NEWSLETTER
In this issue you can read about: The 6th edition of the Black Sea NGO Forum……..2 Outcomes of the Forum: “The Bucharest Statement”……………………………………………………….3 Outcomes of the Forum: Youth Cooperation Workshop…………………………………………………………4
The Black Sea NGO Newsletter is part of the Black Sea NGO Forum’s follow-up activities. The newsletter is available every 3 months on www.blackseango.org and distributed to the participants at all the editions of the Black Sea NGO Forum or other relevant stakeholders in the region with the purpose of improving our common work, communication and engagement.
Outcomes of the Forum: CPDE Non-Eu Subregional meeting……………………………………………..5 Results of the previous Forums: “Black Sea Youth Vision”……………………………………………………6 News: Countries in Focus………………………………….7 ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN BELARUS GEORGIA REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA UKRAINE Documentation and information………………………10 Events and conferences……………………………………13 Funding opportunities………………………………….….15
We encourage you to send your contributions on current and future activities, events, partnerships and funding opportunities that you would like to share to oana.perju@fondromania.org by the 31st of January 2014. The Secretariat of the Black Sea NGO Forum is currently coordinated by The Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND: www.fondromania.org. Contact person: Ms. Oana Perju (oana.perju@fondromania.org), Address: Calea 13 Septembrie, no. 85, bl. 77C, ap. 74, sector 5, Bucharest, Romania. This material is elaborated in the framework of the Black Sea NGO Forum, which was launched in 2008 by FOND (The Romanian NGDO Platform) with the support of the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Representation of the European Commission in Romania and the Black Sea Trust, as part of the Black Sea Synergy. The Forum aims at increasing the level of dialogue and cooperation among NGOs in the wider Black Sea Region, strengthening the NGO capacity to influence regional and national policies and to increase the number and quality of regional partnerships and projects. 1
Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 The 6th edition of the Black Sea NGO Forum “Building Sustainable and Effective Regional Cooperation”
Photo credits: Black Sea NGO Forum 2013
The Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND organized between the 4th and 6th of September 2013, in Bucharest, Romania, the 6th edition of the Black Sea NGO Forum entitled “Building Sustainable and Effective Regional Cooperation”, in partnership with the European Commission, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Development Programme Romania. Among the guest invited were: H.E. Niculae Idu, Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Romania, H.E. Ambassador Traian Chebeleu, Deputy Secretary General, Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), Carmen FalkenbergAmbrosio, Head of Section, Regional Programmes Neighbourhood East, Radu Podgorean, State Secretary, the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Forum began with a series of plenary presentations exploring the ways in which civil society can contribute to the sustainability and effectiveness of regional cooperation in the extended Black Sea area. It aimed at sharing experience and good practices with other regional cooperation initiatives such as those of the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas and fostering dialogue and cooperation between the Black Sea NGO Forum and the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (EaP CSF).
The second day of the Forum was dedicated to more practical and dynamic aspects, beginning with a presentation on financial instruments available for civil society in the Black Sea Region and continuing with a series of parallel workshops on issues of high interest in the region: child protection, good governance / local development, youth cooperation, public administration authorities and NGOs and citizen and cultural diplomacy. Among the concrete results of this year’s edition were “The Bucharest Statement”, a joint declaration in favour of child protection and the election of the CPDE representative from the Non-EU sub-region during the third day of the Forum organized in partnership with CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE). You can consult the agenda of the event here: http://issuu.com/adrianaionela/docs/black_sea_forum_final _agenda_2013_w The presentations given throughout the event are available on our website at: http://fondromania.org/pagini/editia-2013.php Also, pictures made during the event are posted on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.50355158973 8852.1073741833.315557541871592&type=3 For more information in the Black Sea Region, please visit: www.blackseango.org
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 Outcome of the Forum: “The Bucharest Statement”
ChildPact, the Regional Coalition for Child Protection in the Wider Black Sea Area, hosted a special panel at the Black Sea NGO Forum (Bucharest, 4-6 September 2013). Government officials from six ChildPact countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania and Serbia) and civil society representatives discussed ChildPact’s proposal to build a Regional Cooperation Mechanism for Child Protection in our region and agreed that regional cooperation is an important factor in achieving the next level of progress in child protection reforms. At the end of the event, the “Bucharest Statement” to express the commitment and determination of involved stakeholders in taking some co-coordinated actions towards the strengthening of regional cooperation for child protection was adopted. You can read the Bucharest statement below: “5 September 2013 We, the participants of the Black Sea NGO Forum subgroup on regional cooperation for child protection, coming from positions in government and civil society, (…)
We welcome high level political resolve towards this outcome and verify our ownership and engagement to make this a reality. We have a duty to find and implement solutions that protect our children. Sign ChildPact’s petition addressed to BSEC member states and to the European Union aimed at gathering support for the creation of a regional cooperation mechanism for child protection in the wider Black Sea Area: http://www.childpact.org/sign-our-petition/.” Source: http://www.childpact.org/2013/09/06/buchareststatement-on-regional-cooperation-for-child-protectionadopted-at-the-black-sea-ngo-forum/
Declare the following: We welcome coordinated action and steps towards strengthening regional cooperation for child protection in the wider Black Sea Region. Regional cooperation for child protection can manifestly change the lives of the most vulnerable children in the region. Regional cooperation provides a platform to share scare resources and talent, leverage our lessons into successes, and create a new level of political will for reform.
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 Outcomes of the Forum: Youth Cooperation Workshop During the second day of the 6th edition of the Black Sea NGO Forum 2013, the Romanian NGO Danube.EDU held a workshop about youth cooperation along the Danube River and the Black Sea shore. After appropriate presentations of the speakers and team were made to the audience, the workshop started with a definition of the “youth” concept and age limits to be considered, involving the audience, representatives of several NGOs from countries in the Black Sea extended region. The YOUTH Definition used as common basis was the one provided by UNESCO: “Youth is best understood as a period of transition from the dependence of childhood to adulthood’s independence and awareness of our interdependence as members of a community.” The UN, for statistical consistency across regions, defines ‘youth’, as those persons between the ages of 15 and 24 years, without prejudice to other definitions by Member States. EU range limit is 15-35 years. What about your national level? Furthermore, the discussion followed with representatives of the European Environmental and Health Youth Coalition (EEHYC), Mr. Danilo Arsenijevic; Romanian Youth Council(CTR), Ms. Corina Pirvulescu; National Youth Council of the Republic of Moldova (CNTM), Mr. Alex Petrov; Partners Foundation for Local Development (FPDL), Ms. Adina Calafateanu. As main points from the 2 hours’ workshop, we mention: • • • •
Youth active Engagement is a must; It is a fact that young people have a Fundamental role in European policy and strategy; Partnerships with National Youth Council may be the Key to a connected region; Attention rose to the Role of intercultural learning and participatory methodologies;
•
Need to develop interethnic structured dialogue with youth.
relations
and
Next steps Following up on the organization of the workshop “Youth cooperation: Danube Strategy (EUSDR)-Black Sea Synergy” Danube.EDU will prepare a publication for October with the workshop report and other interesting papers presenting best practices or a concept, an idea, a project that concerns the DanubeBlack Sea extended region and its youth. Edited by Danube.EDU team (Radu ONCESCU / DARIA CĂTĂLUI Links to consult: Dunăre.EDU: http://dunareedu.wordpress.com/about/ FPDL: http://www.fpdl.ro/ro/projects.php?do=tinerii_pun_punctul _pe_i National Youth Council of Moldova: www.cntm.md National Youth Council of Romania: www.ctr.ro Study Youth/Black Sea: http://www.cntm.md/rapoarte/Study2.pdf
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 Outcomes of the Forum: CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness Non-EU sub-regional meeting
Photo credits: Black Sea NGO Forum 2013
The last day of the event was dedicated to the CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) Non-EU sub-regional meeting. CPDE is an open platform that unites CSOs from around the world on issues relating to development effectiveness, in particular in the context of the GPEDC (Global Partnership on Effective Development Cooperation formed as a result of HLF4 in June 2012). The founding meeting of the CPDE was held in Nairobi in December 2012, reuniting previous BetterAid and Open Forum platforms. Since the meeting in Belgrade in 2012, the non-EU subregion of the CPDE did not have the possibility to meet again. Therefore this meeting was convened to reengage this sub-region, update them on the process and support their work on development effectiveness. With this occasion, participants were informed about development effectiveness and the Istanbul principles, the areas of work of CPDE, its governance structure and how it operates concretely.
Moreover, the meeting contained also a practical working group session during which participants were divided in 7 groups and were asked to think about opportunities of being involved in the global partnership for development effectiveness. From the discussion, the main conclusions were that CPDE represents a space for networking and collaboration among the CSOs in the region and can help them better implement the Istanbul principles and strengthen their advocacy capacity. At their turn, CSOs can promote the Istanbul principles and CPDE’s advocacy messages at local level and in partner countries, create a regional knowledge hub on civil society in the region and increase cross-border cooperation on specific issues. An important result of this meeting was the election of the CPDE representative from the Non-EU sub-region, Vazha Salamadze, in the governance structure of the CPDE, who will contribute to the global advocacy effort towards development effectiveness. This is the first time that the Non-EU sub-regional meeting of CPDE is organized at the Black Sea NGO Forum and it is an initiative that FOND welcomes again in the future. For more information on CPDE, please visit their website: http://www.csopartnership.org/
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 Results of the previous Forums: “Black Sea Youth Vision”
The National Youth Council of Moldova (CNTM), started in 2011 a new project for strengthening cooperation in the field of youth policy in the Black Sea region. The project objective was evaluating and sharing experience and expertise in 9 countries from the Black Sea Region in youth policies field between the national youth organization and central government institutions responsible for youth from 9 Black Sea countries (Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, Russian Federation, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey). Also, one more country from Eastern Europe was involved – Belarus, which is not part of Black Sea region, but is a strong partner in creating a common vision on youth policy development in Black Sea Region. This project, through internships, research and regional meetings on youth policies, intensified the cooperation among the Ministries of Youth Affairs from the Black Sea Region, taking into account the role played by the National Youth Councils in the formulation, promotion and evaluation of the public youth policies at national level in cooperation with the Government. The project evaluated, for the first time the youth policy situation in Black Sea region and the level of development of youth policies and strategies in relation with European youth policies (Study on Youth Policies in Black Sea Region). Moreover, the project ensured the transfer of experience and expertise on youth policy between organizations and public institutions in the Black Sea region: 9 internships for youth workers were organized in each country and 9 workshops were organized by the interns themselves to present the country experience in youth policy field. Furthermore, the project helped strengthening advocacy efforts in the region through a
Contact Making Seminar for representatives from National Youth Councils and Ministries responsible for youth from all 9 countries in the region. Also, in October 2012 was organized regional Conference on youth policies in the Black Sea region where attended and participated High-level representatives from Ministries responsible for youth, Embassies and National Youth Councils. As a final result of the project, a strategic document (including Action Plan) was elaborated and adopted regarding the further development of the youth policy in the Black Sea countries – Black Sea Youth Vision. This document was promoted through a network of organizations in the Black Sea countries. The project increased the level of cooperation between the Governments and the National Youth Councils from the Black Sea Region, especially there is a lack of cooperation. The study concerning youth policies situation in the region was presented as one of the best resource in the field of youth research. Support documents and resources issued from the project are stimulating decision-makers to take into account importance of evidence based youth policy. In a broader context, the project created bridges and know-how transfer between organizations / institutions for youth in EU and non-EU countries. Therefore, this intensified the process of reaching the Eastern Partnership goals. You can read the full Study on Youth Policies in Black Sea Region here: http://www.cntm.md/rapoarte/Study2.pdf
