EaP CSF Newsletter 

29 January 2015

For the newsletter in Russian, please click here

The first Steering Committee meeting of the year is coming up in its new composition!

The Steering Committee (SC) of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum will be holding its first yearly meeting in Brussels on 4-5 February. 

The meeting will serve to elaborate the Forum's contribution to major Eastern Partnership processes this year including the upcoming Eastern Partnership Riga Summit, the reform of the European Neighbourhood Policy and the response to ongoing security challenges in the region. SC Members will also define the new working methods of the Forum including the role of the new working group councils and set the advocacy priorities for 2015-2016. 

Working Group Councils and Working Groups meetings and call for proposals to be launched soon

The Secretariat is starting to plan Working Group Councils (WGCs) meetings and annual Working Group meetings for the first half of the year. Under SC guidance, the Secretariat will also be carrying out regranting and capacity building in support of Working Groups. The regranting will be an opportunity to support small, time-bound and outcome-focused proposals. After the WGCs and the SC have identified the priorities for the WG activities in 2015 linked to the EU-Eastern Partnership cooperation agenda and possible outputs, the calls for proposals open to all active members in the Forum will be launched. Follow our news and the website.

Georgian EaP CSF National Platform meets with Commissioner Hahn on his first visit to Georgia

EaP CSF Country Facilitator for Georgia, Lasha Tugushi, was among the civil society representatives who met with European Neighbourhood Commissioner Johannes Hahn during his first official visit to Georgia on 16 January 2015. Read more 

Appointment of an Advocacy and Membership Manager: Tanya Basarab

Tanya Basarab is joining the Forum’s secretariat in the role of Advocacy and Membership Manager. The Advocacy and Membership Manager is a new position at the Secretariat, tasked with providing strategic political analysis to support the development and implementation of effective advocacy strategies with institutional, governmental or other relevant actors. Read more

Other News

European Commission plans €1.8 billion of further macro-financial assistance to Ukraine 

The European Commission announced yesterday a further package of €1.8 billion in macro-financial assistance (MFA) to Ukraine in a bid to help the country’s balance-of-payments problems. The move is now pending approval from the European Parliament and Council of Ministers of the EU. Read more

Public Administration Reform in EU's Partner Countries: Comparative Report 2014

The Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership has published a comparative analysis of the state of Public Administration in the EU Eastern Partners in 2014. The report presents the level of compliance by public administration of the Eastern Partner countries with EU Principles over 2009-2014 period. With its approximation to EU standards, Georgia is the front-runner in Public Administration Reform according to this report. Read more

Call for proposals: EU action grants for democratic engagement and civic partnership

The EACEA is calling for project proposals in three thematic areas: (1) Town Twinning, (2) Network of Towns, and (3) Civil Society projects. The successful proposals will receive grants for the implementation of their projects. Civil society projects are eligible for a maximum grant of €150,000 for a period of 18 months and must involve organisations from three eligible countries, including one EU Member State. Deadline: 2 March 2015 Read more