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Projects in Action 3 EU REGIONAL COOPERATION THROUGH THE EYES OF JOURNALISTS 2014–15 EDITION

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2014

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EU EASTERN NEIGHBOURHOOD

Projects in Action 3 EU REGIONAL COOPERATION THROUGH THE EYES OF JOURNALISTS 2014–15 EDITION

The Eastern Partnership The Eastern Partnership (EaP) completes the EU’s foreign policy towards Eastern European and Southern Caucasus countries as a specific Eastern dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). Launched in May 2009 at the Prague Summit, the EaP fosters the necessary conditions to accelerate political association and further economic integration between the European Union and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

A young couple celebrating Europe Day in Yerevan (photo by EPA © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre).

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Contents 4 Civil society is at the heart of the Eastern Partnership Interview with Michael Köhler 8 The Regional Communication programme 9 Telling the story of a Partnership 10 Our network of journalists

Environment 39 We have a big fire here, we need help

by Tatyana Korovenkova – Belarus 42 Waste: from dumping to recycling

by Dmitry Kalak – Moldova 45 With high water comes high responsibility

by Zhanna Bezpiatchuk – Ukraine 48 Cutting down on energy costs? Yes you can

by Dmitri Kalak – Moldova

People 13 Fairy tales to heal family wounds

by Zhanna Bezpiatchuk – Ukraine 17 Photo Youth the art of crossing borders

by Margarita Potekhina – Russia 21 Giving troubled teenagers a second chance

by Shahin Hajiyev – Azerbaijan 24 The European way of fostering democracy Interview with Jerzy Pomianowski

Innovation 53 Silk Wind train, next stop the future

by Shahin Abbasov – Azerbaijan 56 Adapting steel to conquer the Arctic

by EU/Neighbourhood/ITAR TASS – Russia 59 Cooperatives, the new way to agriculture

by Maia Chitaia – Georgia 63 Directors across borders

by Aghavni Harutyunyan – Armenia

Economy 67 Helping vulnerable families grow healthy

by Aghavni Harutyunyan – Armenia

26 A chance of a future

by Dmitri Kalak – Moldova

71 Moldovan honey conquering EU market

by Dmitri Kalak – Moldova

30 Let’s meet Europe on wheels

by Maia Chitaia – Georgia

74 How to improve your business

by Maia Edilashvili – Georgia

33 Citizens want their public spaces back

by Aghavni Harutyunyan – Armenia

78 Customs: cutting down waiting times to a third

by Aghavni Harutyunyan – Armenia

36 Eastern Partnership: Forum where voices of civil society sound loud and clear Interview with Krzysztof Bobiński

81 Wasting less to save more

by Shahin Abbasov – Azerbaijan

This publication does not represent the official view of the EC or the EU institutions. The EC accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever with regard to its content.

CE PROJET EST

85 The road to the European market

by Aghavni Harutyunyan – Armenia 88 Shortcut to the job market: higher degree or practical skills?

Interview with Madlen Serban 90 Find out more

Civil society is at the heart of the Eastern Partnership

A child playing at the N1 boarding school in the district of Kanaker-Zeytun, Yerevan. World Vision Armenia is the implementing partner of this project aiming at reducing violence against children (photo by EPA Š EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre).

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Interview with Michael Köhler Director for European Neighbourhood Policy European Commission Directorate General Development and Co-operation

Civil society organisations play a crucial role within their societies in providing policy input, developing new initiatives and in holding governments accountable for their actions. They are major actors in promoting democracy and human rights, the rule of law, good governance and sustainable economic and social development, says EuropeAid Neighbourhood Director Dr Michael Köhler in an exclusive interview with the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre.

In order for reforms in Eastern Partnership countries to be successful, he adds, a stronger participation of civil society is needed so as to enhance the oversight of public services and strengthen public confidence in those services.

The EU is now giving more emphasis to civil society in the Neighbourhood countries. What is it doing specifically for the Eastern neighbours?

One of the support tools we set up is the Neighbourhood Civil Society Facility (CSF) through which we aim to develop the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) to meaningfully engage in reforms in their countries, by financing trainings, seminars, workshops, exchanges of good practices, and providing them with ad-hoc support. Additionally we try to facilitate multistakeholder consultations bringing together civil society actors, national authorities and EU Delegations to discuss sectorial policies. Of course we also directly support activities carried out by civil society actors themselves, be it on monitoring and advocacy or service provision. Overall our support seeks to strengthen the role of civil society actors in the policy-making process, and to promote a more favourable attitude of governments towards them.

In 2011-2013, almost € 40 million went in support of civil society in the Eastern Partnership through the Civil Society Facility.

From 2014 onwards, support to civil society at bilateral level will be mainstreamed throughout all three sectors of intervention, with the ultimate goal of ensuring effective and inclusive policies at the national level. In addition, a specific country envelope of 5-10% of the total bilateral allocation is planned to support and strengthen the capacities of CSOs beyond the three priority sectors.

Support at regional level will also continue and will aim to strengthen civil society networks active in several of the partner countries, in particular the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF).

Is there a regional dimension to this effort?

As the Eastern Partnership itself is to a large extent about regional cooperation and bringing partner countries together to work on issues of common interest, our work with civil society clearly has a regional dimension as well, for example look at our support to the EaP CSF and CSO-led regional projects. EaP CSF representatives are now present in many of the multilateral policy dialogues we have with partner countries during the EaP platform and panel meetings.

Let me point out that the EaP CSF has increased the number of common pro-

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jects developed by CSOs from the partner countries, the number of common recommendations and letters and advocacy campaigns and strengthened ‘the voice’ of civil society in the multilateral dimension of the Eastern Partnership. Just as an example, the working group on environment produced as-

“Strengthening the capacity of civil society has been one of the most important and positive results of our cooperation with the Eastern Partnership”

sessments and recommendations that were useful in the development of our regional projects on environment.

How do you view the role of CSOs within partner countries and their relation to the authorities?

We believe genuine cooperation between governments and civil society is necessary to establish, for example, independent judicial systems or to introduce systematic anti-corruption measures, both of which are necessary elements for long-term political development and sustainable economic growth. In general, efficient and effective policies cannot exist without the involvement of those they are supposed to serve. Governments should be held to account and this is one of the main roles of civil society.

EaP countries have been strongly encouraged to establish a regular structured dialogue with CSOs, to discuss issues related to the implementation of the Eastern Partnership at a national level and to promote it amongst society at large. We are happy to see this is taking place in a number of partner countries – in particular Moldova and Georgia.

What other concrete actions has the EU taken to support civil society?

Is there any financial assistance to CSOs through cooperation programmes?

Various EU initiatives and programmes supported civil society organisations in the Neighbourhood, such as the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR), the Non-State Actors and Local Authorities thematic programme (NSA-LA) and the Civil Society Facility (CSF).

As I was mentioning, the objective of the Neighbourhood Civil Society Facility is to strengthen and promote the role of civil society in reform and democratic change taking place in their respective countries.

The EIDHR aims to strengthen the role of civil society in promoting human rights and democratic reform and in consolidating political participation and representation. It also supports respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in countries and regions where they are most at risk. Projects in the East range from promoting the education and rehabilitation rights of the children with hearing impairments in Georgia, to supporting women entrepreneurs in Armenia.

But our support to civil society is not limited to financing their projects. Another way for the EU to promote a stronger involvement of civil society in the on-going reform agenda in partner countries is to further encourage their engagement in the conception and supervision of budget support

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programmes, which the EU uses to support reforms in partner countries.

This engagement can take many forms, depending on the nature of the programme, the capacity of civil society on the ground, and the level of openness of partner country authorities to engage with civil society: the latter can be part of the steering committee overseeing the implementation of the budget support programmes, can be consulted on sector reform strategies, they can implement certain components of the sector support programmes, monitor the implementation by the government of certain elements of the reforms financed.

How do you select the projects and CSOs? We have to distinguish between selecting projects and working with civil society. Our projects are usually demand driven: we launch calls for proposals and CSOs both in our partner countries and in the Member States countries can apply. Proposals are then evaluated in an objective and transparent manner and those organisations having submitted the best proposals receive our financial support. Regarding civil society’s involvement in our discussions with government, we try to be as inclusive as possible and our Delegations are regularly organising consultations with civil society actors in the partner countries.

Could you give us a few concrete examples of civil society support that have had results?

“In order for reforms in Eastern Partnership countries to be successful, he adds, a stronger participation of civil society is needed”

The results of our work with civil society are manifold. They range from better living conditions for vulnerable groups (such as children with disabilities) to increased capacities of civil society to carry out budgetary analysis and expenditure tracking in order to make sure that public spending is transparent and responds to citizens’ needs. Our projects support very diverse issues, from service provision to engagement with governments on important reform at local and national level.

Just as an example, in Azerbaijan, through a project funded under the Civil Society Facility, civil society organisations improved their knowledge and capacity on budget analysis and monitoring of state programmes. Concrete results so far include two published State Budget Review Papers, municipal budget hearings for more than 500 community members, capacity-building trainings on local budget development, accountability and transparency for ten rural municipalities. And this is just one of the many hundreds of projects we support…

I must say that strengthening the capacity of civil society has been one of the most important and positive results of our cooperation with the Eastern Partnership. We have given civil society in partner ountries unprecedented support in both political and financial terms. And we intend to continue.

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The Regional Communication Programme The EU funded Regional Communication Programme, which runs from 2011 to 2014 with a total budget of € 14 million, aims to improve knowledge of the European Union and its neighbourhood policy. The programme contributes to greater understanding of EU policies and highlights cooperation actions carried out in the region. The programme works on developing sustainable communication networks and aims to strengthen the capacity and competences of journalists in the area of European affairs. It follows on from the previous phase of the Regional Communication Programme. www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=405&id_type=10 The programme covers three projects EU Neighbourhood Info Centre www.enpi-info.eu Media Neighbourhood – Journalist training and networking project www.medianeighbourhood.eu www.facebook.com/MediaNeighbourhood Opinion polling and media monitoring in ENPI countries (EU Neigbourhood Barometer) www.euneighbourhood.eu Participating countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, Ukraine (East); Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia (South).

Video operators filming at a food market in Tbilisi. The activity is part of the EU funded project “Supporting the Engagement process of the Civil Society Organizations in the Food Safety reform”, which aims at increasing people’s awareness of food safety issues and encouraging dialogue between civil society and local authorities (photo by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre).

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Telling the story of a Partnership EU regional cooperation through the eyes of journalists Cooperation between the EU and the Neighbourhood countries exists on two levels. The first is the political. The meetings where officials get together to discuss the policy. The second deals with turning these decisions into actions on the ground, to the benefit the citizens. One way this is done is through the funding of projects. This magazine includes the stories of these projects and the people active on the ground. They give only a glimpse of the hundreds of projects supported by the EU in the Neighbourhood.

The stories are written by local journalists, who go talk to the people involved, together with photographers who capture the partnership through their lens. More photos and stories like these can be found on the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre website.

This magazine includes stories covered in 2013-2014, and gives a flavour of EU Cooperation in the Neighbourhood region on the ground. The reportages are divided into four main categories: people, environment, innovation, economy.

All the stories are available on the“Feature Section”of the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre’s website www.enpi-info.eu in English, French, Russian and Arabic,

“Telling the story of a Partnership: the journalists researched projects’ activities and spoke to the people who have benefited from them about their experiences, what they have gained, their considerations and thoughts about the future.

On their part, the photographers captured the story with their lens.”

depending on the country.

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Our network of journalists

Dmitri Kalak is a Moldovan journalist based in Chisinau.

He is deputy editor-inchief of “Ekonomicheskoe obozrenie” (Economic Survey), a weekly private newspaper. Dmitri Kalak attended several training programmes for journalists including a course offered by the South-East European Network for Professionals of the Media (2000) and a summer school on investigative journalism in St-Petersburg (2002).

Tanya Korovenkova is a Belarusian journalist and correspondent of the information company BelaPAN. She attended several international programmes for journalists in the USA and the EU. She is covering political, international relations and human rights issues.

Journalists collaborating with the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre 10

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Zhanna Bezpiatchuk is the correspondent of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for Ukraine. She graduated from the MA programme in journalism and media at Swansea University (UK, Wales). She covers political, social and human rights issues.Â

Maia Chitaia is a freelance journalist and communications consultant with strong knowledge of EU-Georgia affairs, comprehensive understanding of EU institutions and policy, as well as several years of experience working with the European Union Delegation in Georgia.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

Aghavni Harutyunyan is an Armenian journalist based in Yerevan. She attended several local and foreign training programmes in journalism.

Since 2001, Aghavni Harutyunyan has been covering regional issues, conflicts in South Caucasus, legal and human rights issues working for the AZG Armenian Daily.

Shahin Abbasov is an Azerbaijani journalist and correspondent of Eurasianet, a New York based on-line resource in Azerbaijan. Previously he contributed to Country Forecast on Azerbaijan for EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit, London) and worked as a correspondent and editorin-chief for several leading Azerbaijani newspapers.

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People

Twenty-eight teenagers coming from orphanages, foster families and deprived backgrounds gather in Koblevo, Ukraine, for a ten-day workshop aimed at helping them overcome their uneasiness. The activity is part of an Eastern Partnership Youth Window project (photo by AFP Š EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre).

PEOPLE > UKRAINE

Fairy tales to heal family wounds

N Children prepare for the presentation.

They came from orphanages, foster families and deprived backgrounds. Twenty eight teenagers from four different countries gathered in the coastal village of Koblevo, Ukraine, for a ten-day workshop aimed at helping them overcome their uneasiness, teaching them the social skills they need to live and work together, with a strong focus on respect and dialogue, especially between generations. At the end, they staged a play about family relations that they had written and prepared themselves, a fairy tale about a group of old dwarves, victims of a spell that made them unable to open their hearts to younger dwarves. An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist visited the EU-funded Youth Window project and has this report.

KOBLEVO (KYIV) – A group of tanned youths are playing volleyball on the beach of Koblevo, a village in the Mykolaiv region of Ukraine. They are laughing and joking, with nothing to suggest that they are any different from the other teenagers playing nearby.

“All these young people have some isProjects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

sues. They’ve lived through traumatic experiences in their original families and it’s not easy for them to build trust,” says Klaus Waiditschka, the project coordinator from the German organisation ‘Jugendhilfe und Sozialarbeit’, as he looks on at the teens enjoying their beach volleyball game.

Watch “The Neighbourhood Info Centre Photo stories” on Enpi You tube

In total 28 youngsters aged between 13 and 16 have gathered in Koblevo to attend the ‘Fairy Tales through LifeTime’ Youth Exchange programme. The participants come from Azerbaijan, Germany, Poland and Ukraine, with each participating country having sent seven youngsters, accompanied by three group 13

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“If a child is abandoned, it means that he sees no family as such, and he grows up without the opportunity to experience true family relations. So when such children become adults, they have a really hard time in creating their own family”

leaders. They originally come from orphanages and deprived or incomplete families and for many of them, this is their first trip abroad.

This exchange is funded through the Eastern Partnership Youth Window, a new framework within the EU’s Youth in Action Programme to encourage a stronger involvement of the Eastern Partnership region. The Window aims to allow more young people and organisations from EU and Eastern Partnership countries to establish new contacts and to exchange and learn from each other, something which is evident in this case.

“Ukrainian youth organisations have many ideas and initiatives but, previously, they did not have opportunities to put them into action. On the contrary, organisations of this kind in EU countries got such opportunities long ago, however, they reached the point when they might need fresh ideas. The Youth Window helps eliminate such gaps: we, in

the countries of the Eastern Partnership, receive funding and support from the EU and in exchange we offer new ideas for projects,” explains project manager Yuliya Ielfimova, who works at the Centre for European Initiatives in Sumy, Ukraine.

A chance to express themselves freely Youth workers point out that there is a sharp difference between the behaviour of the teenagers at the very beginning of the exchange and after ten days of common activities. Upon arrival, many of them were reserved and uninterested.

Gradually the young participants have become more attentive, curious and able to focus on given tasks.

“At school it is difficult to show what you can do, or what you think. Here we can express ourselves freely,” says Iryna Konivets, a 16-year-old from Ukraine.

“For us, the most important thing is that children with different cultural backgrounds can come together and fulfill

N Children prepare for the presentation.

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PEOPLE > UKRAINE

N A group of dancers prepare for the show.

“At school it is difficult to show what you can do, or what you think. Here we can express ourselves freely”

N Yuliya Ielfimova, project manager.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

common tasks”, says Yuliya Ielfimova.

Non-formal learning is essential to help children overcome their problems.

“I always tell these kids: if you are better, your country will do better. You are the future of your countries”, says Sofiane Distante, a youth worker from France working on this project as a volunteer.

The instructions hanging from the front door of their temporary residence for these 10 days offer a stark indication of how much these young people have to learn in terms of basic social skills.

“Do not laugh at other people”, says one note while another advises: “Knock on the door before entering someone else’s room”.

Beyond the social skills needed to live outside the comfort zones provided by their orphanages and schools, the teenagers also say that here they have realised the importance of English for international communication.

Dwarves, a crazy frog and a real-life lesson The ten days fly by. The highlight of their stay in Koblevo is a theatrical per-

formance to mark the end of the workshop. Participants are divided into three groups: one is dealing with theatre decorations and costumes, the second group is rehearsing on stage while the third is preparing a break-dance routine. The dance will have to touch the heartstrings of a group of old dwarves and melt the ice in which they are encrusted, so that they can bring back their love for the younger dwarves. If any doubt persists about the creativity and imagination involved in preparing this fairy tale, this scenario only came about after the crazy frog intentionally froze the old dwarves, to deprive the young ones of their support.

The young participants wrote the story themselves. One of the central aims of the project is to promote cooperation between generations and inclusion for these deprived youths by analysing national fairy-tales and comparing them to real life situations in their countries. Their task was to make up a fairy tale dealing with intergenerational relations, which many of the participants did not have the chance to observe in their own families.

“If a child is abandoned, it means that he 15

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“I always tell these kids: if you are better, your country will do better.

You are the future of your countries” sees no family as such, and he grows up without the opportunity to experience true family relations, to share the love of a father, or a grandfather. So when such children become adults, they have a really hard time in creating their own

family,” says Aynur Salmanova, a youth worker from Azerbaijan, the director of the resource centre “Towards the Unity”.

In the fairy tale, old dwarves open their hearts to young dwarves in order to help them again. The idea is simple: the young ones need the support of the older ones to survive in this world.

A cup full of friends’ names Through their work on a fairy tale, children learn to face their feelings, to express their inner emotions, maybe even to heal their wounds. However, they also make new friends.

“Now I have many, many Ukrainian friends. Maybe, twenty or even thirty,” N Participants at the “Fairy Tales through Life-Time” Youth Exchange programme, perform in front of the community in Koblevo.

says Kacper Gyrka, a 15-year-old Polish participant. The first time the boy met young Ukrainians was in Poland, where he took part in another youth exchange.

Nancy Bachmann, a 15-year-old German girl, is beaming with pride as she shows off her cup, covered with names and wishes from the people she has met in Koblevo.

“Look, see how many friends have signed my cup,” she boasts.

Text by Zhanna Bezpiatchuk Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

Eastern Partnership Youth Window This is a new framework within the Youth in Action Programme to encourage a stronger involvement of the Eastern Partnership region.

The Youth Window project supports Eastern Partnership countries in responding to the needs of youth in their societies through cooperation among young people and youth workers. http://ec.europa.eu/youth/orphans/eastern-partnership-youth-window_en.htm Participating countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine Timeframe 2012-2014 Budget € 29 million Objectives The Youth Window aims at supporting partner countries in responding to the needs of disadvantaged young people while seeking to promote youth work development. It aims at helping build the capacity of government bodies, which deal with youth policy, including ministries of education, health, social affairs and labour. The programme seeks to bring a significant number of young people in partner countries closer to youth-related policymaking processes at local, regional and national levels.

Find out more EU Neighbourhood Info Centre project fiche www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=555&id_type=10 Youth in action programme http://eacea.ec.europa.eu/youth/index_en.php EU Neighbourhood Info Centre thematic page YOUTH www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=13

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PEOPLE > RUSSIA

Photo Youth the art of crossing borders Taking pictures to overcome the borders of their disability: hundreds of disadvantaged children have joined the PhotoYouth project, a cross-border initiative implemented between Russia and Latvia. This EU-funded initiative has brought together 250 young photographers and 50 teachers from 22 correctional schools for visually and orally disabled children, aiming to promote people-to-people cooperation between Russia and Latvia, while working towards social inclusion and against discrimination.

An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist visited a photo exhibition set up at the Pskov Regional Arts College as part of the project to find out more.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

N Marina Tikhonova, teacher and member of the project.

PSKOV- Katya Semenova had been committed to swimming and all she wanted was to enter the department of Physical Education and Sports. One can easily discern a young athlete in this smiling tenth-grader of School number five in Pskov, Russia. Not the tallest, but with a straight posture, broad shoulders and fit enough to put many of her counterparts at school to shame. Katya also does skiing and some athletics.

“But when they came from the Arts College to visit our school and started talking about photography class and how to work with a camera, I became really interested,” she said.

Like many of her classmates, Katya is completely deaf. But when the Pskov

Regional Arts College (POKI) decided to arrange a photo course for people with disabilities, the girl did not hesitate in trying something new.