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 News: Countries in Focus ARMENIA Armenia Decides to Join Russian-led Customs Union On the 3rd of September, President Serzh Sargsyan announced the decision of Armenia to join the Russian-led Customs Union, a move incompatible the free trade agreement that the European Union is supposed to initiate with Yerevan at the Eastern Partnership Summit to be held in Vilnius, between the 28th and the 29th of November. While the European Commission is asking Yerevan to clarify its position, political analysts are already talking about a Uturn that Armenia has made towards Russia and, implicitly away from Europe. Apart from the economic aspect, Armenia’s decision is more important politically speaking, especially since Russia is trying to put pressure on ex-Soviet countries to remain in its sphere of influence right before the Vilnius Summit where Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine are expected to initiatate and, respectively sign, association agreements with the EU. According to talks between Presidents Sargsyan and Putin, the Customs Union, established by Russia and joined so far by Belarus and Kazakhstan, is directly linked with the security partnership between the former Soviet states. The decision to join the Eurasian Union is rational, from President’s Sargsyan’s point of view, as by sharing “a system of military security, it is impossible and inefficient to isolate ourselves from the corresponding geo-economical space”. The decision to join the Customs Union was condemned by a coalition of Armenian civic organizations promoting European Integration, which asked for its reversal. Sources: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23975951 http://www.rferl.org/content/armenia-road-map-customs-union/25111122.html
AZERBAIJAN Azerbaijani Presidential Elections Presidential elections were held in Azerbaijan on the 9th of October 2013. According to official results, the incumbent president, Ilham Aliyev, has won a third term with 85% of the votes, while his main opponent, Camil Hasanli gathered only 5% of the votes. However, human rights groups point out at actions taken by the government in the run-up to the vote against political opponents. While Mr. Hasanli called for the cancelation of the results of the vote due to fraud and control of all television challenge, OSCE stated in a press release that the election was “undermined by limitations on the freedoms of expression, assembly and association that did not guarantee a level playing field for candidates”. However, President Aliyev’s position is strengthened in the region, in the context of country’s economic growth, strategic location and status as a producer and transporter of oil and gas. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-24474753
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 BELARUS Belarus's policy in human rights sector slows down cooperation In an interview given to charter97.org, The Minister of Defense of Lithuania, Juozas Olekas stated that democracy and human rights problems in Belarus have a negative impact on cooperation between the two countries in the security sector. Moreover, the minister stressed out the fact that the level of both Lithuania’s and EU’s cooperation with Belarus is significantly lower than with other countries of the Eastern Partnership. There is a lack of transparency in relating to one another, augmented by the fact that Belarus is in closer military cooperation with Russia which weakens its sovereignty. When asked about the future of the Lithuanian-Belarusian relations, minister Olekas said: “We believe in Belarus's future and wish it to be a democratic and successful state with a developed economy and respect for human rights”. However, he emphasized that Belarus has a long way in becoming that state, expressing concern for the great number of human rights violations in the country. Nevertheless, Lithuania will continue to try to cooperate will Belarus on various fields, including that of security and defense. Lithuania is currently the country holding the EU Presidency in which quality it will host an Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, between the 28th and the 29th of November 2013. Source: http://charter97.org/en/news/2013/8/12/73791/
GEORGIA On the Air in Georgia: Promoting Development through Community Radio In the town of Ninotsminda in Georgia’s Javakheti region, a community radio station is promoting civic engagement, increasing community development and improving communications for hundreds of Georgians. Radio NOR, the country’s first and only community radio station, is broadcast online with support from IREX through the USAID-funded G-MEDIA program. What makes this form of radio so compelling is its inclusion of community members: anyone who is interested can participate. Volunteers manage and prepare programs while having the opportunity to create an open public dialogue on topics that mainstream media often neglect. Photo credits: Irex.org
In order to reach ethnic minorities, the station broadcasts in three languages: Georgian, Russian and Armenian. The diversity of broadcasts helps gain community support from a variety of demographics while bridging cooperation and togetherness. With the increasing popularity of Radio NOR, it is the hope that additional community radio stations will be conceived in the future, allowing citizens greater access to news information and the ability to develop stronger communities. G-MEDIA is a four-year, USAID –funded program that aims to assist the Georgian media sector. Working with Georgian media outlets, media support organizations and journalism schools, the program aims to address internal and external obstacles to a professional, sustainable media. Source: http://www.irex.org/news/air-georgia-promoting-development-through-community-radio 8
Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013
GEORGIA, UKRAINE, REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA EU discussions regarding liberalization of visa regimes in Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine Before the Eastern Partnership Vilnius Summit, EU is carrying out discussions with various Eastern partnership countries regarding the liberalization of visa regimes, particularly Georgia, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The progress in implementing the plan on visa liberalization between Georgia and the EU will be assessed in midOctober by an EU mission. According to Georgian Foreign Ministry, the agreement was reached during the meeting at the EU headquarters of Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister, Tamar Beruchashvili and Director-General for Home Affairs, European Commission, Stefano Manservisi. Ukraine could announce the transfer to the second phase of the action plan on liberalization of the visa regime with the EU during the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in November. However, a condition put by the EU is the adoption of the anti-discrimination law, said deputy foreign minister Andriy Olefirenko following a meeting with Commissioner Stefan Fule. In the case of the Republic of Moldova, the European Commission will recommend the 28 EU member states to back the EU – Moldova visa regime, according to Ambassador Dirk Schuebel, head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Chişinău. This would mean that at the beginning of next year Moldova could benefit from a free visa regime. Sources: http://visa-free-europe.eu/2013/09/eu-discuss-issues-of-liberalization-of-visa-regime-with-georgia/ http://visa-free-europe.eu/2013/08/transition-to-second-phase-of-visa-liberalization-with-eu-may-start-in-november/ http://tribuna.md/en/2013/07/15/the-european-commission-will-recommend-the-28-eu-member-states-to-back-the-eumoldova-free-visa-regime/
UKRAINE Ukraine between East and West An interesting article by Olga Schumylo-Tapiola about the geo-political choices of Ukraine argues that the country is equally devided between supporters of the alignement with the EU and with Moscow. Nevertheless, Ukraine is pushed to choose by both the East and the West. Moscow’s decision to put all Ukrainian goods imported to the Russian Federation on the list of potentially dangerous could make Ukraine’s choice easier, as the estimated losses may reach $2-2.5 billion in the second half of 2013, a big problem for a country dependent on its exports. The questions remain: “Will Yanukovych get scared of the short-term economic losses and run toward the Customs Union? Or will he go through the storm keeping head up high and force Russia (which will also be an economic loser in this war) to back off? Or will this trade war scare Yanukovych and Ukrainian oligarchs and push them to seek protection in the EU through meeting all conditions and signing the Association Agreement?” Source: http://eastbook.eu/news.php?lang=en&link=http://www.carnegie.ru/eurasiaoutlook/?fa=52667
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 Documentation and information REPORTS
Millennium Development Goals report issued in Republic of Moldova Moldova released on the 24th of September the third Millennium Development Goals report, which underlines the achievements as well as challenges in eradicating poverty in the country. According to UNDP Moldova, progress has been made in reducing extreme poverty and child mortality, but the incidence of HIV / AIDS and tuberculosis remains considerably high. However, even in the case of achievements, disaggregating data uncovers gaps and challenges that are still to be met. According to UNDP Moldova’s analysis, there are 4 key challenges identified: •
•
•
•
Disparities between rural and urban Moldova. Even though since 2006, the national poverty rate has fallen from 30.2% to 16.6% and the extreme poverty rate from 4.5% to 0.6%, over 79% of all poor people in Moldova live in rural areas and the risk of poverty for rural inhabitants is three times higher than for urban ones. High levels of migration (a quarter of the labour force currently lives abroad). In spite of positive aspects of migration such as remittences sent home and Photo credits: UNDP.org lowering of unemployment rates, statistics show that migrants are vulnerable groups (being more susceptible to tuberculosis or maternal mortality, for example) and, also, migration has a negative impact on children who are being left behind by their parents. Gender inequality. Moldova still confronts with a wage gap according to gender (a woman earns 87.8% of a men’s salary), fewer economic opportunities, disparities in terms of household and childcare responsibilities between men and women and low representation of women in high level positions, especially in the political sector. The gap in the use of modern technology. While Moldova’s technological develoment has been highly successful in recent years, large proportions of the population is striving to meet their basic needs such as access to water and sanitation.
