ECNL participated in the Sixth Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, which took place in Batumi, Georgia on November 19-21, in Georgia.The sixth Forum focused on the issue of common security, protection of fundamental rights and role of mass media in the situation of military conflicts.
The Civil Society Forum provides a platform for the CSOs from the EaP region to address the processes related to EU integration, the role of civil society in these processes and, as stated in the welcome words by the new EU High representative for foreign affairs Federica Mogherini, is the way for region’s CSOs to do politics.
In 2014 three Eastern Neighborhood countries – Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia – signed EU association agreement. At the same time the process of EU integration is far from being complete even by the forerunners of the region, as the annual Eastern Partnership Integration Index notes.
Discussions of the Forum addressed the role for civil society in the political processes and reforms. The role of civil society has proven to be detrimental in the process of democratic transition and supporting citizens’ pro-European choice, as recent developments in Ukraine show. At the same time all the countries need to do more to build better environment for CSOs and in some of countries, such as Azerbaijan and Belarus, there is highly restrictive and further deteriorating legal framework for civil society.
ECNL partners were present and actively participated in the Forum sessions, as well as our regional partners from Europe, such as Council of Europe, ALDA Association of Local Democracy Agencies, and donor representatives took part in the event.