Events

The Future of the European Neighbourhood Policy

European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) – in tandem with the European External Action Service (EEAS) – helped advise the young liberal European parties at their annual meetings in Bucharest to adopt a final resolution on European foreign and neighbourhood policy. The advice and contributions from ENC and EEAS will lead to the annual resolution which will be officially presented during the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) Congress in Estonia between the 11^th and 13^th of November, 2016.

The European Liberal Forum (ELF) and LYMEC – with the support of the European Parliament – organised the two-day conference focusing on “The Future of the European Neighbourhood Policy” which took place in Bucharest, Romania, between 21^st and 23^rd of November, 2016.

The workshop gathered young liberal members from across European parties and associations to discuss the future of the EU Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) by bringing a mix of EU and non-EU nationals together for policy discussion and briefings. The official foreign and neighbourhood guidelines of ELF and LYMEC were set during these preliminary talks through consultations with ENC and EEAS, which will lead to an official foreign policy resolution later this year. The seminar promoted capacity building for the liberal activists and helped develop the young liberal party association’s views and policies on the EU’s neighbourhood and foreign policy.

Inter-institutional cooperation is the key to move forward

Among the distinguished speakers was Andreas Marazis, Head Researcher for Eastern Europe and Eastern Partnership at ENC. He spoke about the current status and the future prospects of the Eastern Partnership, while noting that the alignment of our partners with the EU’s norms and values of democracy, human rights and rule of law should be the ultimate goal. He highlighted the need for deeper inter-institutional cooperation, especially between the European Parliament, NATO and the EaP members. He noted that it is important to effectively communicate the benefits of reforms, while pushing for stronger links between civil society and academia on one hand and policy-makers on the other.

Unity and Solidarity: Key EU strengths

Mihaela Vasiu, Policy Coordinator, Strategy and Instruments of the European Neighbourhood Policy at EEAS, talked about the current state of affairs of the ENP. According to Vasiu the ENP division (between North and South) should be avoided to encourage further engagement and cooperation. The EU is more influential when it remains united in a common approach, while communicating a single message.

EU Enlargement always on the table

Teodor Melescanu, Vice-president of the ALDE Party Romania and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania argued in favour of EU enlargement, stating the right of any European geographic country to apply for EU membership. The importance of the Copenhagen Criteria and the Lisbon Treaty remain crucial during the candidacy process for the positive development of fundamental rights, democracy and rule of law, as well as prosperity and stability.

High Profile Roundtable Policy Discussion in the European Parliament on Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova

The European Neighbourhood Council held a roundtable policy discussion with experts representing academia, think tanks and European Union (EU) officials in the European Parliament on September 29^th, 2016.

In order to foster relevant dialogue, the roundtable included officials from the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Parliament, regional diplomats and a representative from each of the Ukrainian, Georgian and Moldovan representations.

Shaping EU foreign policy: exchanging ideas with policy makers and experts

Among the distinguished speakers were Mrs. Clara Ganslandt, Head of Division, EU Common Security & Defense Policy (CSDP) Partnerships and Agreements at the EEAS, Prof. Bruno Coppieters, Head of the Department of Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Mr. Sergiy Solodkyy, first Deputy Director of the Kyiv-based think-tank Institute of World Policy (IWP), and Mr. Stanislav Secrieru, policy analyst at the Open Society European Policy Institute (OSEPI). The roundtable was introduced and moderated by Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, Director of the European Neighborhood Council and Ilhan Kyuchyuk, ALDE Member of the European Parliament.

Increased need for EU consultations on security and NATO

On the record, Mrs. Ganslandt stressed the importance of the Eastern Partnership Panel on CSDP and the need for more consultations on security-related issues.

Prof. Coppieters, spoke about the concept of forgotten conflicts on behalf of the international community, referring to the cases of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia while placing the conflict in Transnistria (Moldova) under the same category.

Mr. Solodkyy underlined the necessity to strengthen and deepen the cooperation among all stakeholders (Ukraine, EU and NATO) in the area of intelligence sharing.

The Moldovan perspective was presented by Mr. Secrieru who stressed the importance of the EU’s support in order for Moldova to stay on the right course and tackle internal issues.

Future research on Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova

ENC will publish the remaining research and commentaries anonymously in our upcoming research contributions.

The purpose of High Profile Roundtable Policy Discussions, held jointly with parliamentarians, is to inform and exchange ideas on specific policy topics in order to improve inter-institutional dialogue while improving best practice and EU policymaking.

Click to download the full event description.

Click to download the full event description.

Visa Liberalisation Expert Panel – Socio Economic Effects on Turkey and the EU

“Visa Liberalization Expert Panel – Socio Economic Effects on Turkey and the EU” was held in Brussels on the 22th of June and chaired by MEP Ismail Ertug in the European Parliament at a relevant time when Turkey’s visa liberalization is being scrutinized by the European Commission and is expected to face a vote in the European Parliament towards the end of 2016.

All business associations present presented detailed outlooks and analysis of the socio economic impacts of visa liberalization.

Due to the relevant topic and the high profile speakers, several news articles were written about the event.

Some of the articles included:

• http://www.timeturk.com/ap-de- vize-serbestisi- paneli/haber-180056
• http://www.haberler.com/ap-de- vize-serbestisi- paneli-8551896- haberi/
• http://www.konhaber.com/haber-ap_de_vize_serbestisi_paneli-559502.html
• http://www.sondakika.com/haber/haber-ap-de-vize-serbestisi-paneli-8551892/
• http://www.avrupaolay.com/haber/2482/apde-vize-serbestisi-paneli.html

Click to download the full event description.

Training Course in Diplomacy, Stability and Prosperity for Junior Diplomats from Central Asia and Mongolia

European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) – together with the Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations – hosted a young group of diplomats from Central Asia and Mongolia on the 2^nd of December at ENC head office in Brussels. The programme also included meetings with officials from the European Commission, the European External Action Service and NGO representatives working actively in Central Asia like ENC.

One of the aims of this programme is to elevate regional cooperation and give the opportunity to junior diplomats to interact with experts from European civil society on how organisations deals with tensions between countries as this is a challenge for achieving cooperation in the Central Asia region and what kind of projects they are implementing in the region.

The group consisted of twelve junior diplomats from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Mongolia.

ENC’s Model of Partnership and Cooperation

The training session opened with remarks by ENC’s Managing Director Samuel Doveri Vesterbye who presented ENC’s research activities across the wider European Neighbourhood, including also accession countries and Central Asia. Emphasis was put on ENC’s unique organizational structure and academic council, which is made up of university scholars from across most of Eurasia, enlargement countries and North Africa. Mr. Doveri Vesterbye also spoke about the need for increased dialogue, innovation and regional consensus in foreign affairs.

Among the distinguished speakers were Andreas Marazis, Head Researcher for Eastern Europe and Eastern Partnership at ENC. He spoke about the current status and future prospects of EU-Central Asia relations. According to Mr. Marazis, Central Asia needs to take ownership so as to strengthen cooperation with the EU in as many levels as possible. He highlighted the importance of the continuous review – every two years – of the EU-Central Asia Strategy in order to address current challenges of anti-radicalisation, civil society engagement, energy and trade. The possibility of an updated version of the Strategy in 2019 was also discussed by the participants. This will most likely focus on resilience, as outlined in the EU Global Strategy, as well as migration, economic growth (including job creation and enhanced employment opportunities), support to private sector development, youth and education.

Business and Funding Opportunities for Central Asia and Mongolia

Dr. Andrea Mogni, ENC external advisor and former senior policy coordinator and financial expert at the European External Action Service (EEAS), spoke about the business opportunities and the economic potential that Central Asia and Mongolia have vis-a-vis Europe. He referred to the financial instruments which Central Asian scholars have access to, such as the Horizon2020, which is the biggest EU-funded project, covering scientific and societal matters among other things.

Dr. Mogni also mentioned the role of thematic instruments covering issues related to food security, water management and migration. He also highlighted the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s (EBRD) role in financing big infrastructure projects supporting the countries in their development process.

The Training Session for junior diplomats is also part of ENC’s 2017 European Diplomatic Training Program, in which various speakers, including Dr. Mogni, teach diplomats in EU affairs, financial instruments and decision-making.