Read the entire report here: http://www.md.undp.org/content/dam/moldova/docs/Publications/UNDP_MD_3rdMDGReport_Eng.pdf Source: http://eastbook.eu/en/2013/09/uncategorized-en/the-millennium-development-goals-taking-stock-in-moldova/
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 STUDIES Policy Briefing: "The EU's Black Sea policy: Where do we stand?" The Policy Department of the Directorate-General for External Policies inside the European Parliament has recently issued a policy briefing analyzing the EU's Black Sea policy, the evolution of the Black Sea Synergy, the achievements as well as the difficulties encountered and the policy options that could be taken into consideration in order to foster the cooperation in this region. Executive Summary In January 2011 the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for the European Commission and the then-soonto-be-launched European External Action Service to prepare an EU strategy for the Black Sea region. This initiative was meant to dovetail with other EU basin-focused strategies in Europe. Given that the EU's Black Sea Synergy, the ad-hoc policy in place since 2007, was being implemented at a slow pace, the Parliament's request was also intended to amplify the EU’s political presence in the region. Today, less than a year before the end of the legislature, the EU Black Sea strategy has still not been drafted. Are the Commission and EEAS simply ignoring Parliament’s political advice? In fact, the reasons for the impasse are multiple, stemming from the complications of the Black Sea region as well as the EU's organizational choices. Ultimately, however, these reasons matter less than the outcome. The EU's Black Sea policy – by definition an inclusive policy – should be advanced under one label or another, as it is neither a threat nor a complement to the Eastern Partnership. Both policies should be developed in parallel. And before the EU advances to a new stage, it should first implement those measures it has promised, but yet to realize. Read the entire study here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/studiesdownload.html?languageDocument=EN&file=96854 Source: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/studies.html?action=2&tab=last#studies
7th Workshop of RSSC: "Building Confidence in the South Caucasus: Strengthening the EU's and NATO's Soft Security Initiative" The Study Group "Regional Stability in the South Caucasus" has published a compendium containing the presentations and discussions that took place during the 7th workshop of the study group entitled "Building Confidence in the South Caucasus: Strengthening the EU's and NATO's Soft Security Initiative". As one of the conclusions of the previous workshop was the stagnation of regional cooperation due to political impasses related to frozen conflicts in the region, the theme of this year's workshop (14th-16th of March 2013, Tbilisi, Georgia) was related to confidence building through strengthening soft power in the South Caucasus. By choosing the theme of soft power methods, the RSSC Study Group aimed at identifying the means through which civil society can support international organizations' engagement in the region, especially the EU and NATO. At the end, the volume concluded with a series of policy recommendations generated by the constructive discussions that took place during this event. Read the entire study here: http://www.bmlv.gv.at/pdf_pool/publikationen/pfpc_7th_rssc_study.pdf
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 European Integration Index 2013 On the 4th of September was launched the European Integration Index 2013 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The report was presented by EaP CSF Country Facilitators - Boris Navasardian (Armenia National Platform) and Oleksandr Sushko (Ukrainian National Platform) among other experts. The European Integration Index tracks the progress of Eastern Partnership countries —Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine – towards integration, at the same time providing a cross-country and cross-sector analysis for the region in a comparative perspective. The Index is developed by independent civil society experts from Eastern Partnership countries and EU who advocate reforms related to European integration and is supported by the Open Society Institute. You can read the full European csf.eu/assets/files/Articles/Index_2013.pdf
Integration
Index
Photo credits: Eap-csf.eu
2013
here:
http://www.eap-
Source: http://www.eap-csf.eu/en/news-events/news/european-integration-index-2013-for-eap-countries-launched/
Policy paper: “The Impact of EU Visa Liberalization on Youth Mobility in Republic of Moldova” Summary The policy paper was elaborated by Denis Cenușă, at the request of the National Youth Council of Moldova (CNTM), as part of the partnership between CNTM and European Youth Forum (YFJ) within revision of Visa Directive by the European Commission, aiming at promoting higher mobility among young people. In this context, the purpose of the paper is to point out and present the potential impact of the visa liberalization on youth and its mobility. Furthermore, it brings out the particularities related of the Directive 2004/114/EC of 13 December 2004 on the conditions of admission of third-country nationals for the purposes of studies, pupil exchange, unremunerated training or voluntary service, and, the Directive 2005/71/EC of 12 October 2005 on a specific procedure for admitting third-country nationals for the purposes of scientific research. The paper is a first attempt to put into discussion the benefits the visa free regime (short stay visits) will bring to young people. It presents an outline of the advantages generated by visa liberalization, and a list of relevant recommendations is proposed in the end. However, it would be worth to be carried out larger researches and studies in this area in order to deepen the public debates and increase the information available to various social categories,in particular to the young persons. Read the entire policy paper here: http://cntm.md/images/paper_final_version_last_smallest.pdf
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 Events and conferences Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum The 5th Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum “Together for a European Future” was held between the 4th and the 5th of October 2013, in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova being the first time that the forum was organized in an Eastern Partnership country. The event brought together more than 250 representatives of the civil society organizations from the Eastern Partnership countries and the EU, as well as senior government officials, diplomats and members of the donor community. During the forum, key note speakers addressed the audience such as EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Štefan Füle, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gherman and Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Linas Linkevičius. The role of civil society in promoting the European integration which means not only enlargement, but shared values was emphasized by Commissioner Füle, as well as communicating EU policies and providing feedback on how these are implemented at local level. Moreover, providing recommendations for the Vilnius summit in November and having a clear vision beyond this moment were identified as important aspects by Ms. Gherman and Mr. Linkevičius. The event continued with presentations coming from civil society representatives from each EaP country focusing on the progress made by their countries, as well as the challenges they face ahead. At the end of the forum, 10 key resolutions and statements were adopted, supporting the Eastern Partnership as a mechanism for promoting democratic reforms. Source: http://www.eap-csf.eu/en/news-events/news/together-for-a-european-future-civil-society-forum-takes-the-lead-tosupport-eastern-partnership/
Youth Side Event at the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum National Youth Council of Moldova (CNTM), together with National Assembly of the Youth Organizations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (NAYORA) and Children's Organizations of Civil Society of Belarus (RADA) organized the conference "Youth Side Event" on 2-3th October 2013. 30 participants from Eastern Partnership and the European Union discussed about the promotion of democratic reforms in the region and the role of youth in this process. The goal of the event was to increase the role of youth of the countries of Eastern Partnership (EaP) in the European policies. The objectives of the side event were to provide participants of the Youth Side Event with the information about the state of youth and youth policy in each of the EaP countries, information about mechanisms of participation of EaP youth in European politics; provide EaP member-states, European Union (EU) structures, including CSF, with recommendations concerning policies development focused on the EaP youth. Source: http://cntm.md/en/?start=9 13
Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 Eastern Partnership Youth Forum Eastern Partnership Youth forum will take place on 22-25 October, 2013 in Kaunas (100 km. from Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania). The event aims to increase sustainable political/civic commitment to further support non-formal learning/the youth work recognition process through cooperation in the youth field. Objective of the Forum is to reach better social inclusion and improvement of lives of young people by increasing the quality and recognition of non-formal learning/education and youth work and make outcomes visible and transferable to other sectors. The event aims to bring together about 200 young people and youth experts with experience in youth and/or youth related areas to set the ground for a viable, continuous and structured dialogue and cross-sectoral cooperation. Stakeholders are invited to participate in the Eastern Partnership Youth Forum in evidence based discussions and mutual learning and the qualitative development of non-formal education/learning and youth work. Source: http://www.youthforum2013.eu/Why-
2nd Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region
The Second Annual Forum of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region (EUSDR), jointly organized between the Government of Romania and the European Commission, will take place at the International Conference Centre/Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, on 28-29 October 2013. Last year's Annual Forum took place in Regensburg (Bavaria, Germany) and it was focused on the potential contribution of the Danube Strategy to Europe's growth. More than 600 participants attended, including Germany's Chancellor Merkel and ministers from several countries in the Danube Region. The title of this year's Forum will be "Danube Region - stronger together, stronger in the world". Within this framework, it will encourage a debate on how the Strategy is helping to tackle joint challenges and how this is having an influence in striving competitiveness. The publication of the 1st report on the implementation of the Strategy (April 2013) and the crucial stage of the negotiations for the future programmes in the period 2014-2020 will shape the debates among decision-makers from business, politics, international organizations and civil society coming from all over the Danube Region. Source: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/conferences/danube_forum2013/index_en.cfm