Together with a group of other children from schools in Pskov, Petersburg, Vyborg and even Riga, the joint international project ‘Providing Access to Photographic Art for Young People with Disabilities’, PhotoYouth for short, was launched.

Integrating children into the community The EU supported project is part of the Cross-Border Cooperation Programme Estonia-Latvia-Russia. Since its launch in January 2012, the PhotoYouth project 17

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“By doing photo-tasks children are being integrated into the life of the community, while the community gets an opportunity to learn more about the world where children with disabilities live, which is not at all obvious for society at large”

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has brought together 250 young photographers and 50 teachers from 22 correctional secondary and boarding schools for visually and orally disadvantaged children, those with developmental disorders as well as children from orphanages and social centres for teenagers.

Based on the idea of equal access to supplementary education, the PhotoYouth mission is “to teach children with disabilities the basics of photography”, says the project coordinator in Pskov, Zoya Koroleva. At the same time, Russia, Estonia and Latvia strengthen their people-to-people cooperation: they work together, they enhance their contacts, they discover a world of mutual understanding.

According to the Spanish photo-reporter Delmi Alvarez, who is the leading curator and the soul of the project, this initiative is so much more than just teaching children with special needs how to snap a half-decent photo.

“By doing photo-tasks children are being integrated into the life of the community, while the community gets an opportunity to learn more about the world where children with disabilities live, which is not at all obvious for society at large,” he says.

Cultural exchange The children have classes twice a week.

They study composition, light, exposure and depth of focus. The courses are conducted by regular teachers trained to give photography lessons. The training has also included some study trips to Riga, Latvia’s capital, to learn the basics of photography.

Among the project’s objectives is not only the promotion of cooperation between local municipalities and special education institutions, but also between the two countries, Russia and Latvia.

“Although the training was conducted in English, it turned out that most of our colleagues from Latvia can speak Russian.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

PEOPLE > RUSSIA

It was nice to know that we share both a border and culture,” says Snezhana Vlasova, who is now teaching photography to children from the Pskov children’s home.

The teachers were joined by a small group of four photography’s students in their final year, who were offered the chance to become part of the project.

Stas Pavlov is one of them, and this constitutes his first teaching experience. When asked if he had concerns about dealing with disabled children, Stas was adamant that the positives far outweighed any problems encountered along the way.

“For me, the greatest challenge and at the same time the greatest reward is to communicate with these kids in class. It sometimes happens that you spend the whole day working out the lesson plan, and then everything turns out differently.

The good thing is that Marina Anatolyevna, the sign language translator, is always there to help, otherwise we would not be able to cope.”

Photography is a universal language with no boundaries There’s one camera for every two groups and each group has five to eight people.

Children are fascinated by everything: the streets, nature, animals. Anton Vysoky is most of all interested in portraits.

N Ekaterina Semenova, project member, gestures during the opening ceremony.

“In my childhood, I always liked to take pictures of everything I saw, so I wasted a lot of films…. But then I was given my first digital camera and everything changed,” he says.

Now, under Stas’s guidance, Anton is polishing his skills as a portrait-photographer, planning to turn his hobby into a source of income.

Anton, who has been deaf since birth, is one of the lucky few who participated in last year’s PhotoYouth summer camp in Pushkinskiye Gory.

The disabled children were all invited to take part in the project, but participation in the summer camp was decided through a selection process, with the children who showed the right attitude and significant progress during classes invited to take part.

For one week, they worked on their photo tasks, looking through the pictures and discussing them with their colleagues and professors. The children were not the only ones to learn from the camp however.

The instructors shared the experiences

N Members of the project attend during the opening ceremony.

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“Although the training was conducted in English, it turned out that most of our colleagues from Latvia can speak Russian. It was nice to know that we share both a border and culture”

CBC – Cross-border cooperation CBC, a key priority of the ENPI, seeks to reinforce cooperation between EU Member States and Partner Countries along the external EU borders.

Timeframe 2007-2013 Budget € 1.1 billion Objective CBC aims to promote economic and social development in border areas.

It strives to address common challenges, ensure efficient and secure borders and promote people-to-people cooperation.

N Natalia Afanasieva (L) and Snezhana Vlasova (R), teachers and members of the project.

ENPI CBC Estonia-Latvia-Russia Programme http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/ regional-cooperation/enpi-cross-border/documents/ enpi_cbc_estonia-latvia-russia_fact_sheet_en.pdf Budget (2007-2013) € 47.775 million Managing Authority: Ministry of Regional Development and Local Governments of Latvia

Creating access to the art of photography for young people with disabilities The overall objective of project is to improve living standards and provide equal access to the additional education for young people with disabilities www.estlatrus.eu/eng/projects/769 Timeframe September 2011 to March 2013 Budget 259.015,20 €

of their own teaching methods and discussed the results they achieved, elaborating on a variety of methodologies for teaching the art of photography to young people with different kinds of disabilities.

“Photography is a universal language that has no boundaries. It was great to see these kids who barely knew each other and had different disabilities, enjoying each other’s company and exchanging ideas,” says Delmi Alvarez.

“It is this intense communication, this sense of common accomplishment that was the purpose of our project”, adds Zoya Koroleva.

After the camp, so many photos were taken that every school could arrange its own exhibition. Last March Pskov Regional Arts College opened the first 20

PhotoYouth-Pskov exhibit, displaying the childrens’ best work.

“I can take great pictures even if I can not hear…”

Zoya Koroleva is sure that the course will go on after the PhotoYouth project is officially concluded in July.

“All EU projects are based on the idea of sustainability. The start has been made, and it is a good start. I think our children will make even more progress. Through photography, they can fulfil themselves, become aware of who they are, what they like. We are confident a new project will be launched with our foreign colleagues.”

Katya Semenova still has a year to go before her graduation, so she can take her time in choosing her future career.

Find out more Cross Border Cooperation: EU Neighbourhood Info Centre project list www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=171&id_type=10 ENPI CBC Estonia-Latvia-Russia Programme http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/ regional-cooperation/enpi-cross-border/documents/ enpi_cbc_estonia-latvia-russia_fact_sheet_en.pdf

She is no longer so certain that it will be sport. “At the beginning I used to think that when someone takes a great photo, it is because they can hear,” says Katya.

“Now I think that you can become a professional photographer even if you cannot hear, you just have to try again and again until you get there.”

Text by Margarita Potekhina, ITAR-TASS Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

PEOPLE > AZERBAIJAN

Giving troubled teenagers a second chance

Research conducted in 2006 showed around 600 to 700 adolescents in Azerbaijan were being taken to court each year for committing crimes. Many of them were convicted of minor offences and served their sentence in a closed ‘colony’ for juvenile offenders. Funded by the EU and supported

by UNICEF, a Juvenile Justice Initiative has introduced alternative education and rehabilitation systems for youths in trouble with the law. They call it ‘family therapy’, because everybody needs to join in: teenagers, their parents, their schools, as well as experts. An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist visited the Centre for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation and Legal Support in Juvenile Cases and sends this report.

BAKU – Should a 13-year-old be sent to a penal colony if he breaks the law?

Chances are that if that happens, he might become a real criminal by the age of 20. Today, in Azerbaijan, the view that alternative education and rehabilitation can be much more effective for teenagers than criminal punishment is proving a popular one. Supported by UNICEF and funded by the EU, work on implementing a Juvenile Justice Initiative has been underway in Azerbaijan since 2007. One Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

of the organisations engaged in this task is the NGO ‘Centre for Social and Psychological Rehabilitation and Legal Support in Juvenile Cases’.

According to the head of the NGO, Kyamalya Ashumova, the idea of establishing the Centre was based on a desire to help teenagers who had once gone wrong, as well as rehabilitating them while offering an alternative to custodial sentences, served in closed juvenile corrective facilities, or ‘colonies’.

“Based on our research in 2006, around 600-700 adolescents were being taken to court for committing crimes every year. Many of them were convicted of minor offences” she says. “This meant that in the colonies, adolescents came under the influence of those who had already committed grave crimes”. In the last few years, with the work that the Centre has done in the capital city Baku, the situation has markedly improved.

“Law enforcement agencies have realised 21

PEOPLE > AZERBAIJAN

“Alternative education of teenagers is much more effective than a custodial sentence”

N Child psychologist Lala Mardzhanova.

that alternative education of teenagers is much more effective than a custodial sentence. So far, this kind of support has been provided for 360 teenagers. In 97% of cases, we were able to help them out,” says Ashumova.

“Family therapy” The Centre works closely with the families of the youths and the police. Teenage offenders take a course lasting four to six months, but the Centre keeps in touch with them until they turn 18. Children aged from 10 to 18 are accepted, but in exceptional cases they can even be just eight or nine. According to experts, sometimes they have to overcome the indifference and formal attitude of the police, who are ready to send the offending minors to the penal colony and do not believe they can be reformed by psychologists.

This happened, for instance, with nineyear-old Anar, who called the police to say he had allegedly planted a bomb in the

“Without personal contact and mutual trust, it is impossible to help teenagers to avoid conflict with law, their families and themselves” 22

local hospital. He was about to be sent off to Guba colony, when the Centre staff managed to prevent this by taking him under their custody.

“If a kid gets involved with older criminals and spends some time with them, it is much more difficult to return him to normal life,” said Rena Allahverdieva, a psychologist at the Centre.

“Talking to Anar, we realised that the main cause for his behaviour was his alienation from his parents. I am sure that the main reason for inadequate behavior of children is often a deficit in parents’ care. We are trying to compensate for this deficit,” she said.

In 2006, there were 75 underage convicts in the Baku juvenile colony, whereas today there are only 29. Now, when detaining adolescents, the Ministry of Interior has authorised all its divisions to contact the Centre for Rehabilitation first, rather than send them directly to the colony.

“Our primary task is to make a psychological diagnosis, that is, to establish the cause of the problem. We try to investigate what has happened together with the teenagers, their parents and their schools. If we come to mutual understanding, we continue to work on rehabilitation together. We call this ‘family therapy’. Without personal contact and mutual trust, it is impossible to help teenagers to avoid conflict with law, their families and themselves,” Allahverdieva said.

The staff at the Centre note an alarming tendency in the growing number of girls referred to them. In 2012, 15-year-old Aidan struck a man in the street with a knife: he had been trying to chat her up. She was also mentally unstable due

N Teenager working in the Social Rehabilitation Centre for Young Juvenile Offenders.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

PEOPLE > AZERBAIJAN

N Children playing with puzzles at the Social Rehabilitation Centre for Young Juvenile Offenders.

to family issues. The Centre’s psychologist and staff were allowed access to the investigation and met with the victim.

This helped prevent Aidan from receiving a three-year sentence. Strange as it may seem, it is more difficult to help girls than boys. This can be explained by gender characteristics, although the perception among many people is that girls are easier to persuade. However, in practice it is rather different, as girls account for 75 to 80% of unsuccessful rehabilitation cases.

Poverty at the root of many problems Case analysis of problematic adolescents shows that a difficult social and economic situation in the family is often the reason why children are forced out onto the

“I am sure that the main reason for inadequate behavior of children is often a deficit in parents’ care. We are trying to compensate for this deficit” Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

streets and from there into the criminal world.

Ashumova told the story of a boy she was particularly proud of.. In 2008, at the age of 15, this boy committed a theft and was detained. He came from a very poor family, his father was disabled and his mother working as a cleaner. “He spent four months with us and after completing the course said he wanted to work and help his parents,” said Ashumova.

“At the same time, he started helping us at the Centre as a volunteer, supporting other kids younger than him. At his age, he was allowed to work only four to five hours a day and we found him a job as a courier.”

The fact that he had the mindset and opportunity to earn an honest living became an important motivating factor for the teenager.

“He went on to work at a restaurant and today he is 18 and he is delivering orders on his motorbike. He has finished school, got a driving licence and is supporting his parents. He wants to become a chef at the same restaurant,” says the Centre Director.

Experts in the field of justice stress the necessity of establishing centres for adolescent psychological and social reha-

bilitation even in the rural regions of Azerbaijan. Today, such a centre exists only in Baku, and youngsters from other regions have to bear criminal liability for minor offences without having access to psychological support.

Text by Shahin Hadjiev Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

Juvenile Justice Programme The Juvenile Justice Initiative has introduced alternative education and rehabilitation systems for youths in trouble with the law. www.unicef.org/azerbaijan/protection_10024.html Supported by UNICEF and funded by the EU, work on implementing a Juvenile Justice Initiative has been underway in Azerbaijan since 2007. The objective of the project is to support teenagers who have gone wrong and to rehabilitate them, while offering an alternative to custodial sentences served in ‘colonies’.

The project is based on the idea that alternative education is much more effective than a custodial sentence.

Find out more Juvenile Justice – a story www.unicef.org/azerbaijan/media_15565.html EU Neighbourhood Info Centre thematic portal: justice, freedom & security www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=1

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The European way of fostering democracy Recent political turbulence in Ukraine and Egypt has underscored the need for a flexible rapid reaction mechanism for supporting civil and political society in the EU/Neighbourhood, one that would be independent and complementary to the EU democracy support toolkit. The European Endowment for Democracy (EED) was set up precisely with this in mind: it is at arm’s length from EU member states and institutions, and can step in to support a radio station, a blogger or an NGO within days or even hours of receiving a request, explains the Endowment’s Executive Director Jerzy Pomianowski in an exclusive interview to the European Neighbourhood Info Centre.

An awareness event organised by EUBAM, the European Union Border Assistance Mission to Moldova and Ukraine. EUBAM is a technical body mandated to enhance the bordermanagement capacities of guards, customs authorities and other lawenforcement agencies between the two countries (photo by EUBAM).

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Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

Interview with Jerzy Pomianowski Executive Director of the European Endowment for Democracy What is the EED and what is it trying to achieve?

The idea behind creating the EED was very simple: it’s a manifestation of solidarity. It reflects the drive of Europeans to help people who cannot enjoy fully their rights. Especially those who live in the immediate Neighbourhood and see that in Europe citizens enjoy a peaceful dignified life; and notably a life where they can seek justice and claim their rights, where they can look at Europe with the hope that it can help transform their societies.

The Endowment is a Brussels-based international foundation relying on a small team of experts with a serious professional background in the region. The EED’s work is overseen by its Board of Governors and Executive Committee, which is made up of civil society experts on democracy support, as well as representatives of the EU and its member states.

The Endowment seeks to support groups and activists that cannot be assisted by existing EU instruments or other programmes.

What is special about the EED? The EED is an experiment in trying to fill the gaps in the existing system of democracy support to societies in the European neighbourhood, which includes the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) and the Instrument for Stability (IfS). The former focuses on human rights and fundamental freedoms, the latter aims to provide assistance in conflict prevention, crisis management and peace building.

Under such instruments, support is mainly provided to registered groups, but when people face a transition from an oppressive regime to a more democratic system, they organize themselves spontaneously. They simply have no time to register as an NGO and then wait, sometimes for years, like in Egypt or Belarus. They want to act here and now, which is what happened in Ukraine. Maidan started as a naturally born

“We are convinced that democracy cannot be exported or imposed from the outside” Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

“The EED is an experiment in trying to fill the gaps in the existing system of democracy support to societies in the European neighbourhood” protest, which became increasingly organized and eventually established itself as a political force and an institution in its own right.

This is where the EED can step in, because our mandate allows us to provide the necessary help without delay, irrespective of whether the group of like-minded people is registered or not.

Of course we cannot claim that what we do is unique in Europe. There are political foundations, especially in Germany, that provide this kind of support. But they only target like-minded organizations – Christian Democrats, Socialists etc. We are much more flexible.

To sum up, we try to help new NGOs and other organizations to tackle three problems, namely bureaucratic barriers, time constraints and legal hurdles.

How would you describe the European model of democracy support?

There is a range of democracy support programmes in the world, including the US National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which has been very successful during the transformation period in Central European countries that are now members of the EU, like mine (Poland). Some people even ask why it took so long for the EU to establish something similar to NED. Well, we did in the end. However Europeans go about things in a different way. Our approach to democracy support is grounded in the experience of transformation from oppressive regimes to democracy in countries like Greece, Spain, Poland or Hungary. In Europe, the whole discourse and the instruments we deploy are the legacy of these transitions, the result of serious reflection.

This experience - both personal and professional - is passed on from individuals like myself and

others to activists in the neighbourhood, from one country that has been through societal transformation to another one. This European way is reflected in the organizational structure of the EED where all EU member states are represented, as well as Switzerland.

What do you consider as your most important achievements?

I would start with Ukraine, where the EED has provided quick and flexible funds for unregistered initiatives that grew out of Euromaidan, such as students groups, as well as blogs and newsletters aimed at spreading true information about the events in Russian, Ukrainian and English.

Emergency funding was provided to Kyiv Post newspaper, within 3 days of the request, to allow uninterrupted coverage of public protests.

In Azerbaijan, EED saved the independent newspaper Azadliq from closure through a grant at a time when its bank accounts were frozen following a controversial fine. It provided start-up funding to Meydan TV, which in its “appgate” helped to expose the rigged nature of the Azeri election process.

What is the expected long-term impact of EED? Our role is to bridge the existing gaps without pretending that we can make a sizeable long-term impact. However, we step in to support individuals and organizations which themselves are capable of making a difference through their honest activism and passion. We help them survive in difficult circumstances and build the capacities of their NGOs. These people and their initiatives, in turn, have an enormous multiplying impact as they show others that there is a way forward if you are prepared to take the lead.

So, local drive, mobilization and ownership are absolutely crucial in securing sustainable change.

We are convinced that democracy cannot be exported or imposed from the outside.

“Local drive, mobilization and ownership are absolutely crucial in securing sustainable change” 25

PEOPLE > MOLDOVA

A chance of a future in your own country In Moldova, less than 40% of the people are employed in their own country: a shortage of jobs and low salaries force Moldovans to look for work elsewhere.

An EU-supported project provides information and gives qualified Moldovan migrants and students the opportunity to return home and to reintegrate themselves into the national labour market.

At the same time, the German government complements these efforts by paying a topup salary to returning migrants for a limited period.

An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist spoke to some people who took the chance and came back. This is his report.

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N Dorina Binzari helps one of the visitors of the Labor Market Information Center in Moldova, created as part of the ‘Strengthening the Moldova capacity to manage labor and return migration’ project.

CHISINAU – In late 2012, Dorin Toma returned to Moldova. Just a year earlier, the young man found himself at a crossroads, with an important decision on his future looming. His studies at the prestigious Humboldt University in Germany were over, and he had a difficult choice to make: either stay away from his near and dear and try to make a life for himself in Germany, or return to Moldova. There, it would have been hard to find a job and even harder to earn a decent salary. He was lucky.

Through the Internet and his friends, he found out about a German project aimed at supporting young qualified migrants return home. He completed a questionnaire and received several invitations for interviews. Now he is the Chief Expert

at the Office for Interethnic Connections at Moldova’s State Chancellery.

In a landlocked nation of 3.6 million people, labour migration is a serious problem. Less than 40% of Moldovans are employed in their own country, as a lack of jobs and low salaries back home force them to look beyond their borders for work. According to unofficial data, the number of labour migrants ranges from 600,000 to 1 million, around one third of the entire employable population of the country. Out of these, about 200,000 people have settled in EU countries.

Positive impact to a complex problem The EU project ‘Consolidation of migration management capacities in the ReProjects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

PEOPLE > MOLDOVA

“They have the knowledge, the experience. These people are an excellent resource for their own country and they should get a chance of going home to make a good career”

N The updated web portal www.anofm.md also contains an abundance of useful information about vacancies in Moldovan enterprises

public of Moldova’ provides information on legal job opportunities in European countries, but also gives people a chance to return home and find proper application for their abilities and knowledge.

To implement the € 2 million project, the Employment Service of Sweden was chosen as a partner, because of its 20-year experience of cooperation with various Moldovan governmental departments.

The previous EU project, ‘Strengthening Moldova’s potential in controlling labour resources and reverse migration’, was completed in March 2012. However, the EU decided it was worth financing a second stage because of the positive impact the project had had.

“While setting the objectives of our work, we took into account the complex nature of problems related to mass labour migration,” says Per Lindberg, the project manager.

“The Moldovan administration, the European Union and the migrants themselves are interested in a solution. Hence there are three main components in the project: strengthening the potential Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

of institutions and organisations concerned with labour migration; development of domestic labour market and providing potential migrants with valid information about the opportunities of legal entry and employment in EU countries; interaction with Moldovan communities abroad with the aim of motivating people to return home”.

Telephone hotlines, web portals and job fairs The project helped to open up a telephone hotline at the Employment Agency in Moldova, where anyone can receive information about vacancies at Moldovan enterprises, details of labour legislation, re-training opportunities and many more.

Calls within Moldova are free, and from abroad one can contact the line by Skype or e-mail. The updated web portal www. anofm.md also contains an abundance of useful information. The project also helps to train the staff and organises training visits to Sweden.

Four job fairs, which took place in the framework of the previous EU supported project for members of Moldovan communities in Italy and Germany, helped many migrants discover employment opportunities in their own country, making

N Viorel Girbu: he has received a Masters degree in the economy of developing countries from a Berlin university and has decided to come back to Moldova.

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PEOPLE > MOLDOVA

them seriously consider the prospect of returning. In total, around 1,000 people visited the fairs, which were attended by 15 major Moldovan enterprises. Based on this experience, work is currently underway to organise an electronic job fair, to be held next autumn.

