for peace. The list of EaP CSF members’ initiatives in support of Ukraine featured in this newsletter is not exhaustive, therefore follow #CivilSociety4Ukraine on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram) to stay informed about what we do and what you can do to support our efforts.

National Council of Youth Organisations of Georgia fundraise for the rehabilitation program of the Ukrainian people

Our members in Georgia are currently fundraising for the Rehabilitation Camp for Young people from Ukraine and refugees. During these difficult times there is a need to provide young people from Ukraine with various forms of non-formal education, access to psychological help, healthcare and recreational activities. Read more and donate.

College of Europe opens applications for academic year 2023-2024 – scholarships available for Eastern partner countries

The College of Europe has opened online applications for Master’s programmes for the academic year 2023-2024, with scholarships available for students from the Eastern partner countries.

The College of Europe was established in 1949 in Bruges in Belgium. Since 1992, the College has operated on two campuses in two host countries, in Bruges (Belgium) and in Natolin (Poland).

You can apply for several Master’s programmes that will take place in either Bruges or Natolin. For example, European Economic Studies, European Law, European Political and Governance studies or EU International Relations and Diplomacy Studies.

The deadline for applications is 18 January 2023.

Master’s study programmes have a tuition fee, but the College of Europe offers a large number of scholarships to university graduates coming from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine for post-graduate studies at the College of Europe during the academic year 2023-2024. These scholarships cover academic expenses, accommodation, meals and travel costs.