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 Funding opportunities Central Eurasia Project The Central Eurasia Project (CEP) uses grantmaking to international and regional NGOs, academic institutions, think tanks, and other structures to support their work, help build local capacity, bring international expertise to bear on the region, and promote cooperation between local activists and international civic movements. The ultimate goal of such activity is to strengthen civic leaders in the region and to construct support networks for them within international structures. The CEP’s grantmaking generally dovetails with its research and advocacy agenda. The CEP does not limit the amount that can be requested in an application and both single- and multi-year proposals are accepted. Projects are encouraged to demonstrate funding from multiple sources. With the exception of Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, the CEP only funds proposals with activity in two or more of the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia. While applications are considered from organizations worldwide, priority is given to groups in the region. Grant applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information on eligibility criteria and how to apply, please visit: http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/grants/central-eurasia-project
European Endowment for Democracy The European Endowment for Democracy has been created to promote the European values of freedom and democracy. A joint effort of the Member States and European Union institutions, the European Endowment for Democracy remains an independent private law foundation with its seat in Brussels. EED works in a flexible way and therefore receives and assesses request for support in an ongoing manner. The support provided by EED can vary in size and duration. However average grants normally range between â‚Ź10,000 and â‚Ź150,000. EED assists pro-democratic civil society organizations, movements and individual activists acting in favor of a pluralistic multiparty system regardless of their size or formal status. The EED will also provide assistance to young leaders, independent media and journalists, provided that all the beneficiaries adhere to core democratic values and human rights as well as subscribe to principles of non-violence. EED acknowledges the existing range of pro-democracy donors and seeks to mainly act as a gap-filler. Therefore priority is given to activities that would be difficult to fund through other existing channels. In doing so, EED follows a demanddriven and needs-based approach. EED covers the following countries / territories: Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Georgia, Jordan, Libya, Lebanon, Moldova, Morocco, the occupied Palestinian territories, Syria, Tunisia and Ukraine. For more information on how to apply, please visit: http://democracyendowment.eu/support/survey/create
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Black Sea NGO Trimestrial Newsletter, Autumn 2013 PH International: Armenia Community Action and Linkages for Legal Socialization PH International, in the framework of its “Armenia Community Action and Linkages for Legal Socialization” (Armenia CALLS) Program funded by the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), announces a Call for Small Grants Project Proposals for local community organizations to implement projects in their respective regions. Community organizations (NGOs, state and municipal non-commercial organizations) with two and more years of work experience in the field of child protection, registered in the following 7 regions of Armenia, Ararat, Aragatsotn, Gegharkunik, Kotayk, Tavush, Syunik, Vayots Dzor, are eligible to apply. PH International is a non-profit organization that builds strong global communities by fostering civic engagement, cross-cultural learning and increased opportunities in the digital age. The goal of Armenia CALLS is to support legal socialization reform in Armenia by developing creative and proactive community-based models that 1) support Armenian communities in preventing juvenile delinquency through social justice activities for Armenian youth in coordination with the Armenian Police, schools, and communities and 2) contribute to a fundamental shift within the police, justice administering institutions, and community toward alternative justice for juveniles. The deadline for submitting applications is the 8th of November 2013, 6PM (18:00). To download the complete package of application and for more information please access the following link. Source: http://www.cdpf.am/en/news412/
The second meeting of the Joint Programming Committee for the future ENI CBC Black Sea Basin Programme 2014-2020 The second meeting of the Joint Programming Committee for the future ENI CBC Black Sea Basin Programme 20142020, was held in Constanța, Romania, on the 20th of June 2013. This event was organized by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, as Joint Managing Authority for the Joint Operational Programme “Black Sea Basin 2007-2013”. The Joint Programming Committee is the responsible body for the elaboration of the next ENI CBC Black Sea Basin Programme 2014-2020, and is comprises representatives of the participating countries. The Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration, Romania was nominated as the Managing Authority as a confirmation of the successful cooperation in the framework of the current Black Sea Basin Programme 2007-2013, which must be continued in the future programming period. The second meeting gathered representatives of 9 states participating in the programming exercise (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Turkey, and Ukraine), representatives of the European Commission, Interact ENPI, Joint Managing Authority and Audit Authority for the current Black Sea Basin Programme. Source: http://www.blacksea-cbc.net/index.php/eng/News/News-Archive/The-second-meeting-of-the-JointProgramming-Committee-for-the-future-ENI-CBC-Black-Sea-Basin-Programme-2014-2020
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