“Job fairs are an opportunity for the migrants to find a potential job, but also for the enterprises to find qualified staff ”

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“This is an opportunity for the migrants to find a potential job, but also for the enterprises to find qualified staff,” says Lindberg.

“An excellent resource for their own country” In 2008, Moldova became one of the first participants of the ‘Partnership for Mobility’, a new EU concept of migration control. Mobility partnerships offer a concrete framework for dialogue and cooperation between the EU and its States on the one hand, and non-EU countries on the other. The cooperation focuses on three areas: legal migration, migration and development and the fight against irregular migration.

In this framework, individual EU Member States also came in for support. A specialised programme of the German government directed at motivating foreign

citizens who were educated in Germany to return home, was set up and implemented by the Centre of International Migration and Development (CIMD).

Coordinator and project expert Alexander Seidl is certain that qualified migrants should be called upon to work for the benefit of their own country.

“They have the knowledge, the experience. These people are an excellent resource for their own country and they should get a chance of going home to make a good career,” he says.

Germany covering the wage gap But the harsh reality is that there are not many people who would want to leave the prosperous Germany and go back to Moldova, where they would receive just € 200 to € 300 per month. Even more so after graduating from prestigious European universities.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

PEOPLE > MOLDOVA

“We are stimulating scientists and first-rate professionals to come back, as well as highlymotivated young people, who want to change things in their own country and work for its better future”

N Laura Choklya: she went to Germany at the age of 18, together with her mother. She has now joined the Chamber of Commerce staff in Moldova.

This is why the programme envisages a two-year period of financial support for those who decide to return: the additional payment ranges from € 500 to € 2000 each month. An earlier EU funded initiative implemented by IOM Moldova had the same mechanism of topping-up the salaries of some young graduates. “We are stimulating scientists and first-rate professionals to come back, as well as highly-motivated young people, who want to change things in their own country and work for its better future,” says Seidl.

Providing that extra incentive Since 2010, when Moldova joined the programme, 16 people have profited from this opportunity. One of them is Laura Choklya, who went to Germany at the age of 18, together with her mother.

She completed her studies in enterprise economy, combining them with work at a bank.

Wishing to develop her career, information on the CIMD programme was just what Laura was looking for. That is how she joined the Chamber of Commerce staff in Moldova, responsible for international projects.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

“Programmes which support the return of qualified migrants, both from the EU or from individual member states, are very important for people from Moldova,” says Laura. “Without extra stimulation, it is difficult to risk returning home, even if you are eager to.” Viorel Gyrbu is another returnee. He received a Masters degree in the economy of developing countries from a Berlin university. “For a highly qualified specialist is difficult to find a job with decent pay. It is hard to say if I would risk returning, if it wasn’t for the additional support I am receiving…”.

At present, Viorel works at the Institute for Market Economy in Chisinau and is engaged in analysing the Moldovan economy. If the country grows, salaries will also increase. Viorel might decide to remain after all.

Text by Dmitri Kalak Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

Consolidation of migration management capacities in the Republic of Moldova http://legal-in.eu/en/home

With the purpose of facilitating legal migration including circular and temporary migration, in June 2008 a Joint Declaration on a Mobility Partnership between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova was signed. Within this partnership, a capacity building project was established to “Consolidation of Migration Management Capacities in the Republic of Moldova”.

The project is implemented by Swedish Public Employment Service. The objective of the project is to promote the legal mobility between the European Union and the Republic of Moldova.

The project’s objectives aim at the following: 1. To provide correct information about legal migration procedures and opportunities; 2. To inform about risks of illegal migration and possibilities of working and living legally in the EU; 3. To better maximize the links between migration and economic and labour market development in the receiving countries and in Moldova; 4. To provide programs for returnees and pre-departure trainings in order to match their experience with international and national labour market demand.

Timeframe 30 months Budget € 2 million Find out more Project fiche http://legal-in.eu/en/consolidation-of-migrationmanagement-capacities-in-rm EU Neighbourhood Info Centre thematic page: migration www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=2

N Coordinator and project expert Alexander Seidl.

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PEOPLE > GEORGIA

Let’s meet Europe on the bus “Can you name three European Union countries?” Even a quiz is proposed to visitors hopping on board the yellow-starred blue bus touring Georgia. The Mobile Information Centre is a new initiative of the EU Delegation: a bus touring all regions trying to bring to ordinary citizens a very concrete vision of what the European Union is and does in Georgia. Visitors are supplied with information about the projects funded, they can watch short documentaries, take part in discussions with the organisations implementing the projects, receive key information about the cooperation between Georgia and the EU. They can even participate in blitz quizzes and gain much appreciated prizes…

The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre was on board the bus, and brings this report.

TBLISI – It is very early morning when our bus leaves Tbilisi, with its crew of volunteers from the EU Delegation to Georgia, the International Organization of Migration, Georgian Young Lawyers Association (GYLA) and the Multi-ethnic Resource Centres. The teams are well equipped with visual and audio materials, brochures, books and, of course, giveaways – the most exciting items for most people! In general, Georgians have shown some mistrust towards international institutions, but all on board are 30

fired up in the hope our visit will have a significant impact.

“Dad, look, Americans have arrived!”

We arrive in Gori: this is one of the most vulnerable regions, with deep scars left from the recent war, and with the IDP settlement constantly reminding people of the nightmare of the conflict.

The central square where we set up our Mobile Info Centre is empty. Only a few cars are driving by. The EU branded bus is drawing attention, but the mistrust is

obvious and people are observing from a distance.

One of the first people to break the ice is 85-year-old Nargiz O., a member of the Uzbek minority who has been living in Georgia since 1995. She lives alone and has a very small income to survive on, which is sent to her by her daughter in Ukraine. “With this money I can hardly buy medicines,” she says, “I would like to apply to receive a pension from the Georgian government, but I am not a citizen of Georgia, so I gave up…”.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

PEOPLE > GEORGIA N EU representatives disseminating material about EU-funded projects in Georgia at the Shavshvebi Internally Displaced Peoples settlement of Gori region.

As our volunteers from the GYLA brief her about the possibility to receive double citizenship, which would enable her to get a pension in Georgia, she is evidently relieved.

Now the ice is broken, all sorts of visitors start flocking in. They are public service workers inquiring about labour rights, relatives of war victims seeking psychological aid, or young people looking to legally migrate to European countries…

We move on and make a surprise visit to Tserovan’s internally displaced people settlement. Thanks to the financial support of the European Union, hundreds of small houses were built after the 2008 war and now belong to the people who fled villages in South Ossetia. Here they have found new homes, a new village, a school. And they have started their lives over. “Dad, look, Americans have

“I am just stunned by the level of involvement, even the children who find it hard to concentrate are interacting and giving the correct answer!”

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

“We older people like to read, any information I am interested in, I receive from books, newspapers.

So next time you are here, bring books…”

arrived!” cries six-year-old David to his father. We explain that we are Georgians just like him, but working for the European Union that unites 27 European Countries to bring peace and stability.

To deepen David’s first impression of Europe, we invite him and his friend on board to watch a documentary about Europe. David will now never forget that his favourite Olympic games were born in Greece – one of the EU member states – that the Danube is the longest river in Europe and that the 12 yellow stars on a blue background is the bright symbol of the European Union.

“We older people like to read…”

We then reach Kutaisi, one of the ancient cities of Georgia. It is a sunny Sunday morning. “How well do you know the European Union” is the topic of the blitz quiz our project team is proposing. The questions range in their level of difficulty from: “When was the European Union first founded?”, to “How many member states does the European Union unite?”, and “Name three European Union countries”. Those who supply correct answers receive a variety of nice EU branded giveaways. The desire to win prizes is great, and people want more and more questions to answer for the chance to win ! To our great surprise, even our older visitors are very excited, often gaining the highest scores in the blitz quiz. “We older people like to read,” explains 80-year-old

N A little girl reading an illustrated book about the European Union in Rustavi.

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PEOPLE > GEORGIA

Akaki Buskhrikidze. “Any information I am interested in, I receive from books, newspapers. So next time you are here, bring books. I would like to take this prize to my grandchildren.”

The first school we visit is the Internally Displaced Peoples settlement school. We prepare a classroom for our presentation by hanging pictures depicting stories of how the European Union has changed people’s lives and we set up a screen and projector for the film, a 20-minute documentary that tells the history of the European Union, gives insight into the economical and cultural life of its member states, and highlights landmarks in its history. We motivate the children to pay attention by suggesting they could win prizes. The children, aged 12-15, are sitting in total concentration, they

“Can you name one of the European countries and its capital?” “Sure! It is the home country of my favourite football team, Real Madrid.

This is Spain”.

even take notes. And when the question comes, they give the right answers. “It’s a pretty good experience for teachers too,” says Maia Grdzelidze, the school’s history teacher. “I am just stunned by the level of involvement, even the children who find it hard to concentrate are interacting and giving the correct answer!”

another question to have a chance to win a children’s book called “Travel in Europe”. “I will bring the European Union home and read it to my siblings” Giorgi says. “What is the capital of France?”

“I know that, it’s Paris…” Giorgi dreams of visiting Disneyland. So he walks off with a handful of gifts and his plan to take Europe home.

“I want to take Europe home…”

Giorgi Nakaidze is nine years old and he lives in Rustavi together with his family.

His mother is a housewife and his father has a tiny stall at Rustavi market. With this small family business, Mr Nakaidze keeps his wife and four children. “Sometimes I have to help my father in the business,” says Giorgi. “I am the eldest child in the family and dad relies on me.

I can do this only on weekends as I go to school and have daily training with my school football team. I am very good at that…” he smiles. We meet Giorgi at Rustavi main square as he’s returning home from a late football training session. We stop him to suggest he takes part in the kids blitz quiz about the European Union. “Can you name one of the European countries and its capital?” is the question. “Sure! It is the home country of my favourite football team, Real Madrid. This is Spain.” And his eyes sparkle with happiness. He wants to try

Text and photos by Maia Chitaia

Let’s Meet Europe

The project is seeking to promote the impact and work of the EU in Georgia through the implementation of various communications activities. The campaign itself has centered around four main components: a Mobile Info Center, a Press Club, a Journalism Award and a Mobile Film Competition.

The mobile Info Centre The EU has hired, branded and equipped a “Let’s Meet Europe on Wheels” bus hosting a Mobile Information Centre that presented to the public information and short documentaries about the cooperation between Georgia and the EU. The EU Press Club An EU-Georgia Press Club has been established and regular informal meeting opportunities have been organised to familiarize the media with the EU Delegation and the activities carried out within the country.

EU prize for Journalism The ‘EU Prize for Journalism’ is the first of its kind in Georgia to recognise Georgian journalists who have demonstrated journalistic integrity and professionalism.

The Prize acknowledges the best journalistic works originally published/aired/posted in Georgia. The winners are named in the three categories: 1. Best investigative or opinion article 2. Best TV and/or Radio coverage 3. Best webpage/blog/social media http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/georgia/eu_prize_ journalism/eu_prize_journalism_en.htm The EU-3-Minutes festival The EU 3-Minute Film Festival is a new initiative of the European Union Delegation to Georgia. Georgian youths aged between 14-25 years are invited to create short movies with their mobile devices showing their perspective of the impact of the European Union on their environment. The short films are uploaded to the competition website: www.eu3min.ge with prizes being awarded to the top three entrants

N The 80-year-old Akaki Buskhrikidze giving the correct answer on the “How well do you know the European Union?” blitz quiz in Kutaisi.

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Facebook page www.facebook.com/LetsMeetEurope

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

PEOPLE > ARMENIA

Citizens want their public spaces back In post-Soviet countries urban spaces are being radically transformed.

Everything related to the socialist past has been renamed, ranging from streets to monuments.

And every urban space has been filled with commercial activities. The centre of Yerevan today is the epitome of this free market ‘wild’ approach. The old part of town has become a mosaic of privately owned spaces with different tastes and purposes, but very little has been left for public gatherings…

An EU supported project is trying to give public spaces back to urban residents via local art and culture.

This is being done in a creative, provocative and alternative way.

We sent a journalist from the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre network to take a look at what happens in Yerevan.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

YEREVAN – “Times change and a lot of things have become old fashioned even though it was our way of life. But they were the values we believed in and shared,” says Mkrtich Samoyan, a pensioner living in Yerevan. He challenges the interests of today’s society and remembers the days when public spaces were places to sit down with friends, talk or enjoy live music: “Yerevan had lots of open air spaces. We used to get together and listen to singers or watch performances… Today every centimetre is owned by someone and none of them cares about art, culture or traditions.

They prefer to build glassy stuff and to make the city look as ugly as possible.”

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia regained its independence. That in turn led to the city’s urban spaces being

radically transformed. Everything related to the socialist past was renamed, ranging from streets to monuments. And all the public spaces were filled with commercial activities. The centre of Yerevan today is the epitome of this free market ‘wild’ approach. The old part of town has become a mosaic of privately owned spaces with different tastes and purposes, but very little has been left for public gatherings.

This process leaves a lot of people feeling marginalised and seems to be irreversible, leaving most people unprepared to consider their urban space as a common, collective and non-commercialised space, off-limits to the logic of market valuations.

Against this background, the SPACES project is about breathing new life into public spaces so that they can be used 33

PEOPLE > ARMENIA

N Hrach Bayadyan presenting the changes of urban spaces after the collapse of Soviet Union.

for art and culture in a process that leads to their being handed back to urban residents. The project has chosen public spaces as a setting for cultural activities that tend to involve citizens and to show how independent culture can be a generator of civic (and cultural) emancipation.

SPACES is financed by the European Union though the Eastern Partnership Culture Programme, whose overall objective is to support the role of culture in the region’s sustainable development and to promote regional cooperation among public institutions, civil society, cultural and academic organisations within the Eastern Partnership region.

“Our events are provocative and critical towards the culture of big shows and consumerism and reflect people’s sense of exasperation with the nationalist identity building process” 34

Residents battle against a tide of commercialisation Taguhi Torosyan, project coordinator from Utopiana.am Cultural, a creative NGO, explains: “The problem of the loss of urban spaces in the city is a social problem and the matter of town planning has become a burning political issue.

What do we do? We try to suggest alternative models in which artists and cultural workers create and organise events that take into account the local context.

Our events are provocative and critical towards the culture of big shows and consumerism and reflect people’s sense of exasperation with the nationalist identity building process.” According to Torosyan, the residents and citizens of Yerevan have already started their struggle against the demolition and commercialisation of community spaces which should be commonly shared, accessible and intended for open, non-commercial usage. “People have opposed this trend, from the demolition of Old Yerevan district to the construction of the Northern Avenue to the issue of the Cinema Moscow Open Air Hall,” she says. “But the government – is continuing with its approach by adopting laws and regulations that provide a legal basis for such a policy”. Hence the importance of supporting civic initiatives and independent cultural subjects that manage to re-articulate the cultural field as an area of discussion among citizens, with a special focus on the public space.

The emotional co-ownership of a town The ‘Caravan Concept’ has been identified by the project as a good way to appropriate urban space through arts and cultural initiatives. Every six months, the SPACES caravan travels to one city, combining theoretical debate, art events (or public space actions) and a participatory approach. In October the Caravan stopped in Yerevan for its ‘public talks’, bringing together artists, researchers, architects and students from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to encourage networking, social research and de-

“We think it is essential to support such claims to civic resistance and to strengthen the potential of local cultural scenes”

bate. Many artists performed in various public spaces, and many speakers held presentations in different venues on different subjects, from the ‘Memorial to the fallen trees’ held in Northern Avenue, to the piano performance open to passersby at Swan Lake with a piano tuned to play a single note. A public conference on ‘The Future Sustainable City’ was used to bring the curtain down on the event.

“In Yerevan people are concerned with issues such as illegal or inadequate con-

N Barry Flanagan (North Wales), Acrobates, 1988.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

PEOPLE > ARMENIA

Euro East Culture www.euroeastculture.eu

The Eastern Partnership recognises the value of cultural cooperation and intercultural dialogue as an integral part of all relevant external policies and has underlined the importance of cultural cooperation in addressing political processes and challenges. Therefore the Eastern Partnership has called for a specific Eastern Partnership Culture Programme that will strengthen the capacity of the cultural sector in the region and enhance the role of culture as a force for reform, promotion of tolerance, and social cohesion.

Programme overall objective: To support the role of culture in the region’s sustainable development and promote regional cooperation among public institutions, civil society, cultural and academic organisations in the Eastern Partnership region and with the European Union.

Partner countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Implementation period 2011–2014 N Fernando Botero, (Columbia), Woman Smoking, 1987.

structions, the destruction of trees and green zones but also with the questions of citizens’ self-determination, and the prevalence of public interests over private ones,” says Heidi Dumreicher, the director of the Vienna Institue for Urban Sustainability, SPACES’ leading partner”. “From the many discussions with small nongovernmental groups that our partner had organised, we got a good view of civil society’ efforts to claim their emotional ‘co-ownership’ towards their own town,” adds Dumreicher. “We think it is essential to support such claims to civic resistance and to strengthen the potential of local cultural scenes. Our public space actions range from cultural performances in un-

SPACES

derground passages in Tbilisi to open air cinema screening in Chisinau.”

For Lena Kirakosyan, a 21 year-old university student in Yerevan, the new face of the city is better then “the old and ugly soviet buildings”. “But on the other hand, we would like to have more art, music and theatre venues instead of restaurants built everywhere.” “What a lovely place Cascade is,” she says, “with museums and art pieces and places to walk around and enjoy…”. Cascade is a public space that was granted funding on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Soviet Armenia.

Lena hopes that it will not be the only public space left to enjoy life in Yerevan.

Text and photos by Aghavni Harutyunyan

“Yerevan had lots of open air spaces. We used to get together and listen to singers or watch performances… Today every centimetre is owned by someone and none of them cares about art, culture or traditions. They prefer to build glassy stuff and to make the city look as ugly as possible” Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

www.spacesproject.net

To develop new concepts for cultural governance that recognize the societal relevance of the independent art and cultural workers.

To strengthen the local artistic communities as a civil society contribution based on participatory arts and culture concepts, fostering access to culture for all (especially youth and disadvantaged groups of society).

Participating countries Armenia, Austria, Croatia, Georgia, Luxembourg, Moldova, Ukraine Timeframe 3 years (Dec. 1st 2011–Nov. 30st 2014) Find out more Eastern Partnership Culture Programme: EU Neighbourhood Info Centre fiche and news www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=269&id_type=3 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre information pack, The Eastern Partnership: a path to stability and prosperity www.euroeastculture.eu/en/granted-projects/view-24.html SPACES Project fiche www.euroeastculture.eu/en/granted-projects/view-24.html EU Neighrourhood Info Centre – culture east www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=10

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Eastern Partnership

Forum where voices of civil society sound loud and clear The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum is facing a major challenge – to define its role in a fast changing and diverse political landscape, as the EaP countries move in so many different directions, says Co-Chair of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Steering Committee Krzysztof Bobiński in an exclusive interview with he EU Neighbourhood Info Centre.

Actors performing at the Forum Theatre of Tkhinvali, in the Ozurgeti municipality, Georgia. The show, performed within the framework of an EU funded project promoting human rights – aims at breaking down stereotypes and stigma related to the societal reintegration of juvenile offenders. Photo by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

Interview with Krzysztof Bobiński Co-Chair of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Steering Committee What is the role of the Civil Society Forum in the Eastern Partnership?

The CSF aims to strengthen civil society in the EaP countries and to foster cooperation and the exchange of experiences between civil society organisations from partner countries and the EU. The Forum strives to boost pluralism in public discourse and policy making, by holding governments accountable, and by promoting fundamental freedoms, participatory democracy and human rights. We also focus on communicating the goals of the EaP to the general public in the EU and partner countries.

The Forum brings together civil society organizations which monitor the situation, advocates for reforms and provide policy inputs at the national level with the ultimate goal of bringing the EaP countries closer to the EU. How does the Forum achieve its objectives?

The Forum meets once a year to take stock of ongoing work and to agree on future activities.

Each partner country has a National Platform, which unites a large number of CSOs working on the European agenda. Besides, the Forum has five Working Groups, of which four mirror the topics of the thematic multilateral platforms of the Eastern Partnership, namely: democracy, human rights, good governance and stability; economic integration and convergence with EU policies; environment, climate change and energy security; contacts between people.

The fifth Working Group of the Forum has no parallel thematic platform and focuses on social policies and social dialogue.

Representatives of the Forum attend the meetings of EaP Platforms, ministeial meetings and EaP summits, where they deliver written opinions developed by the Forum’s experts.

Since 2012, the Forum has permanent participant status in the EaP multilateral platforms, in a sign of recognition by the partner country and member state governments.

The Forum has launched its own flagship initiatives in the areas of election monitoring, independent media, and the fight against corruption. A task force representing civil society organisations of the Forum took part in the observation of the Presidential elections in Armenia in Febru-

“Civil society is one of the key elements of the Eastern Partnership” Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ary 2013 and produced a report that identified shortcomings and suggested recommendations.

The Forum is constantly monitoring progress in certain dimensions of the Eastern Partnership, such as the visa liberalisation index, media freedom index, and European Integration Index. This year, the Forum is monitoring the fulfilment of the Eastern Partnership Roadmap to the Vilnius Summit, with input from civil society into the comprehensive assessment prepared ahead of the summit.

What is the impact of the Forum on civil society in partner countries?

