The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Conference along with the 9^th Annual Assembly of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum will take place on 25-27 October, 2017 in Tallinn under the Estonian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The three-day event, entitled "Tangible Results for People: Envisioning the Eastern Partnership in 2020 and Beyond," will focus on the future of the Eastern Partnership policy and on civil society's contribution to better governance in these countries.

The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, said: "Civil society representatives are the best sponsors and monitors of much-needed reforms in the Eastern Partnership countries. They are voices against corruption and for transparency and an essential force in our daily work on so many issues, from fighting violence against women, to improving the media environment. We are partners, and we need each other to reach our common goals and to make the Eastern Partnership deliver."

The Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn, stressed: “We are delivering on our promise to follow social innovation trends in our broadened support to civil society. Partnerships with key civil society actors, strong leadership and more efficient tools to advance the governance role of civil society organisations are all part our revamped toolbox. Together with partner governments, civil society in the Eastern partner countries will bring us closer to citizens in areas that make most difference for their lives.”

The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum Steering Committee Co-chair Hennadiy Maksak said: “Civil society believes in the European future of the Eastern partner countries, based on shared values, rule of law and respect for democratic principles and public accountability. It is of crucial importance to create an enabling environment for the civil society, allowing it to engage in the reform agenda.”

The conference will serve as a platform for participants to discuss better governance, dialogue between governments and civil society, the use of technology to promote government transparency, and inclusive approaches to economic development. Discussions will also focus on civil society's role in combating disinformation and developing media competence.

The participants will adopt a Civil Society Declaration identifying major obstacles to further democratic development offering specific recommendations on how governments and civil society organisations can work together to overcome them.

The European Union's support to civil society has been instrumental in increasing public accountability, respect of human rights, and local development in Eastern partner countries. From 2014 to 2016, the European Union has funded more than 260 new projects across the region, reaching more than 600 organisations.

The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Conference is organised by the Estonian presidency, Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership and the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum, a regional civil society platform aimed at promoting European integration and facilitating reforms and democratic transformations across the region.

The event is held every two years as a side event to the Eastern Partnership Summit, which this year will take place on November 24 in Brussels. 

More than 350 media professionals and donors from the Eastern Partnership and the EU gather in Kyiv on 13 September for the 2nd Eastern Partnership Media Conference, which aims to shine a spotlight on the growing challenges facing journalists in the EU’s Eastern partner countries.

Bringing together participants from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine as well as EU Member States, the conference offers a unique platform to identify obstacles to a healthy media environment, discuss ways of addressing them, and examine how the EU and other donors can best support independent journalism in these countries.

In his message to the participants, European Neighbourhood Commissioner Johannes Hahn stressed that ''Freedom of expression is one of the very foundations on which our Union is built. We believe that a strong, independent press is fundamental to successful societies everywhere. Today's conference clearly shows the importance of closer engagement of the EU with partner countries on the issues of plurality and independence of media.''

Over the past decade, the European Union has spent and earmarked about €30 million in support of media initiatives in Eastern partner countries, €14 million of which on current projects.

The conference will look at the pressures experienced by media workers in the Eastern neighbourhood, discuss solutions to achieve economic sustainability in news and story production, as well as difficulties in reforming public broadcasting sectors.

Participants will also discuss methods to make media outlets more sustainable and to help journalists continue to grow professionally. The challenges posed by disinformation campaigns and efforts to spread biased or misleading information on social media will also be on the agenda, with a focus on how media can help increase critical thinking in society.

The 2nd Eastern Partnership Media Conference is held in preparation for the 5th Eastern Partnership Summit, to be held in Brussels in November 2017. The discussions and practical findings of the conference will provide a basis for further considerations at the Summit.

