EaP CSF Newsletter 

27 February 2015

For the newsletter in Russian, please click here

Steering Committee meets in Brussels

On 4-5 February, the Steering Committee of the EaP CSF met in Brussels for its first meeting since being elected. The agenda was dominated by key political issues and moments in the EU – EaP cooperation process, including review of the European Neighbourhood Policy, upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit and events involving civil society as well as the continuing war in Ukraine. Read more

You will also find a detailed overview of the decisions adopted in the following Report

Flickr Photos

EaP CSF to actively contribute to the ENP Review

In the upcoming months, the European Commission will carry out a review of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), and by extension of the Eastern Partnership. The European Commission will launch a public consultation between March and May 2015. The Steering Committee (SC) of the EaP CSF considers this process as essential and will provide comments and recommendations developed by all members and structures of the EaP CSF. The SC decided that it will commission a policy paper to reflect on these recommendations and will engage actively with the EU institutions to ensure the EaP CSF messages are taken on board. The Riga Eastern Partnership Summit and related events will be an important moment to assess which elements will form the future policy. 

Working Groups and National Platforms setting priorities

Based on guidance from the Steering Committee, Working Group Councils are identifying priorities for the re-granting process and will plan Working Group activities for this year. The Steering Committee approved the procedure for re-granting and we are currently waiting for the European Commission to endorse it. In February the Georgian and the Armenian National Platforms held their regular meetings. 87 member organisations attended the Georgian NP and they discussed the formation of the Georgian-European civil society platform. Armenian NP discussed the future activities of its working groups and planned the conference “EU-Armenia Cooperation: Perspective in the Actual Political Environment” organized jointly by ANP and EU Delegation to Armenia on 25 February.

Working Group 1 Council meeting with Euronest in Yerevan on 16-18 March 2015

The EaP CSF Working Group 1 Council will meet on 17 March in Yerevan. The Council meeting will also give an opportunity for representatives of EaP CSF members to participate in a civil society meeting with EURONEST on 16 March. A representative of EaP CSF will address the Plenary of the EURONEST Parliamentary Assembly and will follow, where possible, the EURONEST meeting. More Info

EaP CSF participates in the EaP Youth Forum in Riga

Hovsep Khurshudyan, Working Group 4 Coordinator, attended the EaP Youth Forum in Riga, Latvia, on 9-11 February 2015. He presented the EaP CSF, and in particular the activities and priorities of the Working Group 4, which deals with the broad area “Contacts Between People”. The Forum was also an opportunity to meet representatives of organisations from EaP and EU countries, and to encourage them to apply for participation in the upcoming EaP CSF in November 2015 in Kyiv and become active members in the future.

More info on the Eastern Partnership Youth Forum

EaP CSF representatives participate in Seminar on Industrial Policy and Innovation

EaP CSF representatives from WG 2 and WG 4 attended the Seminar on Industrial Policy and Innovation organised by DG Enterprise and Industry in Brussels. The two EaP CSF representatives raised questions about the progress of partner countries’ standards towards EU standards, the compatibility between EU standards and Russian/EEU standards, and about the competitiveness difficulties of early adopter enterprises of digital technology when entering the global market.

Opportunities

Applications open for Clima East Expert Facility support mechanism

Organisations involved with climate actions, targeting both mitigation and adaptation, can apply for the Clima East Expert Facility (EF) until 15 March 2015. Successful candidates will be able to request specific and dedicated short-term expert support in this field. Read more

European Diplomacy Workshop on the Eastern Partnership open for applications

The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung and the European Academy of Diplomacy organise a European Diplomacy Workshop for emerging political and social leaders on the EaP in Warsaw, Poland, on 20-24 April 2015. This is an opportunity to broaden EU and regional specific knowledge and to train soft skills. Read more

Invitation to participate in the EBRD Civil Society Programme at the Annual Meeting

Civil Society organisations can take part in the EBRD Civil Society Programme taking place on 14-15 May in Tbilisi, Georgia. They can learn more and exchange views regarding the EBRD’s work as well as other major developments of interest to CSOs. Proposals for discussion topics can be submited. Read More