One of the aims of the CSF is to build support for integration with the EU. In this regard, the Forum’s National Platforms are valuable tools which help to pursue the goals of the Eastern Partnership. How their work is accomplished depends on the position that the local government adopts. If it is positive as in Moldova or in Georgia the task is easier, and indeed in Tbilisi the CSF National Platform has been working together with the government on a pro-EU programme. But in Belarus the National Platform is barely tolerated by a government which it opposes.

Interaction with society at large on a day-to-day basis is more problematic. NGOs have their roles to play, be it producing reports or monitoring government policies. The ordinary man in the street is little aware of these activities. Any impact the CSF members can have is on elites. And in a country like Ukraine or Armenia, National Platforms play a greater role because NGOs are more trusted in society than opposition political parties. So eventually National Platforms and NGOs may have a key role to play in conducting a dialogue with the government.

What do you consider as your most important achievements?

Influencing policy or indeed public opinion is a diffuse process where it is difficult to judge progress.

What is clear is that the CSF has become an effective mechanism for channelling information from civil society to European institutions and back. Its structures, be they National Platforms or the Steering Committee, closely monitor the reform process in the EaP, serving as a watchdog, and promptly respond to developments on the ground, expressing the consolidated position of pro-European civil society organisations.

In some countries, like Georgia, the National Platform has become a fully-fledged partner of the government in conducting reforms, and its

expertise is routinely used by the government.

Another achievement is the institutionalisation of the Forum. The main issue for the past few years has been to establish a structure which will enable the CSF to function efficiently. Thanks to support from the European Commission the CSF has set up a secretariat in Brussels, which acts as a clearing house for initiatives from the national platforms and for information and invitations for attendance at meetings between EU governments and Eastern Partner officials.

This may sound a very pedestrian achievement but it is crucial to the functioning of the CSF. Again thanks to the support of the European Commission, the institutional development of the National Platforms is on-going.

What are the biggest challenges you are facing?

With the forthcoming summit in Vilnius, the Eastern Partnership is approaching a watershed.

It remains unclear if Ukraine will sign its Association Agreement with the EU, while Moldova and Georgia are moving ahead on their pro EU path. Belarus and Azerbaijan remain unconvinced as to the merits of closer association with the EU, and the rulers of these countries have little confidence in democratic forms of government.

Armenia most recently made a U-turn away from its pro-European course, leaving its whole strategy up in the air.

A big challenge for the CSF will be to work out what its role will be in such a diverse political landscape, with the EaP countries moving in so many differing directions. Indeed, will we be able to stay together? These are questions for Chisinau and Vilnius this autumn.

More generally, a serious challenge is that the at the national level the CSF should remain open to those organisations which want to join and not turn itself into an exclusive set of NGOs which monopolise contacts with the EU. Another great challenge is that NGOs should stay in touch with society at large and thus retain the ability to influence public opinion. If they come to be seen as a group of organisations that exist because they are externally funded, then they will soon find themselves to be isolated. But of course they must also beware of allowing themselves to become a strictly political opposition. After all, NGOs are apolitical in the sense that they do not belong to political parties.

And the CSF must be very careful that it should not allow itself to be dominated by organisations that have been set up by government officials or the government itself (GONGOs). That would really be the end of the movement.

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Environment

In this rural area of the Garabakh lowlands, in central Azerbaijan, OXFAM is working on an EU funded project to strengthen local capacities to provide safe water supplies to 20 villages (photo by EPA Š EU Neighbourhood Info Centre).

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Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ENVIROMENT > BELARUS

We have a big fire here, we need help There has been a major accident at a chemical plant in Belarus, and forest fires are raging through the region. Neither Belarus nor Ukraine can cope with the disaster alone, rescuers are badly needed to face the emergency: so Belarus is now asking for help‌ Fortunately the event is not real, it is just a simulation exercise, and the staged emergency is addressed through a computer based information exchange.

This training is part of the EU-funded Programme for Prevention, Preparedness and Response to natural and Man-Made Disasters in the Eastern Partnership countries (PPRD East). A journalist from the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre was following the story. Here is her report.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

MINSK – There has been a major accident at a chemical plant in Belarus, and forest fires are raging even in Ukraine. What to do? Neither country can cope with the disaster alone, rescuers are badly needed: so Belarus is asking for help...

Fortunately, the event is not real. It is just a simulation exercise taking place at the Command-and-Engineering Institute at the Ministry for Emergency Situations, in Belarus. The initiative is part of the EU-funded Programme for Prevention, Preparedness and Response to natural and Man-Made Disasters in the Eastern Partnership countries (PPRD East).

In the hall of the Institute, representatives from Belarus and Ukraine are sitting opposite each other in front of their computers: a large screen shows

all the messages that the participants are exchanging. Ukranian rescuers are reporting a major forest fire on the border between the two countries, with details about the size of the affected area and the intensity of the fire. The messages quickly slide across the screen, replacing each other: the Ukrainians cannot extinguish the fire by themselves and are asking their colleagues from Belarus to come and help. As soon as the request arrives, Belarus experts start discussing ways to get their rescuers and machines to the emergency site, and how to lay out routes and to transport commodities.

They are so focused and serious that everything seems real: somewhere on the border a forest fire is blazing, and it depends on them and on their deci39

ENVIROMENT > BELARUS

“Never before has a single electronic product combined information on six countries.

This will reflect emergency situations in real-time mode. Every country of the Eastern Partnership will know what is going on”

N A simulation exercise taking place at the Command-and-Engineering Institute at the Ministry for Emergency Situations.

sions whether people will die or will be wounded, and how badly the population will be affected by the emergency. And it is only when the officials of the two countries move on to the next stage – the accident at the chemical plant is over – that everybody is reminded it is just a simulation…

Training to get ready The exercise is part of the sub-regional general planning conference, held in Minsk and attended by representatives of all six Eastern Partnership countries.

The event also involves a training seminar, where three experts from Poland, Romania and Greece share the EU experience on how to request international

40

assistance during an emergency, what to do when help arrives and how to deploy it on the site.

“We are interested in such trainings,” says Anna Uss, Deputy Head of the Department for International Cooperation at the Ministry for Emergency Situation in Belarus: “they allow our staff to upgrade their qualification level, acquiring knowledge and skills that are vital to endure emergencies.”

PPRD East is “the first regional project of this kind”, says Sergey Anagnosti, the regional project manager. “We are aiming at bringing the partner countries closer to the Mechanism of Civil Protection, which is operating in the EU and which regulates the delivering of assistance by

the EU countries to each other in cases of emergency”.

“As it is a completely new project in this area,” he says, “we have performed a large-scale analysis in order to understand what the situation is in the Eastern Partnership countries, what they can do in terms of civil protection and prevention of disasters, and what training and technical support we can offer to them.”

A Risk Atlas: information on 6 countries combined in one electronic product One of the most important results of the programme will be the development of the Electronic Regional Risk Atlas. “When the Atlas is ready, we will get the whole

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ENVIROMENT > BELARUS

“This will improve the opportunities of both the EP and EU countries to help each other if required, and also tip them on how to prevent or decrease some risks” picture of possible risks in the Eastern Partnership region,” said Anagnosti. “This will improve the opportunities of both the EP and EU countries to help each other if required, and also tip them on how to prevent or decrease some risks, in a word, on how to prevent a possible emergency situation.”

“Europe does not yet have anything like that,” says Andrej Pinigin, PPRD East coordinator in Belarus. “Individual countries do have such atlases, but never Prevention, Preparedness and Response to man-made and natural disaster in the ENPI East Region (PPRD East) http://euroeastcp.eu/en/

Reinforces the capacity of participating countries for disaster prevention, preparedness and response, and facilitates cooperation with the EU and the countries themselves – one of the Flagship Initiatives under the Eastern Partnership.

Participating countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine

before has a single electronic product combined information on six countries. It will reflect emergency situations in realtime mode. Every country of the Eastern Partnership will know what is going on.”

Mr Pinigin notes that under the PPRD programme it is important for his country to work out the principles, methodology and practices of interacting with the services responsible for handling of emergency situations in the other Eastern Partnership countries. “Although they are our long-standing partners,” he says, “this programme raises our interaction to a new level.”

The national partner of PPRD East in Belarus is the Ministry for Emergency Situations, but other ministries, which may be involved in emergencies, also take part in the simulation. “Our staff can now find out how similar structures in partner countries and EU member countries respond to the same risks and hazards that we often face,” says Anna Uss. Nature doesn’t recognize state borders Lena Nielsen, Programme Manager at the European Commission, emphasizes that the European Union is interested in this programme no less than its Eastern partners. “The main purpose of the programme,” she says, “is to develop the potential for preventing disasters and decreasing their consequences in the region at the local, national and regional levels.”

“We also aim at the promotion of effective cooperation in this area among both

“We are aiming at bringing the partner countries closer to the Mechanism of Civil Protection, which is operating in the EU and which regulates the delivering of assistance by the EU countries to each other in cases of emergency” the countries of the Eastern Partnership and between them and the EU… The European Union wants to contribute to the preservation of peace, stability and safety in both the Eastern Partnership and the European countries,” she concludes, “as well as to protect the environment, the population, the cultural heritage, the resources and the infrastructure in the region.”

Natural and mad-made disasters are on the rise across the world. Partner countries in Europe and in the Neighbourhood must learn to effectively withstand emergencies, to cooperate with each other and recover quickly. Because for nature, state borders do not exist.

Text by Tanya Korovenkova Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

Timeframe 2010-2014 Budget €6 million Objective PPRD East aims at contributing

towards peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Eastern ENPI region and at protecting the environment, the population, cultural heritage, resources and infrastructures by strengthening the countries’ resilience, preparedness and response to man-made and natural disasters.

A second phase is under preparation.

Find out more ENPI Fiche and news about the programme www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=211&id_type=10 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Thematic portal: Environment www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=6

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

N As soon as the request arrives, experts start discussing ways to get their rescuers and machines to the emergency site.

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ENVIROMENT > MOLDOVA

Waste: from dumping to recycling

The first step was to produce an inventory of all the refuse dumps in southern Moldova.

The next step was to close down the most hazardous ones and modernise those that could continue to be used. At the same time an extensive awareness campaign was launched…

As a result, in the last two years – thanks to the joint efforts of civil society and local authorities, supported by an EU-funded initiative – the south of Moldova has radically changed the way it deals with waste. Spontaneous dumping of waste is a thing of the past.

The approach is now about collecting, sorting and disposing of different kinds of waste.

The region is now well on the way towards having its own waste management system, as this report from an on site visit shows.

Forty years ago, Anna Toplenkina and Vera Chebruchanu, who are now both retired, took part in a ceremony to plant trees in a park in the town of Stefan Vode, in southern Moldova. At the time, they belonged to a part of society that was young and educated and who saw it as their duty to be role models for residents in their 42

provincial town by giving their ‘shared home’ a new look. In May 2012, together with other senior citizens from the town, they took part in a regional spring event to clean up cities by disposing of household rubbish. They were looking after the same park that they had been tidying up every year since 1971. However, this time there

were thousands of people working with them throughout the whole of southern Moldova, who made it their aim to collect household rubbish and get rid of spontaneous dumps. The event was organised as part of the EU-funded European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) East project ‘Waste Governance’.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ENVIROMENT > MOLDOVA

N Vasile Buzu, the president of Stefan Voda district.

Growing awareness of old, harmful habits The project aims to replace the unsystematic and often spontaneous waste storage that goes on now, with a system of collecting, sorting and then disposing of waste. In the south of Moldova, with its population of 540,000 people, there are around 200 waste dumps. Nearly every community has one. Not all of them are legally registered and equipped with at least a minimal soil protection system.

“Unfortunately, for a long time there has been virtually no waste management system in place here,” says Lazar Kirike, the Vice-Minister for Environmental Protection. “This is why our department decided to declare waste disposal the priority task for 2012. In this context, the EU support is of the utmost importance for us. During the last two years a lot has already been done. “ Speaking about the Moldovan administration’s involvement, project team leader Simon Pow was positive about the interaction between the project team and officials. He represents the Spanish consulting company Eptisa, one of the members of the European project

consortium set up to support the countries in the region to develop long-term waste management strategies. According to Simon Pow, people’s attitude to the “waste problem” has radically changed in the last two years thanks to the support and efforts of all the parties concerned. “We have undertaken several promotional campaigns and educational programmes, prepared video advertisements and brochures, as well as arranged numerous local meetings and involved local administration, regional media and non-governmental organisations in the discussion about our future strategies. As a result, we have achieved the main thing: people’s attitudes are changing. They are starting to understand how harmful their habit is of dumping all their waste, how this affects the environment and their own health. And, first and foremost, they realise how important it is to radically change the approach to this problem”.

Moving towards a comprehensive management system Before developing the waste management strategy for the Southern Development Region, the project team performed several preparatory steps together with the local administration. The first one was to make an inventory of all the refuse dumps and assess the risks in getting rid

N Moloman Sergiu, vice-mayor of the city of Stefan Voda, takes part at the household rubbish collection.

“People’s attitudes are changing. They are starting to understand how harmful their habit is of dumping all their waste, how this affects the environment and their own health…”

“Unfortunately, for a long time there has been virtually no waste management system in place here” Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

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ENVIROMENT > MOLDOVA

of them. Furthermore, a comprehensive plan was developed to close down the most hazardous dumps and modernise those that were suitable for further use.

The next step was to estimate the budget needed to carry out all the necessary measures and to make the transition to a comprehensive waste management system. “It is essential for us that the project results do not remain on paper in the form of a formal report or inoperative strategy but that they work for Moldova as a well thought-out and well-organised system,” says Simon Pow. Within the Department for Environmental Protection, they are convinced that this aim has already been partly achieved. The National Foundation for Regional Development for the Southern Development Region has subsidised the purchase of containers for separate waste collection, modern machinery for its transportation and equipment for the primary processing (compression) of plastic waste. Amendments have been introduced into Moldovan law to converge it with the European rules. The EU project consultants have helped to develop standard regulations for waste management associations, which are to become the cornerstones of the new system. According to Lazar Kirike, two other

“Previously, these problems were of secondary importance for us. Thanks to the EU project, we’ve come to realise that we cannot put off for tomorrow what is so important today” regions in the country, the north and the centre, have already started developing waste management strategies similar to the south, allocating 1.5 million leu (around 100,000 euro) to produce an inventory of all the refuse dumps in the two regions. The EU project team is also supporting them with this task. “Thanks to the EU project we have developed a comprehensive understanding of the possible approaches to solving the waste management problem,” says Kirike.

Private investors ready to join in The result of all these efforts is that the waste management industry is becoming attractive for investors and donors.

The European Investment Bank and the Czech government have expressed their willingness to invest in environmental

protection projects in Moldova while private investors are ready to subsidise the waste sorting and processing facilities. The project is appreciated by local authorities in particular. For instance, Vasile Buzu, head of the Stefan Vode region, says: “Previously, these problems were of secondary importance for us.

Thanks to the EU project, we’ve come to realise that we cannot put off for tomorrow what is so important today. And we have started, altogether, to put things in order.”

Text by Dmitry Kalak Photos by EPA©EU / Neighbourhood Info Centre

Waste Governance European neighbourhood and partnership instrument (ENPI) East The project aims to improve the management of waste by promoting higher standards at waste facilities, more effective waste prevention initiatives, increased capacities for waste collection and sorting, as well as increasing reuse, recovery, and safe disposal of waste in the region. http://wastegovernance.org/index_eng.html Participating countries Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine Timeframe 2009-2013 Budget € 5.9 million Objective The specific tasks faced by the project include the inventarisation of illegal waste disposal site, the strengthening of waste classification practices, the development of pilot waste management strategies at regional level and public awareness building campaigns.

Find out more Project website http://wastegovernance.org/index_eng.html Country website http://wastegovernance.org/moldova_eng.html EU Neighbourhood Info Centre thematic portal: environment www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=6 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Regional project list www.enpi-info.eu/list_projects_east.php?subject=6

N Pensioners and veterans from the city have joined the clean up activity.

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Video spot www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Hg6m2WN1w

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ENVIROMENT > UKRAINE

With high water comes high responsibility

When disaster strikes, it is usually too late to prepare for it and the only thing left to do is deal with the consequences. Disasters are best dealt with when citizens, rescue services and volunteers can cooperate with each other, because the behaviour and participation of individuals are key to emergency management. In Ukraine, the EU-funded regional programme for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to natural and man-made disasters in the ENPI East Region (PPRD East) working in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, has started its awareness campaign in an area that frequently suffers from floods and high water levels. An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist joined the campaign’s launch event in the Novoselitskiy district and has this report.

NOVOSELYTSIA – Outside the Ukrainian town of Novoselytsia just a few kilometers from the Ukrainian-Romanian border, towards the Prut river, EU expert Svitlana Skrykuliak points and says in a rather matter of fact way: “Here, in 2008, I was forcing my way through on an army tank.”

What makes people drive tanks in peacetime? The answer is floods that sweep everything in their way. In the small region of Chernivtsi there are over 4,000 rivers.

When heavy rain adds to the high water Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

levels in the rivers, the locals know that a disaster is looming. The latest floods occurred here in 2008 and 2010. In the wake of those experiences, the Ukrainian town is still learning how to face a disaster. A lot depends on the willingness of its residents to better prepare for a future emergency.

Preparing before it’s too late Passing through the town, the scale of the threat faced by Novoselytsia is still there for all to see. The meter-high lines etched

onto the walls offer a stark reminder of the 2010 flood, as locals have been unable to wash the mud off the floors and the walls. Some houses have become uninhabitable. In 2010, the floods claimed the lives of three people, and one boy was never found.

“We fled at midnight, when the flood broke out. We were scared. People wept.

Afterwards we were living in tents in the yard of our destroyed house until the new one was built, thanks to help from the state,” says Larysa Ivanivna, whose old 45

ENVIROMENT > UKRAINE

“Our programme wants to help citizens learn how to assist each other, how to properly use aid and how to behave correctly in case of emergency” strikes, but actually a lot of work has to be done before, when nothing indicates a disaster. Our programme wants to help citizens learn how to assist each other, how to properly use aid and how to behave correctly in case of emergency.”

N A car stuck in the mud near the river Prut.

house was built without any foundations.

At the time, nobody had explained that it was necessary. Now the door of her new house is one meter above the earth to deal with any flood.

Vitaliy Kyryl, mayor of the nearby village of Marșînți, said that when the waters broke loose, it felt as if his house was on an island. According to Kyryl, it usually takes at least two months for the land to recover after a flood.

It is not by chance that the EU-funded programme for the Prevention, Preparedness and Response to natural and manmade disasters in the ENPI East Region

N Resident of village Marshyntsi walks on temporary bridge on the river Prut.

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(PPRD) started a public awareness campaign about flooding and its dangers in this region.

Thanks to the campaign, people are beginning to realise how crucial their participation is in disaster prevention and how vital their own behaviour can be during extreme situations. As became tragically clear to them three years ago, it could be a matter of life and death.

“I think it is very important that we are here at a time when there is no flooding,” says Vladimir Kuznetsov, the communication expert of the PPRD East project.

“Many people arrive when a disaster

A call from the mayor and the response system is triggered “There should be no improvisation. There are detailed instructions for each occasion,” says Alberto Ferrando, mayor of Quiliano, an Italian town the same size as Novoselytsia that also suffers from flooding. Quiliano has managed to develop an efficient alert system to carry out the evacuation of its population long before the floodwater reaches the town. Mayor Ferrando has come to share his experience with his Ukrainian colleagues. He tells them that his city’s system of civil protection is unique even on the Italian national scale.

Once the mayor gets an alarm from the ombrometers, the devices that measure rainfall, he only has to make one phone call and the entire response system is triggered automatically. When this happens, everybody in charge of preparation and disaster management knows exactly what to do.

“Many people arrive when a disaster strikes, but actually a lot of work has to be done before, when nothing indicates a disaster” Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ENVIROMENT > UKRAINE

“When we get alerts, we know that we have three to four hours to prepare. Normally, it takes around one hour to warn the population about the danger” “When we get alerts, we know that we have three to four hours to prepare.

Normally, it takes around one hour to warn the population about the danger.

First, we send a warning SMS through our mobile phone database, then our police and well-trained volunteers go door-to-door notifying people and help to evacuate them,” he says.

New legislation to encourage volunteers?

The Italian mayor said the volunteer movement had been evolving for ages, while for Ukraine it is something new and its development slightly hampered by existing laws. “The risk of floods in the Chernivtsi region is very high compared to the other Ukrainian regions.,” says Oleksandr Tomko, the deputy head of the Chernivtsi regional department of the State Service for Emergencies.

“When a disaster strikes, our people ask the state rescue services for help. Ukrainian legislation does not fully permit volunteers’ involvement: if something happens to a volunteer, a question of responsibility is inescapably raised.”

So, Ukraine should pass a legislation to pave a way for Ukrainian “angels of mud”, like the Italian volunteers who rushed in 1966 to Florence to save its precious book heritage from a devastating flood.

Today in Italy the civil protection movement embraces around 1.2 million people, while volunteers are covered with state insurance and provided special training.

The floods provided Ukrainians with their experience of volunteering during disasters. In 2008 and 2010 Ukrainian fishermen with their own boats, young canoe oarsmen and other helpers worked together with the professional rescue services. In 2008 the disaster came as a surprise because the previous one of a similar scale took place more than 35 years earlier in 1972. At that time, some people refused to abandon their houses because they said that without a home their life makes no sense. The public awareness campaign launched in Novoselytsia is making them recognise that yes, life after a disaster still does make sense.

Text by Zhanna Bezpiatchuk Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

N Larisa Yankova shows the water level during the last flood disaster.

PPRD East Prevention, Preparedness and Response to man-made and natural disaster in the ENPI East Region http://euroeastcp.eu/en/ Reinforces the capacity of participating countries for disaster prevention, preparedness and response, and facilitates cooperation with the EU and the countries themselves – one of the Flagship Initiatives under the Eastern Partnership.

Participating countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine Timeframe 2010-2014 Budget € 6 million Objective PPRD East aims at contributing towards peace, stability, security and prosperity in the Eastern ENPI region and at protecting the environment, the population, cultural heritage, resources and infrastructures by strengthening the countries’ resilience, preparedness and response to man-made and natural disasters. It will also bring the partner countries closer to the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism.

Find out more ENPI Fiche and news about the programme: www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=211&id_type=10

N New houses built to replace the ones destroyed by flooding.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Thematic portal: Environment www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=6

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ENVIROMENT > MOLDOVA

Cutting down on energy costs? Yes, you can The old wooden windows were replaced, a new steam boiler was installed, and even the light bulbs were changed. New, modern equipment was also purchased. At lonel, the largest clothes producer in Moldova, the innovations did not only result in a direct reduction of energy consumption. They also increased productivity, improved the general atmosphere and enhanced competitiveness. An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist looks at how the Moldovan Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (MoSEFF) – launched by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and financially supported by the European Union through its INOGATE programme – is changing the life of Moldovan companies and their workers.

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CHISINAU – Finding investment and resources to pay for upgrading facilities and acquiring new equipment hardly constitutes a priority for many companies in times of financial crisis. Any outlay deemed as non-essential is usually put on hold, to be seen to when things ‘pick up again’.

“We were aware of the need to cut down on energy costs and to modernize our enterprise. But how could we risk doing this while suffering losses every year because of the economic crisis?” asks Tamara Lukina, the director of Ionel, the largest Moldovan clothes producing company.

Thankfully for Lukina, the Moldovan Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (MoSEFF) had the answer. “MoSEFF experts made all the necessary calculations and convinced us that even in times of crisis, it is possible to find resources.

And what is more important, that it would be profitable,” she says. Ionel was established in 1945 and is one of the country’s most popular brands, working both within the domestic market and supplying many well-known manufacturers in Europe.

In 2010, the company was able to embark on a large modernization programme for its factory, focusing on energy efficiency, Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ENVIROMENT > MOLDOVA

N Ionel director Tamara Lukina.

thanks largely to the cooperation with the Moldovan Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (MoSEFF). Under the facility – financially supported by the European Union through its INOGATE programme – the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has made a total of € 20 million available for on-lending through local partner banks. In order to make investments for such projects even more attractive, MoSEFF contains a grant component for eligible projects.

Encouraging investment activities On average, energy intensity in Moldova is around three times higher than in EU

“The workshops have become a cozier place and the mood is lighter, the workers take fewer sick leave days and productivity has considerably increased” member states. Essentially, this means that Moldovan companies use three times as much energy to produce the same output as companies in the EU, something that has a profoundly negative impact on the competitiveness of enterprises, as well as hindering economic development on a large scale. In 2012, the government adopted a long-term development strategy for the energy sector, with one of the key targets of increasing energy efficiency. However, without considerable investment in the sector, it is difficult to achieve this goal. MoSEFF is designed to encourage investment activities of enterprises by not only providing loans

and grants for projects (grants amounting to 5 to 20% of the credit line), but alsofree technical assistance by international experts who help companies optimise their projects.

The Ionel company received a credit of € 420,000, while the total programme expenses amounted to € 621,000. Just one year on, the company was reaping the rewards. Gas consumption in 2011 fell by 37%, while energy savings amounted to € 210,000. The installation of a new steam boiler and modern ironing equipment, the replacement of wooden window frames with double-glazed window panes, as well as the introduction of energy efficient light bulbs, all contributed to achieve that. A new more economical and productive equipment was also installed. However, the reduction in energy consumption was not the only benefit to the company.

“The workshops have become a cozier place and the mood is lighter, the workers take fewer sick leave days and productivity has considerably increased,” says Larisa Tamashuk, head of the second sewing workshop.

N Employees of the Ionel garment factory at work in Chisinau.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

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ENVIROMENT > MOLDOVA N One employee of the garment factory at work.

“The example of the this factory shows that energy efficiency projects do not only result in energy savings, but can also increase productivity, improve the general atmosphere and enhance competitiveness”

“We have also bought five automatic machines to make pockets and buttonholes.

The old ones often broke down, and we had to reset them manually. This had caused disruptions in the delivery schedule, which is unacceptable when dealing with European partners.” For Ionel, such problems appear as far memories.

“Saving time and improving quality” Thanks to MoSEFF, over 20 new tools and machines have been purchased for vari-

ous operations. Two ironing presses have not only cut down on vapor consumption (as well as power for its production), but also resulted in considerable quality improvement. The ‘cutting process’ workshop, where pieces of garment are arranged as multiple layers and cut-out, saw a real revolution with the purchase of a € 90,000 automatic ‘cutout’ complex.

“We used to spend two and a half hours just for cutting out one section, eight people working at one table during the same shift,” says workshop head Rodika Marku.

“Using the new complex, we cope with one section within 12 to 15 minutes, while waste and idle times have been reduced.”

During the year, due to the combination of the reduction of waste during the ‘cutout’ process, plus the reduction on energy costs, 1.5 million Moldovan leu (around € 100,000) were saved.

While the management at Ionel is certainly enjoying the benefits that the new equipment has had on company finances, employee Ludmila Afanas probably appreciates having the new

N Ionel garment factory produces fashion cloche for sale in Moldova but also for export to Europe and to other countries.

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Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ENVIROMENT > MOLDOVA

equipment more than most.

“Imagine, we used to work with a vertical hand-knife, weighing around 10 kilograms. At the end of the working day, you could not feel your hands anymore.

Now you just set the programme and control the process.”

Designers from the experimental workshop feel the same. They used to cut out the templates manually and then copy them, working at the designer table in turn.

“Now we have purchased a new programme and an automatic machine for making templates: we save time, and improve quality,” says Inga Petrova, a designer at the company.

Reducing CO2 emmissions by more than 30,000 tons Since its launch three years ago, the MoSEFF Facility has supported 120 projects aimed at increasing energy efficiency for Moldovan enterprises, which have received credits from the EBRD via partnership with local banks.

More than half of these projects have already been completed or are being implemented, with the loans provided so far amounting to € 15.2 million. Annually, MoSEFF projects have facilitated primary energy savings of 96,400 MWH (mega-watt per hour), which equals the annual energy consumption of 42,800 people. Thanks to the implementation of the projects, CO2 emmissions have been reduced by more than 30,000 tons.

This has not gone unnoticed by other companies in the country.

“Moldovan companies are getting increasingly interested in the MoSEFF programme,” says Alexandru Bologa, MoSEFF expert in energy auditing.

“The example of the Ionel factory shows that energy efficiency projects do not only result in energy savings, but can also increase productivity, improve the general atmosphere and enhance competitiveness.”

Text by Dmitri Kalak Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

N Rodika Marku the head of a cutout shop of the Ionel garment factory in Chisinau, together with a worker.

INOGATE www.inogate.org

The INOGATE Programme is an international energy co-operation programme between the European Union, the littoral states of the Black and Caspian Seas and their neighbouring countries. The co-operation framework covers the areas of oil and gas, electricity, renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The EU and Partner Countries have agreed to work together toward achieving the following four major objectives: Converging energy markets on the basis of the principles of the EU internal energy market, taking into account the particularities of the countries involved.

Enhancing energy security by addressing the issues of energy exports/imports, supply diversification, energy transit and energy demand.

Supporting sustainable energy development, including the development of energy efficiency, renewable energy and demand side management.

Attracting investment towards energy projects of common and regional interest.

Energy saving in the building sector in Eastern Europe and Central Asia (INOGATE) www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=319&id_type=10

Moldovan Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (MoSEFF) www.moseff.org/index.php?id=13&L=1

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has recognized the increasing importance of energy efficiency and the key role it will play in the future of Europe. In September 2009 the first Moldovan Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (MoSEFF) was launched in order to support energy efficiency investments in Moldovan enterprises. A credit line of 20 million Euro combined with a 5-20% grant component was provided for on-lending to Moldovan companies through EBRD’s partner banks. MoSEFF provides also technical assistance to the projects through Fichtner – a leading German engineering and consulting company.

Find out more MOSEFF project fiche www.moseff.org/fileadmin/files/factsheets-engl/ app0153-factsheet-engl-IONEL_2012-01-25.pdf European Bank for Reconstruction and Development www.ebrd.com/pages/homepage.shtml#&panel1-3 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre thematic portal: economy www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=4

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Innovation

The analytical camera of a microscope in a laboratory of the Central Research Institute of Structural Materials ‘PROMETEY’ in St. Petersburg. Russian and European scientists are joining forces to develop new ice-resistant materials through a Cross Border Cooperation project (photo by EPA © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre).

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Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

INNOVATION > AZERBAIJAN

‘Silk Wind’ train next stop, the future

It’s a high-speed container block train, which will allow cargo transportation from China to Southern Europe via the shortest possible route. It’s the ‘Silk Wind’ train, and once all the infrastructural projects that surround it are completed, it will be possible to go from western China to Istanbul in only 12 days. As those involved with the project explain, its creation is expected to bring about significant benefits in terms of trade, development and the environment.

The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre correspondent from Azerbaijan sends us this story.

BAKU – For centuries, the route from east to west influenced the development of civilisations, playing a major role in the cultural, religious, and artistic exchanges that took place between the major centers of Europe and Asia during antiquity.

These times of modern communication and international air transport are certainly very different, but the development of the ‘Silk Wind’ transport project, a Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

high-speed container block train, which will allow cargo transportation from China to Southern Europe along the shortest possible route, still has the ability to inspire nations and provide such a vast region with important benefits.

The train will travel via a new route: China-Kazakhstan-Caspian Sea-AzerbaijanGeorgia-Turkey-Europe. The EU-funded program TRACECA, standing for ‘Trans-

port Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia’, supports the realization of this large scale international project by way of technical assistance. In parallel, TRACECA also refers to the intergovernmental organization aimed at stimulating the political dialogue in view of realizing the smooth functioning of this transport corridor.

According to Akif Mustafayev, Azerbaijan’s national secretary at the TRACECA 53

INNOVATION > AZERBAIJAN

N Akif Mustafayev, Azerbaijan’s national secretary at the TRACECA.

organisation, the development of the ‘Silk Wind’ transport route will seriously increase the economic efficiency of multimodal cargo shipments.

“The project is aimed at filling the transport corridor with new, real content. It will attract part of the huge volume of cargo which now goes from China to Europe by sea” he says.

“This will allow the reduction in the time for cargo transportation from Western China to Istanbul to about 12 days. It is about four days less than using current route…”

N Azerbaijan has been implementing the government programme on the development of its railway system.

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Benefiting from an industrial boom Indeed, the industrial boom in the western part of China makes this project even more interesting.

Currently China annually ships about 240 million tonnes of containers to Western Europe and the United States. The TRACECA corridor has all the chances to attract part of the container cargoes.

“Even three per cent of these cargoes – of which the global amount is about 360,000 tons a year – would bring big revenues to the countries of the ‘Silk Wind’ train project,” says Mustafayev.

As an example, he mentions that the most active period of container shipments transported via the TRACECA corridor in 2010, saw 17,500 containers taken from Azerbaijan to Afghanistan for the needs of the international peacekeeping operation.

The development of Kazakh infrastructures The countries participating in the planning and implementation of the ‘Silk Wind’ transport project are Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, and they have underlined their intention to implement the project through concrete measures aimed at establishing modern infrastructure for uninterrupted, safe, high-speed and financially efficient cargo transport. For Marat Saduov, Kazakhstan’s national secretary at TRACECA, the ‘Silk Wind’ project is an important step in developing Kazakhstan as a busi-

“The project is aimed at filling the transport corridor with new, real content. It will attract part of the huge volume of cargo which now goes from China to Europe by sea”

ness, transport and logistical hub. “Kazakhstan and the whole central Asian region have a huge transit potential,” he says.

His country is taking on several big infrastructural projects. “The launch of the Altynkol railway point for trains crossing the border with China has considerably increased the trade turnover between the two countries and it has helped to develop transit shipments which are expected to reach 6 million tons by 2015,” Saudov adds.

Moreover, the launch of the 293km Zhetygen-Korgas railroad in late 2012 has shortened the distance from China to the southern regions of Kazakhstan and central Asian countries. The transit capacity of Kazakhstan’s railways has also been widened thanks to the construction of the Uzen-Turkmen border (146km) and Eraliev-Kuryk (14km) railroads. The construction of the 1000km long Zhezkazgan-Beyneu railroad is very important for the ‘Silk Wind’ project’s implementation.

“It will create new destination from China to the Aktau port at the Caspian Sea via the central part of Kazakhstan. This line will allow to shorten the transportation distance, and its launch is expected in 2015,” says Saduov.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

INNOVATION > AZERBAIJAN

N The train will travel via a new route: China-KazakhstanCaspian Sea-Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey-Europe.

“Full enforcement of train’s advantages will become possible after the launch of the ZhezkazganBeyneu railroad and the reconstruction of Aktau port” Azerbaijan is also getting ready Azerbaijan, says Akif Mustafayev, is also developing its infrastructure. The launch of the new modern International Sea Trade port and logistical centre in the suburb of Alat, 70km from Baku, is also anticipated to take place by the end of 2015. By that time, the new Baku-TbilisiKars railroad joining Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey will become operational.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan state Caspian Shipping Company (Caspar) is purchasing new ferries, Ro-Ro type ships and tankers, thus increasing the capacity of its transport fleet.

“Currently Caspar has more than 80 ships including 17 ferries which work only in the Caspian Sea at the TRACECA corridor,” Mustafayev says.

The capacity of each ferry is 54 rail cars and they meet the requirements of international conventions.

Along with the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, Azerbaijan has been implementing the government programme on the development of its railway system, using its own resources in combination with a loan from the World Bank.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

Within this programme, the reconstruction of 503km of railway from Baku to the Beyuk Kesik station at the border with Georgia is – according to Mustafayey – expected to ensure the safety of transportation and increase the maximum speed of trains to 100-120km/h and the average to 60-70km/h, twice as much today’s speeds. By the end of this year, Turkey plans to finish the construction of the railroad tunnel under the Bosporus that will ensure access of container and passenger trains to Europe.

From China to Istanbul in 12 days Implementation of all these infrastructure projects in these four TRACECA countries will see a reduction of around 1,000 km in the length of the rail route of cargo and passenger transportation, currently at about 5,000km.

The countries are not only developing their infrastructure, but paying much attention to the simplification of customs and border-crossing procedures, the reduction of environmental damage, the unification of transit tariff policy and the introduction of modern information technologies to shorten trains’ waiting time at the borders. The EU-funded TRACECA program supports this process by bringing in technical assistance.

“All this will allow the reduction in the time for cargo transportation from Western China to Istanbul to about 12 days. It is about four days less than using current route from Kazakhstan to Istanbul via the Black Sea,” Mustafayev says.

These issues are reflected in a new draft agreement between Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey, expected to be signed this year, following the signing at the end of last year of a Memorandum of Understanding between the transport ministers of the involved countries Saduov believes that launch of ‘Silk Wind’ train could be possible within a year of signing the agreement.

“However, full enforcement of train’s advantages will become possible after the launch of the Zhezkazgan-Beyneu railroad and the reconstruction of Aktau

N The high-speed container block train will allow cargo transportation from China to Southern Europe along the shortest possible route.

port. Other countries should also finish their infrastructure projects and agreements should be reached on a single tariff and simplified administrative procedures,” he says.

The ‘Silk Wind’ train will then have really left the station.

Text by Shahin Abbasov Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

TRACECA Silk Wind project www.traceca-org.org/en/news/single-news/n/e4b57d24bc/ The project aims at creating the favorable conditions for a container block train route, with advanced electronic exchange of information, simplification of customs and border-crossing procedures, reduction of transit time and travel time.

Participating countries Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey TRACECA (Transport Corridor EuropeCaucasus-Asia) is an international transport cooperation programme between the EU and its Partner countries in Eastern Europe, South Caucasus and Central Asia. It has a permanent Secretariat in Baku, Azerbaijan.

The cooperation framework covers the areas of maritime transport, aviation, road and rail, transport security and transport infrastructure.

Find out more Traceca project website www.traceca-org.org/en/traceca/ EU Neighbourhood Info Centre thematic page: transport www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=8 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – EU transport cooperation with Eastern Partners: exclusive interviews, press pack and video

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INNOVATION > AZERBAIJAN

Adapting steel to conquer the Arctic Steel is mostly used at temperatures above -20°C. But what about icebreakers and cargo boats sailing in Arctic regions?

And how can you build oil drilling rigs and gas and oil pipelines at temperatures as low as -60°? Russian and European scientists are joining forces to develop new ice-resistant materials through a Cross Border Cooperation project partly financed by the European Union.

This story takes us to Saint Petersburg, Russia…

Watch “The Neighbourhood Info Centre Photo stories” on Enpi You tube

SAINT PETERSBURG – Materials used in arctic areas are operating in a very demanding environment. Icebreakers, ships and oil and gas pipelines have to withstand temperatures as low as -40°C or even more. The materials have to be safe and cost-effective. The arctic region is also very vulnerable, meaning that even the smallest of accidents can easily lead to much bigger environmental problems than in warmer climates. All this explains why it is so important to study and develop cold-resistant materials that are able to ensure the production and safe use of icebreakers and cargo boats, oil rigs, gas 56

N Materials are designed to withstand temperatures of up to -60 ºС.

and oil pipelines, as well as windmills…

Russia is very active in the Arctic regions and therefore has a strong track record in terms of conducting research on materials and structures that can cope with arctic conditions. Since early 2012 this research is continuing thanks to the cooperation between Finland and Russia: professors of welding, laser, steel structure, chemical and wind power technology are working together on the project.

They come from the Central Research Institute of Structural Materials of Saint Petersburg (Prometey), and Lappeenranta University of Technology (LUT).

Harmonisation of standards to ensure fair competition The Arctic Materials Technologies Development project is partly funded by the Cross Border Cooperation Programme, which is in turn financed by the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument 2007-2013 (ENPI). The total budget for the project is € 1.028 million: 70% of the funding (€ 720,000) comes from ENPI resources while the rest comes from the LUT and the Prometey Institute. Dr. Elena Khlusova, Deputy Head of Prometey, points out that the materials and requirements for investigating the Arctic Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

INNOVATION > AZERBAIJAN N A scientist at work in the laboratory of the Central Research Institute of Structural Materials.

“Russia has always pioneered the investigation of the Arctic, and Europe has a wealth of experience in innovative welding technologies…”

“We would like to prove that modern materials can be both strong and cold-resistant, and thus create a new branch of science: Arctic materials science”

are different in Russia and in the European Union. “Russia has always pioneered the investigation of the Arctic.” she says.

“So, on the one hand, we have enough experience in developing cold-resistant materials which can withstand temperatures of up to -40ºC. On the other hand, Europe has gained a wealth of experience in innovative welding technologies which we could benefit from. Besides, we are all interested in the Arctic remaining an ecologically unpolluted region.”

By the end of 2014, the partners will

have decided which areas it is feasible to apply the new high-strength structural steels in, analysed the technologies for obtaining functional coatings and current welding technologies as well as harmonised Russian and European standards and criteria for selecting materials for the Arctic and the Far North. Jointly pursued norms and regulations will ensure fair competitive starting points for companies as they compete for projects in arctic areas. The joint Russian and Finnish work programme also includes

N A scientist at work in the laboratory of the Central Research Institute of Structural Materials ‘PROMETEY’ in St. Petersburg.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

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INNOVATION > AZERBAIJAN

a fine-grained material, we will be able to enhance its qualities and use it at low temperatures,” says Golosienko.

N Scientist Tamara Semicheva.

comparative prototype tests for Russian and European materials, which will lead to joint recommendations on where the materials can be effectively used in the polar regions and on how they can be best applied.

Materials that can be thin, strong and cold-resistant “It is believed that the lower the strength of materials, the higher the cold-resistance. But we have a different understanding now. We would like to prove that modern materials can be both strong and cold-resistant, and thus create a new branch of science – Arctic materials science,” says Tamara Semicheva, Prometey’s Deputy Head for Foreign Connections.

Semicheva stresses that the joint work with Lappeenranta University is very promising. “For the first time,” she says, “the task has been set to develop coldresistant materials applicable in Arctic conditions, which could also be wearand corrosion-resistant when affected by ice. We could develop a material that would be thinner but retain the required properties”.

Sergey Golosienko, a head of department at Prometey, explains that, globally, all materials, including steel, are mostly used at temperatures above -20ºC. If they are to be used in the Arctic, their properties should be designed to withstand temperatures of up to -60 or -70ºC. “If we use special technologies and create 58

Developing the materials is not enough as you also need to weld parts together However, developing the material is only one aspect of the task, as the parts then need to be welded together. “Today, we can ensure that both the material and the weld seam have the necessary material structure,” says Mikhail Pronin, who is responsible for welding works. “When we have obtained the material, we have to make a construction from it, which more often than not involves welding. And our task is to ensure that the properties of weld seam are no worse than those of the main material,” adds Pronin.

Another aspect of the project is to develop functional coatings. “We take medium strength steel and apply nano-structured coating. The steel becomes cold-resistant and very strong. Or visa versa, we apply functional coating to strong steel and it becomes cold-resistant,” explains Olga Vassilyeva, a head of laboratory at Prometey. All the research areas comprise an analysis stage where scientists compare existing designs in Europe and Russia, followed by a mathematical modelling stage. After this, experiments, tests and prototype evaluation are performed.

CBC Cross-border cooperation CBC, a key priority of the ENPI, seeks to reinforce cooperation between EU Member States and Partner Countries along the external EU borders.

Timeframe 2007-2013

“I think that the whole world today is interested in the efficient and safe development of Arctic deposits” Finally, the prototypes are sent to manufacturing and design companies to be tested.

Researchers from Prometey hope that the project can be continued as part of the 7th EU framework programme. “In that case, other countries will be able to join us, including Norway and Germany, for example,” says Elena Khlusova, Prometey Deputy Head for Production and Development. “I think that the whole world today is interested in the efficient and safe development of Arctic deposits.”

Text by ITAR TASS Photos by EPA©EU / Neighbourhood Info Centre

Arctic Materials Technologies Development project It involves specifying the principles for safe and ecological design and manufacturing of structures and devices used for energy production in the Arctic region. It is part of the South-East Finland-Russia ENPI CBC programme.

Timeframe 2007-2014 Budget € 1.028 million (EU contribution: € 720,000) Objective to develop new applications for welded steel structures suitable for arctic conditions

Budget € 1.1 billion

Find out more

Objective CBC aims to promote economic and social development in border areas.

It strives to address common challenges, ensure efficient and secure borders and promote people-to-people cooperation.

Project’s webpage www.lut.fi/en/lut/news/2012/pages/20120213_.aspx Cross Border Cooperation: EU Neighbourhood Info Centre project list www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=171&id_type=10

The South-East Finland-Russia Programme www.southeastfinrusnpi.fi

ENPI CBC South East Finland Russia programme http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/ regional-cooperation/enpi-cross-border/documents/ enpi_cbc_south_east_finnland-russia_fact_sheet_ en.pdf

Budget € 36,185 million Joint Managing Authority Regional Council of South Karelia, Finland

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

INNOVATION > GEORGIA

Cooperatives, the new way to agriculture

While nearly half of the population in Georgia derives most of its income from agriculture, the sector actually contributes less than 10% to GDP. This is mainly due to the low efficiency of production, caused mainly by the scarcity of owned lands and the limited exposure to modern farming methods.

With the support of the European Union, the Georgian government has begun the process of attempting to unblock the most problematic bottlenecks of the agricultural sector. The aim is the establishment of 160 cooperatives, which are business oriented voluntary-based organizations of small farmers, expected to create economies of scale, improve connections to the market and enhance efficiency, all of which would lead to economic growth. This is quite an innovative aspect for the local economy. An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist visited a women’s cooperative benefitting from an EU project’s grant and wrote this report.

Nearly half the population of Georgia earns the majority of its income from agriculture, and most of the rural population is made up of farmers struggling to produce enough to feed their family.

They produce so little that they can hardly sell substantial amounts to the market.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

In fact, the sector contributes less than 10 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. One of the main reasons that efficiency in the sector is so low is the scarcity of owned lands and the minimal exposure to modern farming methods.

Almost 74% of the rural population is

established on plots smaller than one hectare and these small-scale producers have very limited power and capacity to be successful players in the market.

With the support of the EU, the Georgian government is creating a supportive environment for the creation of farmers’ co59

INNOVATION > GEORGIA

N Handshake between Georges Chlonti from Care Osterreich and Deputy Head of EU Mission Boris Jaroshevich after signing four grants in support of small Georgian farmers.

“Farmers and rural life in Georgia do matter to the European Union”

operatives, through the adoption of a new law establishing Farmers’ Cooperatives and the Agency for Agricultural Cooperatives Development. In 2013, the EU and Georgia signed a financing Agreement for the Implementation of the European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD).

EU funding to ENPARD amounts to € 40 million, making it the largest donor assisted programme in the agricultural sector in the history of independent Georgia.

Farmers and rural life in Georgia matter to the EU Within the framework of the programme, the European Union recently signed four agreements in support of small farmers.

The grants that have been awarded, worth a total € 15 million, will be implemented by four consortia: Oxfam Great Britain, Care Austria, People in Need and Mercy Corps Scotland, bringing together 16 national and international organisations, including agriculture associations and academic institutions. The projects will aid the establishment of more than 160 cooperatives with at least 3,000 mem-

N Local farmers work on their land.

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Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

INNOVATION > GEORGIA

Selling rose hips to a juice factory Funded cooperatives are business oriented voluntary-based organiszations of small farmers, created to gain economies of scale, enhance efficiency and improve linkages to the market.

The farmers will co-finance the investment support will be co-funded by the farmers, to ensure their ownership and commitment.

The Internally Displaced People women’s cooperative of Tsinamdzgvriantkari is one of ENPARD’s success stories.

Tsinamdzgvriantkari is a small village some 20km west of the capital Tbilisi, and typical of the problems facing many parts of rural Georgia. The village is in poor shape, with semi-ruined roads and buildings, and shabby groceries.

Internally displaced people from the Shida Kartli region (South Ossetia) were housed by the government in this city years ago and handed out a small plot of bers, by providing technical assistance, capacity building and direct investments.

The initiative covers 45 districts and targets the entirety of the country.

“Farmers and rural life in Georgia do matter to the European Union,” says Boris Jaroshevitch, deputy head of the Delegation of the European Union to Georgia.

ENPARD is a very ambitious programme, aiming to tackle some of the obstructions present within Georgia’s agricultural sector. Among the programme’s targets are to re-establish advisory services for farmers in all districts of the country, as well as capacity building actions in support of the Ministry of Agriculture via the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). ENPARD provides direct budget support to the government of Georgia for the implementation of its agriculture sector strategy and provides expertise and know-how to the Ministry of Agriculture. Another important component of the programme is its aim to support business-oriented cooperation such as modern and market-oriented service cooperatives among small farmers in Georgia.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

“We decided to collect the wild rose hips in the nearest forests, and to sell them to a juice factory” N The Georgian government is creating a supportive environment for the creation of farmers’ cooperatives.

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European Neighbourhood Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development (ENPARD) http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/georgia/ documents/news/annex_enpard_20130313_en.pdf The programme aims at boosting the production of food in Georgia and at reducing rural poverty. Besides the grants component, ENPARD also provides direct budget support to the Government of Georgia for the implementation of the agriculture sector strategy, and brings expertise and know-how to the authorities Budget € 40 million Timeframe March 2013-March 2016 Find out more EU Neighbourhood Info Centre news ENPARD www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id_ type=1&id=32372 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre webpage - Georgia http://enpi-info.eu/countryeast. php?country=59&lang_id=450 EU Delegation to Georgia http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/georgia/ index_en.htm

“With the income I get now from my work, I can keep my family afloat” land. “We cultivated mainly vegetables, but this wasn’t enough for a big family with kids,” says Maia Garsidze, the leader of the women’s cooperative. “So we decided to collect the wild rose hips in the nearest forests, and to sell them to a juice factory.”

This initiative received the support of Oxfam GB, with the financial assistance coming from the EU. The cooperative has been equipped with the main tools needed to conduct this kind of work efficiently, even installing greenhouses.

Now, the cooperative has the capacity to dry the product and in doing so receives twice as much money selling it on. “With the income I get now from my work, I can keep my family afloat,” says Maia.

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Pooling resources together Until recently, Georgians perceived the concept of agricultural cooperation in a very specific way, probably because of the negative legacy of collective farms, ‘kolkhoz’, during Soviet times. But kolkhoz have nothing to do with the way agricultural cooperatives function in Europe and elsewhere in the world. A cooperative is a commercial company, whose owners are its members, in this case the farmers. They do not share the land, they just decide to pool specific resources for certain purposes. Cooperatives are the basic bricks in the fabric of marketoriented agriculture, and probably the only way to ensure that small farming can be profitable. All agricultural ac-

EU cooperation programme in Georgia project fiche http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/ neighbourhood/country-cooperation/georgia/ georgia_en.htm EU Neighbourhood Info Centre feature Let’s meet Europe on the bus www.enpi-info.eu/eastportal/features/607/Let%27smeet-Europe-on-the-bus

tivities implemented within the ENPARD programme will be supported through dedicated cooperatives, from joint production to storage, transport, processing, marketing and sale of products.

The Association Agreement and the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) that the EU and Georgia have already initiated and are expected to sign in a few months, will bring Georgia closer to Europe, not only in terms of trade and further economic links, but also in terms of sharing important values like paying sufficient attention to the needs of rural areas.

Text by Maia Chitaia Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Cetre

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

INNOVATION > AZERBAIJAN

Directors across borders

Even though art is considered to stand above time and politics, history proves that it needs to adapt to major social change. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the cinema industry in all Eastern Partnership countries – including Armenia – was left with Soviet traditions and without Soviet funding. Today, this poses a number of challenges, such as adapting to a more modern approach to film directing, but also fund raising, production, distribution. Through the ‘Directors Across Borders’ project – funded within the Eastern Partnership Culture programme – the EU is supporting young specialists to develop filming skills that are making them more competitive on the international market. An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist attended a training workshop, and sends this report.

YEREVAN – “Nola and Re are in love with each other. While a stupid quarrel separates them, a song keeps them connected. But as every song this one also has to come to an end…”. This is the one-line description of a film project presented by Arevik Avanesyan during the “Story development workshop”, organized by Directors Across Borders (DAB) in Yerevan.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

“For a beginner, this workshop gives a lot of information, good contacts, and opportunities to learn, communicate, and understand,” says Arevik, 29, from Edjmiatsin. She is a graduate of the Yerevan State University’s department of Informatics and Applied Mathematics, but after her degree she decided to apply to the HAYFILM Filmmaking School. Now, Arevik is the Film Night events’ coordina-

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tor at the Naregatsi Art Institute, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to serving Armenia’s cultural heritage through the creation of a forum where the spirit of art and the people’s common voice can resonate freely.

Together with the writers Hasmik Hovhannisyan and Eva Martirosyan, Arevik is taking part in the workshop as the producer of a drama under the fic63

INNOVATION > AZERBAIJAN

“Sharing of knowledge and skills will definitely result in the improvement of the film industry and in its increased competitiveness on the market, be it local or international” N Arevik Avanesyan and Olga Kazak take part at the seminar.

tion category. Their budget estimate for the production of the film is around € 250,000. “The involvement of participants from different countries and with various backgrounds,” she says, “allows us to gain a lot of knowledge in different fields, categories and genres. Moreover, practical work following the theory makes the workshop really effective.”

How to create a good story for a movie?

Before becoming an EU supported project, Directors Across Borders was a network of filmmakers from the Caucasus and neighboring countries: they believed that cinema is poised to create endless possibilities to regenerate life and to enrich each other, and their common goal was to bring communities closer through the lens of a camera.

In November 2011, the DAB project received a grant from the EU within the Eastern Partnership Culture Programme, with the aim of developing a broader scope and to realize its different compo-

“The EU financial support allows DAB to hire the best trainers, internationally renowned in their fields” 64

nents. The main concept of the project is to facilitate cross-border cultural and economic collaboration, by providing a networking platform for regional filmmakers and cinema support organizations and industry experts from around the world.

The capacity-development workshops are one of the axes of the programme.

Particularly, the ‘Story Development’ workshop aims at providing emerging scriptwriters, producers and directors with the fundamental skills on how to create more engaging cinematic stories, and how to package them in ways that will make films more competitive in the global market.

Out of 22 applicants from Eastern Partnership countries, only 12 were selected for the workshop. Thirty-six-year-old Oleg Semtsov, a director from the Ukrainian film production company Simferopol, was among them. “It’s the first time

N Oleg Semtsov.

ever I am participating in a workshop,” says Oleg: “It’s a great opportunity to learn and to gain skills in script writing and story development.”

For him, this experience also brings the opportunity to establish contacts, and to confront specific issues. “This is a unique way to get to know people in this business, and to start contacts that will be developed once we go back home.” As a matter of fact, the workshop provides excellent opportunities for all the participants to promote their films to donors/ investors and industry professionals, and to receive regional and international production support.

The Ukrainian director has come to the workshop with his drama about a young family breaking apart under the pressure of problems: betrayal, financial distress, a child’s sudden illness. “I came to Yerevan with a project for which I am the writer and the director. Even though I have the experience of writing scripts, I have learned a lot throughout the whole course,” assures Semtsov.

During the workshops, filmmakers are provided with an invaluable feedback about their films still in the development stage, and they are helped in the refining of their narrative quality and production value. Ultimately, the workshops support participants in making more effective presentations to financing agencies that they will apply to in the future.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

INNOVATION > AZERBAIJAN

N Trainer Antoine Le Bos speaks during the workshop.

Better films sell better…

According to Lusine Martirosyan, DAB Project Coordinator, the Cinema Across Borders Online Network created as part of the project involves more than 1,400 people, mainly specialists. She explains that a number of issues have been challenging the project from the very beginning: the website has being systematically hacked, the first Ukrainian partner couldn’t fulfill its obligations and had to be changed, Azerbaijani filmmakers have not yet applied to any of the events.

“Despite this fact,” she says, “we have managed to find experts from Azerbaijan for our Legislative Harmonization Programme.” Moreover, the project has succeeded in putting together several workshops across the region, from Yerevan to Istanbul. “The EU financial support allows DAB to hire the best trainers, internationally renowned in their fields,” says Martirosyan. She notes that international trainers through training sessions and one-to-one meetings share their knowledge and expertise with the workshop participants, the vast majority of whom are young specialists from the region.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

Directors Across Borders www.facebook.com/pages/Directors-AcrossBorders/219235171507475

“This is a unique way to get to know people in this business, and to start contacts that will be developed once we go back home.”

This means a lot for the modernisation of the Eastern European film industry.

“During all the activities organized in the framework of the Directors Across Borders project, people have really engaged in sharing their knowledge and skills: this,” concludes Martirosyan, “will definitely result in the improvement of the film industry and in its increased competitiveness on the market, be it local or international.”

Text by Aghavni Harutyunyan Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

The aim of the project is to foster the development of conditions and structures through which cinema can be a vector for sustainable economic, social and human development within and between EaP Countries.

Objectives To build cross border and cross cultural cooperation in the EaP and neighboring countries by means of cinema.

To develop professional networks between stakeholders in the cinema sphere.

To create cultural diversity and tolerance through professional cooperation in cinema industries.

To improve the skills and capacities of cinema as agents of social economic and cultural development.

Participating countries Armenia, Georgia, Turkey, Ukraine Timeframe 2011- 2014 Find out more Eastern Partnership Culture Programme www.euroeastculture.eu/en/programme.html EU Neighbourhood Info Centre project fiche www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=286&id_type=10 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre thematic portal: CULTURE www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=9

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Economy

Employees of a garment factory at work in Chisinau. Thanks to the Moldovan Sustainable Energy Financing Facility (MoSEFF), clothes producer Ionel has implemented a number of innovation measures, which not only resulted in energy consumption reduction, but also increased productivity and enhanced competitiveness (photo by AFP Š EU/ Neighbourhood Info Centre).

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ECONOMY > ARMENIA

Helping vulnerable families grow healthy Growing more healthy crops sounds simple enough, but for several displaced families in Armenia’s Ararat province with no agricultural knowledge or experience, this hardly seemed like an attainable goal. However, thanks to the EU funded Rural Income Generation project, since 2011 a number of refugee families in the village of Sis have been provided with the skills to grow food. This was made possible through the application of the Mittleider gardening method, which is adapted for small family plots and combines greenhouse and gardening tecniques. At the end of the process the villagers – many of whom are former city inhabitants displaced within rural areas – were able to increase their harvest rates twofold or even threefold.

An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist visited one of the beneficiary communities…

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

SIS – “Broccoli is high in vitamin C and has some other very useful components which I do not remember” – Anahit, aged six, and 10-year-old Gor share their knowledge of the vegetables grown by their grandmother Fenya.

An unfamiliar vegetable among the families of the Sis community in Armenia’s Ararat province before the implementation of the ‘Rural Income Generation Project’, broccoli has become one of the favourite greens on the dinner table.

Through this EU-funded project, the community has received training and support to cultivate their plots of land by using efficient gardening technology and applying organic fertilisers.

“They like it very much – with eggs, without eggs, simply boiled. Salads and dishes with broccoli have become regular on our table, while before we had just seen this plant in the markets, with no idea about how to use it,” adds grandmother Fenya Gasparyan, 65, emphasising that children also adore small and funny tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, beans, to mention just a few.

“Grandma made pickled broccoli, but we prefer fresh vegetables,” says Gor. Improving living conditions Working in partnership with the Human Dignity and Peace (HDP) Foundation in a project funded by the European Union, 67

ECONOMY > ARMENIA

Save the Children has been implementing the ‘Rural Income Generation Project’ with the ultimate goal of reducing poverty.

In December 2011 the project started its activities in Sis, Khachpar, Hayanist and Nizami, four communities in Armenia’s Ararat province mainly populated by Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan. These rural areas are now home to former city dwellers who had never cultivated the land, and lacked any agricultural knowledge or skills.

The transformation was made possible by the application of efficient agricultural techniques. The Mittleider gardening method combines elements of hydropon-

“By helping vulnerable families increase their income, we help children live in an economically viable environment and get healthy food”

ics – the method of growing plants in water using mineral nutrient solutions without soil – greenhouse and gardening technologies, and is adapted for small family plots and aimed at inexperienced gardeners and farmers.

The method works to maximise the yields from each square metre of the land. The process begins in greenhouses, then the healthiest and most potent seedlings are transplanted to the plots. The technology utilises wires and T-frames for vertical growth of plants, in order to save space.

While the process promotes better crop rotation, in this case one winter season is not enough for a full recovery of the soil, and so organic fertiliser that helps the soil to recover its fertility is used.

Implementing these new gardening methods saw a doubling compared to traditional methods in the volume of crop produced in the total area of 7,500 square metres owned by these households.

The 50 households taking part in the project were provided with vegetable seeds and cultivation tools, as well as organic fertilisers and educational materials with tips on disease and pest control techniques. The project has also developed a manual entitled “Marketing

N Children proudly showing their harvest in the community of Khachpar: this is the winning picture of the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre photo competition “Put your project in the headlines!”.

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“New technologies and new ways of addressing routine work are challenged by stereotypes: breaking them is a long process” Strategy of High-Value Vegetables” to assist households in its implementation.

Two cooperatives have been established and joint operation agreements have been signed in two communities in order to sell the produce. In 2012, two harvests were produced from the project land plot, and one in 2013. In comparison to the 2011 baseline, the average crop obtained from the same plot was more than four times greater in in 2012 and more than two times greater in 2013.

Karine Grigoryan, 52, is from another of the 10 beneficiary families of the Sis community. “Thanks to the project, my children and grandchildren can have access to very healthy food. Even though marketing is still a problem, I am thankful for the opportunity to study how and what should be done for increasing the harvest rates,” says Karine.

According to Karine, the training was very useful in deepening the participants’ understanding of agricultural processes and also in informing them of how best to overcome potential challenges.

“As a result, our harvest exceeded all my expectations,” she confesses.

The training sessions were varied and focused on providing participants with skills on new gardening technologies, marketing and finance management as well as on creating local agronomists – experts in the science of the cultivation of land, soil management, and crop production. Training on issues of healthy nutrition was organised for all family members, including women and children.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ECONOMY > ARMENIA

N Dry food processing plants are set to help raise family incomes by enabling farmers to increase off-season sales of food.

Breaking stereotypes is a long process Irina Saghoyan, Save the Children Armenia Country Director, believes that the financial benefits of the project are essential because if a family has enough income, children are better taken care of.

“We are committed to creating lasting change for children, and we remain faithful to our mission through this project.

By helping vulnerable families increase their income, we help children live in an economically viable environment and get healthy food, which is an important precondition for being healthy, educated and protected,” she says.

According to Ms Saghoyan, the ideal lifespan of such types of projects is 22 months.

“The people need consistent support.

“Thanks to the project, my children and grandchildren can have access to very healthy food” Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

New technologies and new ways of addressing routine work are challenged by stereotypes and breaking them is a long process – it requires time and effort,” she says.

Even though the project is now over, the cooperatives created by the project will offer more opportunities for villagers. The cooperatives were provided with equipment to help dealing with issues that are not possible for individuals to deal with alone. Dry food processing plants established as part of the project are set to help raise family incomes by enabling farmers to increase off-season sales of food. “Operating the dry food processing plant is not about creating jobs. The primary goal is to cultivate more crops.

Correct use and reprocessing of crops will increase production and quality, and it will be possible to sell processed products at a higher price, thus helping vulnerable families to increase their income,” says Irina Saghoyan. And in increasing their income, they also become healthier along the way.

Text by Aghavni Harutyunyan Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

Rural Income Generation Project The general goal is to reduce poverty through application of efficient agricultural technologies. www.facebook.com/SavetheChildrenArmenia The project covers four vulnerable communities of Ararat Province: Khachpar, Hayanist, Sis and Nizami villages. The 50 households involved in the project received training and support to cultivate their plots of land by using efficient gardening technology and applying organic fertilisers.

The method works to maximise the yields from each square metre of the land. The process begins in greenhouses, then the healthiest and most potent seedlings are transplanted to the plots. The technology utilises wires and T-frames for vertical growth of plants, in order to save space.

As a result, in the total area of 7500 square meters owned by the households, the volume of crop has doubled compared to traditional gardening methods.

Find out more Save the Children Armenia Country Office www.facebook.com/SavetheChildrenArmenia EU Neighbourhood Info Centre country page: Armenia www.enpi-info.eu/countryeast.php?country=56 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre: education, training and research www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=11

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Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ECONOMY > MOLDOVA

Moldovan honey conquering the EU market

Honey is one of the few Moldovan products that is steadily increasing its share of the European market.

The country produces around 4-5,000 tons of honey annually. Experts are convinced that within a short period Moldova can at least double its honey production and exports. An EU Neighborhood Info Centre journalist visited a Moldovan company planning to export no less than 100 tons of best quality honey to Europe within four years. This was made possible thanks to the EU-funded EAST Invest programme, which supports small and medium size enterprises not only to find partners, but also to learn about requirements, opportunities, conditions on European markets. Here is his report.

CHISINAU – “Just a couple of years ago, I couldn’t have dreamt about exporting to Europe…” Ion Cosneanu owns a small family business in the Moldovan town of Orhei. This year, his company Roxinform Grup exported 21 tons of honey to France for the first time. The businessman also delivers small consignments of honey to Britain, and has a provisional export agreement with Italy. He is also planProjects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ning to sell in other European countries, prominently Germany and Scandinavia.

In three or four years he intends to export no less than 100 tons of best quality honey into Europe. “The opportunity to get my honey onto the European market was opened up by EAST Invest, the programme facilitating regional trade.

It helped us not only to find partners in France, but also to learn about the

requirements imposed on the products, export conditions and opportunities to promote our product abroad.”

Attractiveness in quality, not in quantity Ion’s partner in France is Naturalim France, one of the largest honey producers in Europe. It imports honey from China, Latin America and other regions.

Export from Moldova cannot rival other vendors in terms of quantity. However, 71

ECONOMY > MOLDOVA

“Just a couple of years ago, I couldn’t have dreamt about exporting to Europe…

Now it is a reality” N This year the company Roxinform Grup has exported 21 tons of honey to France for the first time.

“Thanks to the programme we got acquainted with some aspects of customs clearing, exports logistics, as well as the specifics of working in foreign markets” according to French experts, the attractiveness of Moldovan honey lies in its quality. “In January or February 2014, I am planning to go to France, talk to the customers and learn more about their plans and requirements,” Ion Cosneanu says. “There, we are going to agree on the list of equipment, which we want to purchase in order to improve the technology of honey production. We would like to consider all the details, so that there can be no complaints whatsoever about our product.”

The state reimburses the farmers 30% of equipment cost, plus 10% more if the farmer is younger than 30. Ion Cosneanu falls under this category. At present, he is sending honey to France in 300kg containers, which were specially purchased in Hungary to meet EU standards. In future, the young businessman wants to arrange the honey to be packed specifically for 72

the European market. Ion has already registered a specific brand, which will be used for all his company’s products.

Honey is one of the few Moldovan products, which is steadily increasing its share of the European market. The country produces around 4-5,000 tons of honey annually. Out of that, 1,500-2,000 thousand tons is exported, mainly to European countries. But experts are convinced that within a short period Moldova can at least double its honey production and exports.

Development of the industry was previously hampered by the absence of end market, by out-of-date technologies and by poor facilities. Due to the EAST Invest project, the situation has been improving dramatically. Inga Leontean, member of Moldovan Chamber of Commerce and

Industry, says that they are planning to send several Moldovan beekeepers to France in summer 2014, so that they can familiarize themselves with the practices of French beekeepers and study the technologies of honey processing during the period when honey is collected.

Product promotion and production organisation The EU-funded EAST Invest programme was launched in early 2011 on the initiative of Eurochambres. They are introducing it through 84 partners from EU countries, the Eastern Partnership and Turkey. In Moldova, the partner is the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mihai Bilba, its Director of Foreign Economic Relations, sees the main aim of the programme in supporting small and

N The company is sending honey to France through containers.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ECONOMY > MOLDOVA

medium-sized business, in attracting investments and developing cooperation with European partners. “We have conducted many seminars for Moldovan businessmen under the EAST Invest programme,” Bilba says. Through this programme, dozens of representatives from Moldovan business-support organisations participated in sessions of the EAST Invest Academy on international trade and export promotion. They were held in Ukraine, France, Belgium and Moldova. Valuable experience was also gained through participation in specialised exhibitions in Italy, Spain and other EU countries.

Ludmila Rotaru, one of the project managers in Moldova, emphasizes a special feature of the EAST Invest programme: “It is designed to support particular businesses and, at the same time, to promote the common interests of exporters. At the seminars held under the programme, we help entrepreneurs master European practices of product promotion, quality control and production organization.”

More products on the way to Europe The Metar-Grup company was established in 2007 and is engaged in manufacturing construction blends and aqueous dispersions. So far, the products have only been sold in the domestic market. “Under the EAST Invest programme, we took part in the seminar for exporters,” says Adrian Tataru, quality and technology manager at the enterprise. “We got acquainted

“The programme helped us not only to find partners in France, but also to learn about the requirements imposed on the products, export conditions and opportunities to promote our product abroad” Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

N The opportunity to get the honey onto the European market was opened up by EAST Invest, the programme facilitating regional trade.

with some aspects of customs clearing, exports logistics, as well as the specifics of working in foreign markets. The next stage involved the trip to Construmat exhibition in Barcelona in May 2013. From there, I brought back numerous ideas on developing the enterprise and new contacts with foreign partners. Now, we are going to arrange exports of products.”

Another small enterprise from Mereni village, Mercomez-Lux, is engaged in meat processing. Various products under its brand are sold in five specialized shops.

“After taking part in the EAST Invest seminar, together with experts from the Eastern Partnership countries, and the trip to Turin in October 2012, we revised a large part of our work,” says Lilia Baciu, director of Mercomez-Lux. “With the support of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we have introduced modern quality control systems ISO-22000 and ISO-9001; we started using spices and recipes borrowed from our German partners and developed a new production line of European groceries. I am sure that with these products we will soon break into the EU market.”

Text by Dmitri Kalak Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

East- Invest – Support to SME sector www.east-invest.eu Supports the economic development and facilitates regional trade through contributing to the improvement of the business environment, with an emphasis on SMEs and networking Objectives The project aims to support the economic development of the region and the improvement of its business environment through building up networks between the Eastern partners themselves and between them and the EU, in priority sectors, and by developing mechanisms to encourage the flows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). East-Invest also supports Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) in their internationalisation process, improves their networking and facilitates their trade development.

Participating countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine Timeframe 2010–2013 Budget € 7 million Find out more Project website www.east-invest.eu/en/about-east-invest EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – East Invest project fiche www.enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=315&id_type=10 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Thematic portal: economy www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=4

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ECONOMY > GEORGIA

How to improve your business‌

Having someone point out exactly what you are doing wrong and what they think you can be doing better, is never easy to take. Business advisory services are all about building a relationship with a company based on trust and mutual understanding, to the point that an otherwise complete stranger, the consultant, will not be afraid to tell you directly the truth however painful.

The success story of a metal production company based near Tbilisi is a clear illustration that even though this process is challenging, correct management, combined with hard work and a willingness to listen, will always pay off. Thanks to the Business Advisory Services (BAS), a programme offered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and funded by the European Union through its Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Flagship Initiative for the Eastern Partnership countries, the company has obtained a quality certificate and increased its production efficiency, tripling its sales within few years. A journalist of the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre visited the company to find out more.

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Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ECONOMY > GEORGIA

N Monoliti company’s chief of the plant Vakhtang Vakhvakhishvili speaks with EBRD Business Advisory Services (BAS) Georgia’s project specialist Akaki Vepkhvadze at the company’s facility.

TBLISI – “We’ve started to feel more motivated. And now that we are better organized, our workload doesn’t seem so heavy anymore…” says Vakhtang Vakhvakhishvili, a 24-year old shop steward at the metal production company Monoliti, commenting on the changes introduced by the company in its effort to obtain a quality certificate.

“In the past, the production of one ton of metal would take two hours, now this has been cut down to 45 minutes,” explains Gocha Tsulukidze, Director of Monoliti, adding: “A new organisational model has been introduced; last year’s sales tripled compared to 2010.”

Monoliti has been on the market since 2007. It imports raw materials and sells the end products – rebar, welded wire mesh, bends and hooks, wire rod, gold wire – to a Georgian company, a wholesale distributor of building materials. In Georgia, most construction companies use homemade reinforcements with no certificate of origin. “We purchased a new machine by the end of 2010, but despite the upgrading of the equipment, we still needed to change something in the organization of our work. We also started reflecting on how to introduce the certificates of origin, because foreign clients were asking for them”, recalls Tsulukidze.

While searching for information on the internet, Monoliti’s management came across what turned out to be excellent Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

“In the past, the production of one ton of metal would take two hours, now this has been cut down to 45 minutes: a new organisational model has been introduced, and last year’s sales tripled compared to 2010” opportunity: the BAS programme, or Business Advisory Services, an EU funded programme developed by the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Almost 700 small projects started in Georgia Between 2004 and 2007, Georgia’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) saw an annual average growth of 10.5%. This figure fell back to just above 2% in 2008 and following negative growth in 2009, the economy bounced back and grew by 7% in 2011, following more or less the international trends. Georgian economy is thus already connected to the international

market. However, like many other post Soviet countries, Georgia has yet to grow into a full-fledged market economy, with what is commonly seen as the backbone of an economy – strong Micro, Small and Medium sized Enterprises (MSMEs).

In fact, the share of small and medium sized businesses to GDP stands at a modest 15%, compared to some 60% in EU Member States.

Launched in 1995, the BAS service assists Micro, Small and Medium size Enterprises in a wide range of areas including market analysis and planning, partner search, reorganisation, computerized manufacturing and production systems, energy efficiency and environment, as well as quality management and certification. Currently, BAS is supporting around 600 projects in 25 countries in Southeastern Europe, Russia, Mongolia, Central Asia, the Southern Caucasus and the South East Mediterranean (SEMED) region.

But how does the programme work? Local consulting companies go through a qualification process in order to join the BAS database. When an enterprise applies for assistance, the BAS team helps it find the most appropriate consulting company from their database, which then assists the firm in identifying its business needs and providing the required recommenda-

N Monoliti company’s quality manager Temur Dzidziguri, EBRD Business Advisory Services (BAS) Georgia’s project specialist Akaki Vepkhvadze and Monoliti company director Gocha Tsulukidze speak with ENPI Journalist Maia Edilashvili at Monoliti company’s in Rustavi.

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tions. The cost of the service is covered jointly by BAS and the beneficiary.

Severian Gvinepadze, the BAS Georgia National Programme Manager, says that BAS offers a flexible grant, ranging between 25 and 70% of total cost, with a maximum amount of € 10,000.

“Our goal is to create successful examples,” he says, adding that companies in rural areas receive more funding than those based in the capital. Since 2003, BAS Georgia has received a total of € 6 million in donor funding from the European Union, the Early Transition Countries (ETC) Fund, EBRD Shareholder Special Fund, Canada and Taipei China. In total, 698 projects were started in Georgia, engaging more than 180 consultants.

Increasing competitiveness In the case of Monoliti, the project’s cost was € 12,300, half of it covered by BAS. Despite having new technological

“The advice from the consultants concerned the ‘production culture’ in general, starting from the workers’ outfit and behavior, and ending with how to deal with the workforce”

equipment, there were malfunctions in the production and sales area, and a need to improve personnel management practices. It took around one year for the company to introduce the required recommendations, but in December 2012, Monoliti was able to obtain the ISO 90012008 quality certificate, the international reference for best practices in quality management.

“The advice from the consultants concerned the ‘production culture’ in general, starting from the workers’ outfit and behavior, and ending with how to deal with the workforce,” says Temur Dzidziguri, Quality Manager of Monoliti.

Thanks to the elimination of overlapping jobs and the introduction of a more structured approach, the company was able to increase production efficiency. The work

N An inside view of Monoliti company.

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was redistributed among the workers in a new way. The reduction of waste and the increase of product output have led to cost optimization. Products are now labeled with a special tag containing a short description. The company has become more competitive on the local market and more appealing to local and foreign construction companies.

Building a ‘consultancy culture’ The secret to a successful advisory project is for the company to be open-minded.

According to Jaap Sprey, Head of the Regional Programme for the South Caucasus and Turkey, the beneficiary must be willing to take advice from consultants, especially given that the countries of the Southern Caucasus are only just starting to build a ‘consultancy culture’.

“Businesses are not used to getting somebody from the outside having an opinion on what they should be doing. So building a relationship with the company is an essential part of the work,” he says.

One year after the grant’s payment, BAS Business Advisory Service European Bank for Reconstruction and Development www.ebrd.com/pages/workingwithus/sbs/how/bas. shtml

BAS enables micro, small and mediumsized enterprises (MSMEs) to access a diverse range of consulting services by facilitating projects with local consultants on a cost sharing basis.

Direct assistance to enhance enterprise performance is combined with systemic market development activities to create sustainable and commercially viable infrastructures of MSME support in the Bank’s countries of operations.

N The company’s specialist Nodar Khizanishvili manages the computer system.

staff evaluate the progress achieved by the beneficiary companies. According to the national statistical office, the turnover of Georgia’s construction sector in 2011 nearly doubled to approximately € 1.5 billion from around € 800 million in 2010. With these positive dynamics in mind, Monoliti’s owners have high expectations.

“A time will come when construction firms will be unable to work without holding quality certificates for building materials. So we have taken a big step forward,” Tsulukidze said.

Text by Maia Edilashvili Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

“Businesses are not used to getting somebody from the outside having an opinion on what they should be doing.

So building a relationship with the company is an essential part of the work”

Find out more EBRD small business support in Georgia www.ebrd.com/pages/workingwithus/sbs/where/ georgia.shtml The Eastern Partnership http://enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=506&id_type=2 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Thematic portal: ECONOMY www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=4

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

N An inside view of Monoliti company.

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Customs: cutting down waiting times to a third

N The border crossing between Armenia and Georgia.

Armenia and Georgia share a land border of 225km: three crossing points – Bargatashen, Gogavan and Bavra – connect the two countries. The traffic grows every year, but the checkpoint facilities remain the same. With the support of a € 61 million project mostly financed by the European Union and its financial institutions, three new border crossing points will soon be constructed. Thanks to their modernization and the introduction of new procedures, the processing capacity of the three checkpoints will be increased and trade and transit facilitated. At the same time, security will be strengthened. Two hundred kilometres from Yerevan, Bagratashen is the main crossing point. An EU Neighbourhood Info Centre journalist went there, and this is her report.

BAGRATASHEN – “After the completion of the new checkpoint, customs procedures for commercial trucks and for passengers will be easier, smoother and quicker.” Karen Grigoryan is the Head of the Bagratashen Customs Point. On an average day, he sees around 250 lorries pass through the checkpoint, with much longer queues when holiday traffic clogs up the border in summer. Together with 78

the border crossings at Bavra and Gogavan, Bargatashen processes nearly two-thirds of all the goods coming to and from Armenia.

Existing facilities struggle to cope with so much traffic, making customs procedures long and cumbersome. To facilitate crossborder travel and trade, and at the same time to improve security, the EU is funding a project for the “Provision of Equipment and Infrastructure for Bagratashen Border

Crossing Point”. Implemented by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) under the EU Eastern Partnership Flagship Initiative, the initiative aims at the rehabilitation of the buildings, the provision of equipment and the development of border management capabilities. Overall, the project seeks to facilitate transit and trade, while reducing smuggling and trafficking of people and goods.

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“After the completion of the new checkpoint, customs procedures for commercial trucks and for passengers will be easier, smoother and quicker”

N Customs police check papers of people travelling across the border.

A single window to cut down on paperwork Implementation of the project started last December, with the introduction of European standards of integrated border management (IBM) at the crossing point.

Management of borders is one of the principal and complex tasks performed by every sovereign state, as it is directly linked with issues of national security and the country’s integration into the international community.

Integrated border management implies inter-services, inter-agency and international cooperation in order to manage border procedures in the best possible way. For example, the modernisation of the checkpoint at Bagratashen will allow the use of the ‘single window’ approach,

which is recommended under the principles of IBM. At present, truck drivers have to present their papers to several windows, turning customs procedures into a lengthy and frustrating process.

Once the new checkpoint is finalised, it will allow them to present all their documents to a single window, with integrated IT systems, significantly cutting down waiting time and long queues. Overall, Bagratashen will be able to increase its processing capacity, to enhance the movement of goods and passengers, and therefore to facilitate trade.

“Even though the workflow for customs officers might increase, we will be able to put in place an easier and quicker customs declaration process” explains Grigoryan. Thanks to the project, the

cooperation between the border agencies of Armenia and Georgia will also be enhanced through the exchange of information and common capacity building initiatives. An agreement signed by the Armenian and Georgian governments even envisages joint customs administration at the border.

The initiative is part of a bigger modernisation programme on Integrated Border Management, covering the three crossing points of Bargatashen, Bavra and Gogavan, where the EU is financing the construction of checkpoints through a € 12 million grant, and a € 30.3 million loan extended to Armenia by the European Investment Bank (EIB), a commercial institution owned by EU member states.

The programme includes the reconstruc-

N The ground works for reconstruction of the first checkpoint will be completed by August 2015.

“Currently at the Bagratashen checkpoint, commercial trucks need to wait up to 75 minutes to cross the border.

Once the project is over, we aim to get that down to 25 minutes”

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“We will be glad to enhance the movement of people and goods across the border” tion of existing infrastructure to meet international standards, as well as the construction of new buildings at the three border control facilities. Another loan worth over € 10.3 million has been allocated by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) for a new bridge at Bagratashen.

Branislav Dimitrijevikj, the Supervision Team Leader for the Modernisation of the Bagratashen, Bavra and Gogvan border crossing facilities, says that the ground works for reconstruction of the first checkpoint will be completed by August 2015. “We will have the same type of buildings for the first two check points, while Gogavan will be smaller, due to the space available and also to the different needs of the area.”

According to Mr Dimitrijevikj, the modernization works should be completed in time. “We have already purchased one of the most important pieces of equipment for the security systems,” he says, “giant ‘scanners’ that will be installed at all

three checkpoints, and which will allow officers quickly and thoroughly to scan commercial trucks in order to identify the content.”

Cutting down waiting time from 75 to 25 minutes “Currently at the Bagratashen checkpoint, commercial trucks need to wait up to 75 minutes to cross the border.

Once the project is over, we aim to get that down to 25 minutes,” says Grigori Malintsyan, UNDP Programme Manager on IBM. He is convinced that not only will the implementation of the project improve the environment for business and trade, but it also will secure all the necessary conditions for increased customs, phyto-sanitary, veterinary and health controls. “In the end,” he says, “we will be glad to enhance the movement of people and goods across the border.”

To improve the fight against crime, drugs and human trafficking, the new scanners and equipment will play a vital role, but so too will the exchange of information between the border agencies of the two countries, which will allow an approach more based on intelligence and riskanalysis. At the same time, officers will be trained on human trafficking patterns, and how to deal with victims.

Ultimately, the EU-supported project will also contribute to an increased respect

for human rights, including protection of the rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, with the construction of custom-built processing facilities, as well as specialised training for staff on refugee rights, and how to deal with asylum claims.

Text by Aghavni Harutyunyan Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

Border Crossing and Infrastructure www.eib.org/projects/pipeline/2011/20110563.htm The objective of the project is to facilitate free movement of persons and goods across borders, while at the same time maintaining secure borders by provision of all necessary conditions for effective performance of border, customs and other controls.

The project is supposed to significantly contribute towards the enhancement of inter-agency cooperation efficiency, including technical capacity for information exchange between executive authorities on border management related issues and on border control operational procedures.

Budget: € 61 million Find out more Neighbourhood Investment Facility (NIF) http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/ regional-cooperation/irc/investment_en.htm NIF: projects in Eastern Region http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/where/neighbourhood/ regional-cooperation/irc/investment_projects_east_en.htm EU Neighbourhood Info Centre thematic portal: economy www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=4

N People on the site of the construction of the new check point.

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ECONOMY > AZERBAIJAN

Wasting less to gain more What does it mean for a company to invest in advisory services? The Baku-based Sama furniture plant has transformed its business and established a sound management system with clear duties and job descriptions, ad hoc departments, transport and delivery planning and much more. Thanks to the Business Advisory Services (BAS), a programme offered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and funded by the European Union through its Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Flagship Initiative for the Eastern Partnership countries, Sama has obtained a quality certificate and increased its production efficiency. A journalist from the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre has the story.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

N Internal premises of the SAMA LTD furniture manufacturer in Khirdalan City in Azebaijan.

BAKU – “We are really happy,” smiles Javad Salimov, director of the Baku-based furniture plant of Sama Ltd Company. He is talking about the consulting support and business expertise he has received through the Business Advisory Services (BAS) project, financed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). Thanks to the support provided by the EBRD, he says the company’s operations have considerably improved, the working efficiency has increased and the company’s financial turnover has grown by at least 50%.