A conclusive conference for the “Social Inclusion Support Sub-program" was held at the Ilia State University conference hall, where the guests had the opportunity to view special presentations created by the program beneficiaries – individuals with special educational needs, as well as the students of Georgian public schools regarding the events conducted by the” Social Inclusion Support Sub-program”.
The subprogram participants (public school students, students, SEN students and Romani people) provided the information to the audience with the history and culture of the Romani people, as well as their problems and everyday life.
For the duration of several years, the Ministry of Education and Science has been actively taking care of the ethnic minorities, and the integration of the Romani people into the Georgian educational system. In order to ameliorate the language skills and better integrate the youth with their peers, a “Social Inclusion Support Sub-program” has been launched, which entails a variety of activities during the school time. These activities, such as; reading and theater clubs, thematic gatherings and meetings, and conferences) attract beneficiaries with mutual interests (including adolescents with different religious beliefs, and ethnic backgrounds). The cohabitation with the volunteer peers gave the beneficiary adolescents the motivation to receive education, as well as creating a positive atmosphere at the educational institution.
Within the scope of the Sub-program, public school volunteers are being trained to cooperate; re-trained beneficiaries are actively engaging in the social life; and are participating in the process of searching for the new beneficiaries and identifying the problems.
Conference participants noted, that it is important for the government to protect the rights of the ethnic minorities. Additionally it is crucial to effectively implement such programs, which on one hand preserves their ethnic identity, whilst actively integrating them into the society.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) with EU funding under the EU4Business Initiative is organising an international conference of consulting professionals in the Georgian capital Tbilisi on 3-4 November 2016. ‘Competitive Consulting 2016’ will bring together consultants from a wide range of markets, as well as a number of international consulting firms interested in engaging with local partners.
This event will help consultants to build their competences, exposure and network so that they can provide high quality services to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME).
The conference will feature plenary sessions from leaders in the consulting industry and the business world. They will explore global trends in the sector and the new challenges in the industry and the region. The event will include detailed breakout sessions examining new techniques, models and approaches for agile consulting, combining experience with innovation. (EU Neighbours East Info).

The central and regional authorities of Armenia and Georgia, non-governmental organisations, expert, media and business circles of both countries gathered for a conference in the Georgian capital Tbilisi today to discuss the promotion of cross-border territorial cooperation and economic potential of the Kvemo Kartli region in Georgia and Tavush region in Armenia. The event is organised by the EU-funded Cross-Border Economic Development (CED) project implemented in the framework of the Eastern Partnership Territorial Cooperation Programme (EaPTC).

The Project “Cross-Border Economic Development” is aimed at improving the living conditions of the bordering communities in the Kvemo Kartli and Tavush regions and strengthening their cross-border potential, primarily in the field of agriculture. Also, the project is about to publish “Guidelines for starting business in Armenia and Georgia” in order to provide assistance for potential business partners in the neighbouring regions in such areasas registration, taxation and licenses, among others.

The EaPTC Programme aims to promote and strengthen cross-border cooperation between regional and local state authorities, communities and civil society organisations in the development of joint solutions to common social and economic development challenges in the participating border regions. (EU Neighbourhood Info).

BATUMI. 16 July 2016 – EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn visited Georgia on 14 July to speak at “Georgia's European Way” conference in Batumi.

After the conference, Commissioner Hahn visited a number of agriculture projects in Ajara Autonomous Republic funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The EU official was accompanied by EU Ambassador to Georgia Janos Herman, United Nations Resident Coordinator Niels Scott and Minister of Agriculture of Georgia Otar Danelia.

Commissioner Hahn visited the agricultural cooperative “Lurja 2015” which produces berries in Ochkhamuri village in Kobuleti. The founder and several members of the cooperative are visually impaired. Commissioner Hahn handed over two laptop computers with speech recognition software specially designed for visually impaired persons.

Commissioner Johannes Hahn also visited the Kobuleti branch of the Ajara Agroservice Canter to learn about services for farmers that help promote agriculture and rural development in Ajara.

Meetings of high-ranking EU officials with small farmers continued on 16 July, when Deputy Director General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Katarina Mathernova, accompanied by Minister of Agriculture of Georgia, Otar Danelia, and Deputy Head of UNDP in Georgia, Natia Natsvlishvili, visited a wine cellar “Satsuri” and honey producer “Naturgift” in Batumi.

Both cooperatives were established with assistance of the programme ENPARD funded by the European Union and implemented in Ajara AR by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Katarina Mathernova handed over to the cooperative "Naturgift" a modern honey production equipment worth GEL 60 thousand.

The visits to EU-funded agricultural cooperatives and the meetings with small farmers offered EU officials first-hand information about the challenges and achievements of local economies in Georgia and the role cooperation in boosting rural development.

The programme ENPARD is recognised as one of the most successful agriculture initiatives funded by the EU. Since 2013, the programme has supported Georgia’s agriculture and rural development with over EUR 102 million. In Ajara Autonomous Republic ENPARD is being implemented through cooperation with UNDP.

The first phase of the programme came to end in June 2016. The second phase will be launched shortly to continue through 2018.

“The statements made by Commissioner Johannes Hahn were very encouraging; he has once again underlined the readiness of the EU to complete the visa liberalisation process speedily and successfully. Therefore, we hope that the process will be completed positively and visa-free travel will be granted to Georgia,” Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze said to the journalists at the Batumi International Conference.  
The Minister underlined that the visa liberalization process was the main issue of discussions held between Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili and Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn. Mikheil Janelidze once again underlined that Georgia has fulfilled all the benchmarks for visa liberalization.
The Georgian Foreign Minister is taking part in the Batumi 13th International Conference “Georgia’s European Way”.  

TBILISI, 7 July 2016 – Multi-faceted challenges to free media and the freedom of expression were the focus of a two-day discussion at the 13th OSCE South Caucasus Media Conference, organized by the Office of the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media that concluded today in Tbilisi, Georgia.

As in the past, the annual event brought together more than 80 media experts, civil society and government representatives from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, along with experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Russian Federation, and the United Kingdom, to discuss issues affecting media freedom in the South Caucasus region.

In particular the participants exchanged views concerning the issues of safety and security of media workers online and offline; the influence of the Internet on the changing media landscape; and, content regulation in conflict-affected regions, including the legal implications and professional standards of journalists.

“Journalism continues to face numerous challenges today, including those related to safety and impunity, as well as the issues emanating from the regional conflicts,” said OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović. “At the same time, the new forms of media and reporting practices provide new opportunities for freedom of the media and free flow of information, and can be beneficial for building confidence among people.”

The participants also discussed the increased exploitation of the media for the spread of propaganda and underlined the need to develop effective tools to counter this phenomenon while preserving media pluralism and raising the professional and ethical standards of journalists.

At the end of the conference the participants adopted a set of recommendations addressed to the governments and the media community of the region, which will soon be available at www.osce.org/fom.

During her visit, Mijatović also met with the Chair of the Georgian Parliament David Usupashvili and Georgia’s Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze.

In her meetings the Representative again emphasized that Georgia has achieved substantial and widely recognized progress on free media and freedom of expression. She encouraged the authorities to preserve and enhance these exemplary achievements while noting the special importance of maintaining media pluralism and variety of voices in society ahead of parliamentary elections in October.

Mijatovic also positively noted the election of the remaining two members of the Public Service Broadcaster’s Supervisory Board in April 2016 which makes the broadcaster fully operational, a long-standing issue she has been raising with the authorities. However, the Representative stressed the need to continue supporting public broadcasting in the country, in order for citizens to fully benefit from a trusted source of objective and impartial information.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom.

Conference on the Independent, Qualified and Ethical Exercise of the Profession of Lawyer

Ten European Bar Associations will meet in Tbilisi, Georgia on 20-21 June 2016 to discuss the role of Bar Associations, their best practices, professional duties, lawyers training and lawyers’ rights. Inspired by the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation on the Freedom of exercise of the profession of lawyer, the meeting will create the opportunity to open the lines of legal understanding, cross-border dialogue and establish lasting professional relationships between Bar Associations from Council of Europe member States.

The Conference will have thematic working groups composed of the representatives from the different European Bar Associations, Georgian NGOs, professional entities and international organisations. Three international experts will facilitate an open exchange of ideas and will additionally provide an overview of updates in European standards and practices. As a result, lawyers’ profession will be analyzed in a practical paradigm, encouraging Bar Associations to reflect on the best approaches for their existing practices. A strengthened lawyers’ profession will in turn ensure the efficiency and the fair administration of justice for the citizens of Georgia.

This Conference is funded by the Council of Europe/EU Joint Project “Support to the Georgian Bar Association and the EU/UN Joint Project “Enhancing Access to Justice and Development of a Child-Friendly Justice System in Georgia”. 

Over thirty representatives of the Georgian and international bar associations get together at a conference in Tbilisi on 20-21 June 2016 to discuss an independent, qualified and ethical exercise of the lawyer’s profession.

The Conference is organised by the Georgian Bar Association, with assistance from the Council of Europe (CoE), European Union and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and in cooperation with the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE) and Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University.

President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili will open the event.

Zaza Khatiashvili, Georgian Bar Association Chair; Cristian Urse, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Georgia; Shombi Sharp, UNDP Resident Representative a.i. in Georgia; Stephen Stork, Deputy Head of Operations Section of the European Union Delegation to Georgia; and Irakli Burduli, Dean of Faculty of Law of Iv. Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, will address the Conference at an opening session.

The Conference participants will discuss common challenges faced by lawyers and examine best practices in different countries. At the end of the Conference on 21 June, they will present a joint working document that will be published as a reference and guidance for professional associations of lawyers. Improving the quality of the profession of lawyer will in turn ensure the efficiency and fair administration of justice for the citizens of countries concerned.