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For the newsletter in Russian, please click here
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In this follow-up to our June newsletter, we would like to focus exclusively on the expert meetings that took place as part of the EaP multilateral Platforms and Panels. 17 members took part in 9 meetings with 10 policy documents specifically developed for these occasions. We also take this opportunity to present you with our position papers on each topic.
The EaP Panel on Rule of Law exposed some worrying tendencies in Moldova, while there are high hopes for Armenia, which has been opening up for institutional reform to fight corruption.
Energy remains at the top of the agenda, with the EaP Panel on Energy meeting for the first time. The exchange of knowledge and best practices also features in the 7th EaP Workshop on Energy Regulatory Bodies. In the meantime, EaP Environment and Climate Change Panel discusses joint efforts against climate change and two policy initiatives, EU4Climate and EU4Environment.
The proposal for the EaP Trade Desk was made at the EaP Panel on Trade. SMEs take centre stage in discussions at the 1st Panel on Structural Reforms and SMEs and "eSkills Network" EU4Digital Workshop. Quality assurance remains a key concern at the EaP Panel on Education, Youth and Culture.
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On 26 June, Lilia Carasciuc, from Transparency International Moldova, and Tatevik Khachatryan, Open Society Foundation (OSF) Armenia, represented the EaP CSF at the EaP Panel on Rule of Law, which took place in Paris (France). The meeting focused on the fight against high-level corruption and on financial investigations.
Ms Carasciuc elaborated on the worrying tendencies in Moldova, including the pressure on prosecutors related to criminal cases. On the other hand, Ms Khachatryan stressed the unprecedentedly conducive environment to fight corruption in Armenia and the opportunity to reform the anti-corruption legislative and institutional framework in the country.
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Economic Development and Market Opportunities
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On 20 June, the EaP CSF contributed to the meeting of the EaP Panel on Trade under Platform 2 “Economic Development and Market Opportunities”. Kakha Gogolashvili, from the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, represented the Forum at the event, which was focused on discussing the proposal for an EaP Trade Helpdesk and its key elements and modalities of implementation.
Mr Gogolashvili intervened during the meeting and presented two EaP CSF position papers: on Facilitation of Trade among EU and EaP states and on the EaP trade Helpdesk.
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On 19 June, the EaP CSF contributed to the First Panel on Structural Reforms, Financial Sector Architecture, Agriculture and SMEs within the Eastern Partnership Platform 2.
The Forum was represented by Irina Guruli, from Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) in Georgia. She contributed to the discussion on improving the EaP business environment with a focus on the investment climate. Our member presented the challenges in access to the EU loans that entrepreneurs in Georgia face.
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On 11-12 June 2018, the Workshop of the EU4Digital “eSkills Network” took place in Riga (Latvia) under the Platform 2 of the Eastern Partnership “Economic Integration and Convergence with EU Policies” and the Panel on Harmonisation of Digital Markets (HDM). David Tsiskaridze (Georgia) represented the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum at the workshop.
The main goal was to share experiences and best practices among EaP partner countries and with the EU in fostering digital skills development for SMEs, as well as assess progress regarding the Network’s action plan. During the event, Mr Tsiskaridze distributed the EaP CSF position paper on harmonisation of digital markets (HDM).
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Connectivity, Energy Efficiency, Environment and Climate Change
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The EaP Environment and Climate Change Panel reconvened once more on 13 June in Kyiv (Ukraine). The main topic of discussion was the Declaration of the 1st EaP Ministerial on Environment and Climate Change. The meeting was also a chance to introduce EU4Climate and EU4Environment, two initiatives that link investment and mitigating the negative effects of climate change.
The EaP CSF was represented by Ina Coseru and Anna Onisimova-Golubovska, who made numerous recommendations to the Panel.
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On 5 June 2018, the Energy Panel within the Eastern Partnership Platform 3 ‘Connectivity, energy efficiency, environment and climate change’ met for the first time in Brussels to discuss the new Panel, its working methods, including synergies with other EaP multilateral Platforms and Panels. The EaP CSF was represented by Andriy Chubyk, member of the Board of the Foreign Policy Council “Ukrainian Prism” (Ukraine), and Ruslan Surugiu, President of AO Pro Energy (Moldova), who provided feedback and recommendations on behalf of the civil society from the Eastern Partnership region.
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On 14-15 June, Ana Otilia Nutu, member of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) Steering Committee from Expert Forum (Romania), attended the 7th EaP Workshop on Energy Regulatory Bodies, which took place in Budapest (Hungary). During the first day, energy regulators from Austria, Czechia and Hungary, the European Commission, energy companies and energy organisations briefed the Eastern Partnership counterparts. On the second day, the participants took part in a field trip to the a natural gas transmission company FGSZ.
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Mobility and People-to-People Contacts
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EaP CSF Addresses the EaP Panel on Education, Youth and Culture on Quality Assurance on Education
On 5 July 2018, the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF) contributed to the EaP Panel on Education, Youth and Culture that took place in Brussels under the Platform 4 “Mobility and People to People Contacts” of the Eastern Partnership. The Forum was represented by Liliana Postan, from Labor Institute (Moldova), and Hovsep Khurshudyan, from Free Citizen Civic Initiatives Support Center (Armenia).
At the meeting, our members shared the EaP CSF Position Paper on Quality Assurance in Education which provides civil society recommendations regarding the implementation of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) reforms in the EaP countries.
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EaP CSF Representatives at the First Meeting of Platform 4 on Mobility and People-to-People Contacts in 2018
On 19 June, Oleg Shatberashvili, from the Georgian Federation for Information and Documentation, and Mariia Symonova from MITLA Agency of Changes (Clean Universities anticorruption campaign), Ukraine represented the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum at the EaP Platform 4 on Mobility and People to People Contacts. They presented civil society views on mobility and migration, research and innovation, youth employment and transition from education to work.
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Upcoming EaP Multilateral Meetings and EaP CSF Events
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- 27-28 September: EaP Platform 4 – Make it Match thematic workshop (Dublin)
- 27-28 September: Panel on Migration, Mobility and IBM (Odessa)
- 8-9 November: Eastern Partnership Youth Conference: "Youth for Entrepreneurship" (Vienna)
- 6-7 December: EaP CSF 10th Annual Assembly (Tbilisi)
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