Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum 2010

Citizens from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine are building a road to Europe, making up for democratic shortcomings and their state failures, and the EU has opened its policy process to include civil society.

Over the two days of the Forum, they will discuss the state of democracy in their countries, economic development, regional cooperation, how other European groups and EU member states can help them improve their situations, and how to build cross-country linkages to advance European values throughout the eastern neighbourhood.

The Civil Society Forum is meeting in the German Foreign Office, and for two days Berlin will be the center of European discussions held by the leaders and key thinkers in the six countries of the eastern neighbourhood. .

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fühle will give keynote addresses, and other crucial decision-makers in Europe’s eastern policy will be participating in the Forum.

Forum will also help to broaden dialogue and cooperation between civil society and governments in the six neighbouring countries.

In addition to the official program of the Civil Society Forum at the Foreign Office, a major program of additional events will take place at locations across Berlin. For example, there will be debates about whether the Eastern Partnership is actually an alternative to EU membership, what the future of the Eastern Partnership should be, what policies the civil society representatives from the eastern neighbourhood should recommend, and how the eastern neighbours can help Europe connect with civil society in Russia.

INFO:
Federal Foreign Office in Berlin
John Reyels
telefono: +49 30 5000 1760

ALDA - Association of Local Democracy Agencies
Cinzia Spinazzè - Director's Assistant
telefono: +39 0444 540146
e-mail: cinzia.spinazze@aldaintranet.org
web: www.alda-europe.eu