Supporting small and medium-sized

enterprises through the provision of business expertise is an important part of the EBRD’s activity in transition countries, including Azerbaijan. Micro, small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of a dynamic market economy.

By connecting companies to local consultancy expertise that can help transform their businesses, BAS projects can support the establishment of a sound management within enterprises. “In over ten years, more than 700 companies have benefited from BAS projects,” says Lala Rzayeva, EBRD Business Advisory Services National Programme Manager in 81

ECONOMY > AZERBAIJAN N The company’s financial turnover has grown by at least 50%.

“The consultancy expertise we received has allowed us to improve the organisation of labour within the plant, reducing the physical load of workers but enabling a higher production volume”

Azerbaijan. “Business Advisory Services (BAS) helps companies to work with consultants across a wide range of areas,” she adds, “including market analysis and planning, marketing and sales research, searching for business partners, quality control, energy efficiency and beyond.”

“We work mainly with private and local enterprises with up to 250 employees, already established in the market but needing support for business development,” explains BAS Project Specialist Emin Guluzade. “In this case the enterprise should be able to contribute 25-75% of the project’s total costs, while the remainder is paid by a BAS grant. The maximum EBRD grant to any enterprise is not more than € 10,000.” One of the programme’s many success stories is a recent project with Sama Ltd Company, N SAMA LTD furniture manufacturer Logistics Manager Malak Babayeva.

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which has been at the heart of Azerbaijan’s furniture market for 15 years. The company designs, produces and sells home and office furniture.

“Now we all have clear duties and a job description” At the end of 2011, Sama Ltd approved its strategic plan for 2012. To move forwards in compliance with its plan, the company needed to introduce an Integrated Management System to meet international standards for quality management and occupational health and safety. The EBRD connected Sama Ltd with Zygon Caspian Consulting LLC, a local company with experience in a wide range of industries, to provide the necessary expertise. Training was a crucial part of the project. “Zygon conducted three series of trainings for the managers of the Sama plant, each ten days long,” says plant director Javad Salimov. “There, we received very useful management knowledge and skills. Then I shared this knowledge with my colleagues at the plant. The trainers also visited our plant to train employees from different departments,” he adds.

“Before, the activities of different managers often overlapped. Now, each of us has clear duties and a job description,”

says head of Sama’s logistics department, Melek Babayeva: “Each manager implements his duties and this work is well coordinated.” Moreover, the logistics department itself was created on the advice of consultants. “In the past,” explains Babayeva, “the process of receiving orders and sending the finished product to clients was largely spontaneous, which often caused uneven loads on production and transportation – there were problems with the lack of cars and timely delivery.

Now, the orders are sorted by geographical areas and the time required to manufacture the furniture. The production load is therefore distributed evenly, transport is used with maximum efficiency, and costs are minimised.”

Protective gears, first aid kits, emergencies training Measures to improve occupational health and safety system were another important part of the consultancy support.

Employees, who previously had worn no protective gear, were provided with their own uniform and helmets. Those who work on the machines were equipped with special headsets to shield them from high noise levels. The personnel were also trained on safety measures for loading and unloading cargo. Industrial Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

ECONOMY > AZERBAIJAN N Internal premises of the SAMA LTD furniture manufacturer in Khirdalan City in Azebaijan.

“Before, the activities of different managers often overlapped.

Now, each of us has clear duties and a job description”

areas were equipped with first-aid kits and the fire safety system was upgraded.

Fire boards were installed, in four areas of the production site and were linked with the water tank. Employees whose job placed them close to the fire boards were specially trained to use fire-fighting equipment. “The consultancy expertise we received has allowed us to improve the organisation of labour within the plant, reducing the physical load of workers but enabling a higher production volume,” continues Salimov. “Now we all have at least one day off a week.”

Advisory services to 700 projects Every year, about 60 companies in Azer-

baijan receive support through a BAS project. BAS’ work is donor funded and € 2.2 million have been allocated to Azerbaijan to support BAS projects by the EU, Canada, Austria, China and the EBRD Shareholder Special Fund and EBRD Transition Countries Fund. A further € 1.9 million has been raised through client contributions to projects. “We’ve worked with more than 100 local consulting companies to provide the advisory services for our 700 projects,” reports Lala Rzayeva, BAS National Program Manager for Azerbaijan.

Seventy-two per cent of the companies who have worked with BAS increased their financial turnover after a project.

Fifty-two per cent improved their productivity, 55 per cent increased their number of employees, and 14 per cent successfully obtained financing from local and international banks.

Text by Shahin Abbasov Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

Business Advisory Service European Bank for Reconstruction and Development www.ebrd.com/pages/workingwithus/sbs/how/bas. shtml BAS enables micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) to access a diverse range of consulting services by facilitating projects with local consultants on a cost sharing basis. Direct assistance to enhance enterprise performance is combined with systemic market development activities to create sustainable and commercially viable infrastructures of MSME support in the Bank’s countries of operations.

Find out more EBRD small business support in Azerbaijan www.ebrd.com/pages/workingwithus/sbs/where/ azerbaijan.shtml The Eastern Partnership http://enpi-info.eu/maineast.php?id=506&id_type=2

N Thanks to international quality certificates, the company can start looking at improving foreign markets.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Thematic portal: economy www.enpi-info.eu/themeeast.php?subject=4

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ECONOMY > ARMENIA

The road to the European market The economic development of the European Union’s neighbours is of interest both to those countries and to the EU itself. But business environments and practices in the EU and in its neighboring countries to the east are not the same.

An EU-funded project is facilitating investments and economic cooperation between the EU and the countries of the Eastern Partnership, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. Eighty-four partners from the two regions are involved in this three-year project, which began in 2011. The project targets business support organisations and small and medium sized enterprises.

The EU Neighbourhood Info Centre sent one of its journalists to see how this support is making a difference to an IT business in Armenia.

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

YEREVAN – “I used to think an IT company of four to six people was too small to exist in Europe. But once I got in touch with some European partners, I realized that the size of IT companies in Europe is almost the same as in Armenia. And that we share the same problems,” says Alisa Mirumyan, the Founder and Director of Relisoft LTD. Her company has been operating on the Armenian IT market for more than five years, producing geo-information systems, databases and special programs for different business activities. Last year, the company was selected to join the East Invest project, an EU-funded initiative to promote and facilitate investment and economic cooperation between the EU and its Eastern Partners.

Led by Eurochambers, East Invest brings together 84 partners from the EU, the Eastern Partnership countries and Tur-

key. The project targets business support organisations and SMEs, and builds up the ‘East Alliance’ by mobilizing business organisations from both the EU and its Eastern neighbours to work together and participate in public-private dialogue on regulations that directly affect them.

The project encourages the exchange of experience and successful practice, as well as connections between companies from the EU and its Eastern Neighbourhood, ultimately aiming to generate business cooperation agreements as well as improving standards and promoting trade, technology transfer, and investments.

At the start of the project, a study was carried out to determine priority sectors for cooperation with the EU. Six were identified – agribusiness, information technology and communication (IT), textiles, tourism, sustainable construction and transport and logistics – and 85

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“The study visit to Milan really helped to improve our knowledge and also our practical understanding of doing business in Europe.

It gave us new ideas and has put us in contact with potential partners”.

N The exterior of one of the buildings of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Armenia in Yerevan.

a mapping exercise was carried out to study and provide information on the opportunities for investment in Armenia.

From trainings to business meetings Last year, Relisoft was one of 40 organisations selected (out of 200 applications) to take part in five-day training sessions led

by European experts. The training gave participating companies valuable knowledge on different topics, from issues relating to certification for imports to the EU, to funding opportunities. Following on, 20 of those 40 organisations were chosen to take part in trade fairs in the EU, either as visitors or exhibitors, depending on their capacity and experience.

Together with a group of other IT companies from EaP countries, Mirumyan was selected to attend the Milan IT Trade Fair. Here she was able to witness how Armenian SMEs put into practice what they had learned at the seminars in Yerevan.

She came back with valuable ideas and contacts for her business. “The training sessions in Yerevan generally provided theoretical knowledge,” says Alisa Mirumyan. “We found answers to important questions, but this was limited to a quite theoretical level. The study visit to Milan really helped to improve our knowledge and also our practical understanding of doing business in Europe. It gave us new ideas and has put us in contact with potential partners,” says Mirumyan.

Coming back from Milan, Relisoft decided to put into practice some of these ideas

and started offering local manufacturers IT solutions for barcodes on their products. “The barcode solution gives the consumer the possibility to obtain more detailed information about the product he is interested in,” explains Alisa Mirumyan. “A number of products produced in Armenia already have barcodes, but when you check them, you find out that they contain information already available on the labels. So a lot still needs to be done before European standards are applicable in Armenia. But it’s a good start, and the battle is half won.”

N People at work in the small IT company Relisoft, in Yerevan.

Alisa Mirumyan, the director of the company, wears a yellow shirt.

“Lots of good ideas emerge when people with the same interests come together”.

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“A number of products produced in Armenia already have barcodes, but when you check them, you find out that they contain information already available on the labels. So a lot still needs to be done before European standards are applicable in Armenia…”

Certification, financing the business, going international East Invest’s coordinator for Armenia is the Chamber of Commerce and Industry which is also partner of the consortium that implements the project. Vladimir Amiryan, head of its International Collaboration Department, says many SMEs are keen to access the European market, but not all of them have the right knowledge, skills or attitudes.

Armenian SMEs create many jobs in the country, says Amiryan, but they operate in a weak investment environment with poor infrastructure, with limited access to finance and few training opportunities. This makes it even more difficult for many SMEs to export their products and access EU markets. They lack the proper understanding of issues such as certification, marketing, seeking out potential investors, or customs procedures. This is where the trainings come in, helping companies to clarify some of these aspects, and delivering a clear overview on how to develop business cooperation with European enterprises.

Back at work in Yerevan, Alisa Mirumyan looks back on her experience. The training and the networking opportunities offered by the project have enabled her company to start valuable partnerships: “With some IT companies from other Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

Eastern Partnership countries we already have agreements on possible ways of cooperating,” she says, and adds: “Lots of good ideas emerge when people with the same interests come together.”

Stronger business representation and better services for SMEs Since 2012, the Armenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also been involved in implementing a ‘Twinning’ component of the East-Invest project, aimed at building capacity at the Chamber’s own Court of Arbitration. Again, this has helped Armenian experts to learn from valuable international experience, during visits organised to the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Spain, Hungary and Poland with the aim of exchanging experience, identifying areas of cooperation and working on specific matters such as certificates of origin.

In addition to organizing the trainings for SMEs and participating in twinnings, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry is co-organizing an Investment Forum in 2013 with support from East Invest, in which investment projects will be presented to potential European investors.

Thirty to fifty European companies are expected to attend the forum – “a great opportunity to meet,” says Amiryan.

Text by Aghavni Harutyunyan Pictures by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre

East- Invest Support to SME sector www.east-invest.eu Supports the economic development and facilitates regional trade through contributing to the improvement of the business environment, with an emphasis on SMEs and networking Participating countries Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine Timeframe 2010–2013 Budget € 7 million Objectives The project aims to support the economic development of the region and the improvement of its business environment through building up networks between the Eastern partners themselves and between them and the EU, in priority sectors, and by developing mechanisms to encourage the flows of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). East-Invest also supports Small and Medium size Enterprises (SMEs) in their internationalisation process, improves their networking and facilitates their trade development.

Find out more Project website: www.east-invest.eu/en/abouteast-invest EU Neighbourhood Info Centre – EAST INVEST project fiche www.enpi-info.eu/ maineast.php?id=315&id_type=10 EU Neighbourhood Info Centre Thematic portal: ECONOMY www.enpi-info.eu/ themeeast.php?subject=4

N Vladimir Amiryan, Head of the International Collaboration Department at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Armenia, during the interview.

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Shortcut to the job market Higher degree or practical skills?

The name of the organisation, the European Training Foundation, sounds self-explanatory. In fact, it can be misleading because the ETF does not operate in the European Union, nor it is engaged in training, and is not a foundation. It’s an EU agency that helps partner countries to develop their vocational education and training (VET), as well as labour market systems related to employment, explains its Director, Madlen Serban, in an exclusive interview to the EU Neighbourhood Info Centre.

Workers at the SAMA LTD furniture manufacturer.

The Baku-based plant has transformed its business and established a sound management system, thanks to the Business Advisory Services (BAS), a programme offered by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and funded by the European Union through its Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Flagship Initiative for Eastern Partnership countries (photo

by AFP © EU/Neighbourhood Info Centre.

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Interview with Madlen Serban Director of the European Training Foundation How does the ETF achieve its goals of helping partner countries develop vocational education and training, as well as labour market systems related to employment?

We try to make sure that each country has appropriate public policies addressing these areas, that there is a legislative framework to back it, and that the stakeholders are getting support in their implementation. So the whole cycle consists of policy development, adoption and implementation. By stakeholders, I mean governments, but as the policy should be inclusive, we are also working with employers, trade union associations at the national and sectoral levels, as well as civil society organisations.

We have 35 partner countries, grouped according to the EU’s external instruments into enlargement, neighbourhood South and East, and Central Asia.

Who benefits from your work?

The ETF works at the systemic level, helping partner countries to strengthen vocational educational training and labour market institutions.

So the first to benefit are the policy makers, i.e. both governments and their partners – associations of employers, trade unions and civil society associations as well as institutions that specialise in vocational education and training such as VET centres or councils. But eventually we help people acquire the right skills that can match their aspirations, thus benefiting communities and economies.

We encourage countries to have an inclusive policy-making process, embracing civil society.

As far as the Eastern Neighbourhood is concerned, it’s worth mentioning Dnepropetrovsk in Ukraine. The local authorities there concluded that while the central government can provide them with the policy framework, it cannot be expected to implement the strategy at the local level. So, our counterparts put together a regional development plan outlining the type of human resources they will need in the next few years.

“We encourage countries to have an inclusive policy-making process, embracing civil society.”

Projects in Action 3 – EU Eastern Neighbourhood

“We succeed in bringing together the public and the private sector.”

Within their mandate, the region also brought together the right actors capable of implementing the plan. Now the local government is keen to disseminate this experience in other East European countries. We are promoting such practices, and the Ukrainian government is very pleased with this initiative.

What is the source of funding for the ETF? We are non-commercial so we do not raise funds ourselves. We act as an external arm of EU policies in education, training and employment, so we are funded by the EU, with the money being allocated by co-decision of the European Parliament (EP) and the Council.

The ETF functions within a multi-year financial framework. Under discussion now, is the 20142020 programme, based on a multi-year strategic plan with a mid-term benchmark in 2017. In addition, we submit the annual work programme.

First of all, our strategy and funding have to be adopted by the Governing Board and then approved by the European Parliament. In the Governing Board, the European Commission, represented by the Directorate General for Education & Culture, and each Member State has one vote. We also have six observers – three are independent experts appointed by the EP and three represent partner countries.

Does the ETF make an intellectual or financial input into local initiatives?

The ETF does not fund individual initiatives, and it’s not the money that attracts the countries, regions or institutions, but a strong belief that VET makes a difference for their communities.

However, our partners may not have the right knowledge, so we try to empower them by taking advantage of our own expertise. Besides, we can mobilise expertise from EU Member States, partner countries themselves and from international organisations.

What do you consider as your most important achievements?

It’s first and foremost our capability to act when we are needed. In each country we interact not only with the government but also with key stakeholders. The fact that we manage to bring them together is an achievement.

We succeed in bringing together the public and the private sector. There was so much mistrust between them, with the private sector never having time to wait for structural reforms in education, training and labour market, which would typically take years. So our approach is to look for quick wins, while involving all social partners in long term structural reforms.

What’s also important is that we are opening up avenues for larger scale EU funding by helping to identify policy areas that need support in the form of expertise and assistance funded by the Development and Cooperation (DEVCO) budget.

It’s worth mentioning the Mobility Partnerships we have with Moldova, Armenia and Georgia.

These partnerships help manage legal migration, in a process that emphasises the development of the right professional skills.

There is another landmark project we are working on with our partners in the East, namely continued vocational training in the context of ageing societies. The challenge is similar to what we are facing in the EU. Georgia, for example, is now working out a new VET strategy because the existing one does not provide many opportunities for career development.

What are your biggest challenges?

We continue fighting with the perceptions in societies, both in the minds of authorities and citizens, that VET is a second-best choice. People believe that a university degree will provide them with jobs for life. Yes, high aspirations in this sense are an asset, but this is not enough, because we face an overproduction of university graduates, which creates a mismatch between demand and supply on the labour market.

Another challenge is the highly centralised system of vocational education and training. There are still very few regional initiatives that fly, and we are proud to be supporting them.

“Eventually we help people acquire the right skills that can match their aspirations, thus benefiting communities and economies.”

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Find out more European Neighborhood Policy (ENP)

The Eastern Partnership (EaP)

It was developed after the EU’s enlargement in 2004 with 10 new countries, in order to avoid the emergence of new dividing lines in Europe. Through it, the EU offers its neighbours a privileged relationship, building upon a mutual commitment to common values – democracy and human rights, rule of law, good governance, market economy principles and sustainable development. The ENP offers a deeper political relationship and economic integration through reforms as a means of achieving peace, stability and economic prosperity. Following an extensive review, in 2011, the EU launched a renewed ENP, seeking to strengthen ties through a ‘more for more’ approach – making more funding available, for those countries more committed to reform. The participating countries are: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine. Although Russia is also an EU neighbour, and benefits from the ENPI (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument), relations are developed through a strategic partnership.

It completes the EU’s foreign policy towards Eastern European and Southern Caucasus countries as a specific Eastern dimension of the ENP (European Neighbourhood Policy). Launched in May 2009 at the Prague Summit, the EaP fosters the necessary conditions to accelerate political association and further economic integration between the European Union and Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

Key elements are: a new generation of Association Agreements, far-reaching integration of the Eastern neighbours into the EU economy, easier travel to the EU for their citizens providing that security requirements are met, enhanced energy security arrangements benefitting all concerned, and increased financial assistance.

Through the new financial instrument for 2014-2020 ENI (European Neighbourhood Instrument), the EU will continue to encourage necessary reforms in partner countries. Financial assistance and know-how will be provided to ensure that EU cooperation brings about lasting changes. For countries fully committed to political association, economic integration and building deep and sustainable democracies the support will be stepped up.

http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/index_en.htm

www.ec.europa.eu/europeaid/easternpartnership

European Commission Directorate General Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid B-1049 Brussels, Belgium http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid

Useful links Commissioner Enlargement and ENP http://ec.europa.eu/commission_2010-2014/fule/ ENP website http://eeas.europa.eu/enp/index_en.htm External Action Service (EEAS) http://eeas.europa.eu/index_en.htm

European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI) 2014-2020 The EU is a major donor for the Neighbourhood. Support to the region is mainly channelled through the Directorate General for Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid. One of the main tools is the new ENI (European Neighbourhood Instrument), worth € 15.4 billion for the period 2014-2020, that will provide the bulk of funding to the ENP (European Neighbourhood Policy) countries. It will also enable citizens from the Neighbourhood to participate in selective successful EU internal programmes, including student mobility, youth programmes and support to civil society. Special emphasis will be given to engagement with civil society. The ENI replaces the ENPI (European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument), which had funding of € 11.2 billion for the period 2007-2013.

Six targets

How support is given

The ENI key words

Fostering human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law, equality, sustainable democracy, good governance and a thriving civil society.

Support through the ENI is programmed and given in three different ways:

Faster and more flexible: reducing the complexity and length of the programming process so that the relevance of the assistance is not undermined. In order to further increase the EU’s capacity to respond to unforeseen events, new mechanisms have been introduced for revision of the instruments to increase flexibility.

Achieving progressive integration into the EU internal market and enhanced co-operation including through legislative approximation and regulatory convergence, institution building and investments.

Creating conditions for well managed mobility of people and promotion of people-to-people contacts.

Encouraging development, poverty reduction, internal economic, social and territorial cohesion, rural development, climate action and disaster resilience.

Promoting confidence building and other measures contributing to security and the prevention and settlement of conflicts.

Enhancing sub-regional, regional and Neighbourhood wide collaboration as well as Cross-Border Cooperation.

Bilateral programmes covering support to one partner country.

Multi-country programmes which address challenges common to all or a number of partner countries, and regional and sub-regional cooperation between two or more partner countries.

Cross-Border Cooperation programmes between Member States and partner countries taking place along their shared part of the external border of the EU (including Russia).

Incentives for best performers: using the more-for-more approach allows the EU to increase its support to those partners that are genuinely implementing what has been jointly agreed.

More-for-more principle: introduced at the last ENP review in 2010-11, this principle means that the EU will develop stronger partnerships and offer greater incentives to countries that make more progress towards democratic reform – free and fair elections, freedom of expression, of assembly and of association, judicial independence, fight against corruption and democratic control over the armed forces.

Mutual accountability: this means that the EU is accountable to its partners for the support promised, and the partners are accountable to the EU for their own progress towards political and economic reform.

ENI support takes greater account of human rights, democracy and good governance when it comes to allocating assistance.

EU/Neighbourhood

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Cover photo: European Film Festival – Baku, Azerbaijan.

Opening press conference at Park Boulevard.

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2014

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