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Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum can serve poverty eradication in Eastern Europe


Brussels, 10 November 2009 - The European Commission is organising the first edition of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum that will be held in Brussels on 16-17 November. Caritas Europa welcomes this event and interprets it as an acknowledgement from the EU of the pivotal role that civil society and non-governmental organisations play within their societies in addressing social challenges and holding governments accountable for their decisions.

In the view of Caritas Europa, the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum has the potential to become an important tool to support the civil society organisations’ commitment to tackle poverty and social exclusion. The forum brings a unique opportunity to share experience and expertise among these organisations and the authorities of the Eastern Partnership countries. 

Ahead of the launching of the event next week, Caritas Caritas Europa, along with its member organisations from Armenia, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, has sent a written contribution to the European Commission to be disseminated among the participants.

Recommendations to the Forum

      The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum will be hold in Brussels on 16-17 November 2009

The Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum will be held in Brussels on 16-17 November 2009

Photo: European Commission

The contribution highlights six main recommendations to tackle migration related challenges:

  • Labour migration is an important instrument for many people to cope with the challenges related to social protection systems in transition. The Civil Society Forum could make recommendations to facilitate the free circulation of workers between Eastern Partnership countries and the EU, as one of the policy tools to ease the transition process and to bring citizens in contact with each other. 
  • Eastern Partnership countries see positive but also negative consequences of the current EU labour migration policies. The Civil Society Forum could contribute to identifying those and consequently addressing them.
  • Civil society organisations of the Eastern Partnership countries deserve support to play their crucial role in social dialogue with the authorities in their country. The Civil Society Forum could be a useful instrument with regard to this.
  • Civil society organisations need to be supported in building their capacity to interact with the competent EU institutions and to propose EU Neighbourhood policy options. Civil society organisations also have a crucial role to play in promoting equality between men and women. Equal rights, treatment and opportunities for women, a mind shift about the „traditional” roles of parents in a family etc are necessary ingredients to bring stability in societies in transition. 
  • EU financial instruments should aim at including civil society organisations from the Eastern Partnership countries by granting resources to European-wide networks of civil society organisations and enabling them to invite all their members, including those in Eastern  Partnership countries, to participate in their capacity building and exchange events. Employment of colleagues from Eastern Partnership countries in the EU office of civil society organisations networks should also be facilitated. 
  • 2010 will be the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion. Caritas urges the EU to take significant steps to address poverty in the Eastern Partnership countries by contributing to the reform and increasing the performance of social security and social protection systems in these countries, including by promoting and supporting civil society organisations to play their role in social dialogue with the authorities.


For more information, please contact:

Peter Verhaeghe
Migration Officer
Tel.: + 32 (0)2 235 03 96
Mob.: + 32 (0)478 58 54 33
E-Mail: pverhaeghe@caritas-europa.org

  
 

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