Partner.east # 6
The opening article discusses issues related to the “European Neighbourhood Policy” (ENP) and the “Eastern Partnership” initiative. The author touched upon the basic pillars of ENP and delved into the details of the programme.
The second front page article referred to the Media Conference held in Tbilisi in November 2009. In the light of the dialogue on human rights between EU and Georgia the first workshop on freedom of media took place on November 11-12. Another article devoted to the issue of Media Freedom in Georgia outlined a new media project, which envisages strengthening the media’s role and turning it into a watchdog institution in Georgia.
The supplement also covered the official presentation of the project “Development of Non-State Sector Capability and Resources in Adjara Region”. Another article covered the EU-Georgia Cooperation Council Tenth Meeting, held in Luxembourg in October 2009.
Other articles drew attention to projects aimed at increasing civic awareness among and foster political culture in the short term perspective, to the results of a European Union-supported public perception survey conducted in the framework of Tax Administration Reform, as well as to a visit of a delegation of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) visiting Tbilisi and Erevan in October 2009. The delegation presented its opinion on “Civil society involvement in implementing the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Action Plans in the countries of Southern Caucasus” to various local representatives of civil society organisations. The EESC considers that local civil society organizations have not played a significant role in the elaboration or the implementation of the Action Plans signed in 2006 in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy. Therefore it sees the negotiations of Association Agreements as well as the multilateral Eastern Partnership initiative as good opportunities to really involve civil society organizations.