Founding Conference of the Ukrainian National Platform - Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum

Founding Conference of the Ukrainian National Platform for the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (02/02/2011)

The established National Platform united think tanks and NGOs which all over Ukraine are dealing with the European affairs and are ready to cooperate in the context of Ukraine’s European integration. The conference was arranged with the support of the International Renaissance Foundation European Programme.

At the beginning of the Conference, Ihor Kohut, Chairman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives and National Coordinator of the Civil Society Forum in Ukraine, noted:“The majority of civil society organisations want to see the Ukrainian National Platform as a discussion site where they can reconcile their positions. This is a possibility to unite the potential of many teams dealing with the European affairs across Ukraine”. He also added that the National Platform will involve into its activities the existing associations of civil society initiatives, such as the Public Expert Council under the Ukrainian Part of EU-Ukraine Cooperation Committee, the Public Assembly of Ukraine, and the Reform Support Network. At the same time, the National Platform will remain open to all NGOs that will express their wish and potential for the development of the European integration initiatives.

Borys Tarasyuk, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration, backed up the establishment of the Platform and also expressed support on behalf of the profile parliamentary committee. He also briefed the audience on the developments related to the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, which includes representatives of the European Parliament and the Parliaments of Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Mr Tarasyuk stressed the importance of 2011, during which, in his opinion, there are all chances to complete the negotiations on the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, as well as to further develop the negotiations on the liberalisation of visa regime.

Oleh Rybachuk, Chairman of the Public Expert Council under the Ukrainian Part of the EU-Ukraine Cooperation Committee, noted that at the moment there are already mechanisms in place for cooperation between Ukraine and the EU at the civil society level and it is important to look for the possibilities to use them. He described the National Platform as a chance to strengthen such possibilities.

Tevan Pogosyan, Coordinator of Working Group IV “People-to-People Contacts” of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, stressed that the real aim of the initiative to establish national platforms within the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum was to help the countries in the implementation of the reforms needed for deepening their integration with the European Union. Mr Pogosyan also underlined the importance of the real cooperation within the new establishment and the activity of its members.

Upon the opening, the conference continued in the following four working groups:

Democracy, Human Rights, Good Governance, and Stability;
Economic Integration and Adjustment to the EU Policies;
Environment, Climate Change, and Energy Security;
People-to-People Contacts.

At the final plenary sitting, the conference participants established the National Platform Coordination Council including Ihor Kohut (Chairman of the Board of the Agency for Legislative Initiatives and National Coordinator of the Civil Society Forum in Ukraine, Oleh Rybachuk (Chairman of the Public Expert Council under the Ukrainian Part of the EU-Ukraine Cooperation Committee), Andriy Kohut (Member of the Organisation Committee of the Civic Assembly of Ukraine), Yulia Tyshchenko (Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Independent Centre for Political Studies, the European Convent of Ukraine), Iurii Vdovenko (Vice-President of the Polissya Foundation for International and Regional Studies), Svyatoslav Pavlyuk (PAUCI Deputy Director), Yaryna Borenko (Programme Director of the European Dialogue NGO), Nataliya Andrusevych (Chairman of the Board of the Society and Environment Resource and Analysis Centre), Ganna Golubovska-Onisimova (President of the All-Ukrainian Environmental Organisation MAMA-86, and a Reform Support Network representative (to be determined).

In addition, the conference participants also approved the National Platform Action Plan 2011, and generally supported the Memorandum on Establishment of the Ukrainian National Platform for the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum (to be updated).

Downloads

Draft Memorandum on Establishment of the Ukrainian National Platform for the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum