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‘Reaching the Tipping-point of Visa-free Travel for Eastern Partner Countries’
Four PASOS policy briefs were released at this March 27 seminar in Brussels, as part of “Paving the road towards visa-free travel between the Eastern Partnership countries and the EU.” The PASOS-led project promotes visa liberalisation between the six EaP countries and the European Union.
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PASOS director presents civil society plan to EU foreign ministers
A set of proposals to strengthen public participation and civil society engagement in the policymaking process in the Eastern Partnership countries was presented to a meeting in Prague of EU foreign ministers (Visegrad Four and Baltic states) by PASOS Executive Director Jeff Lovitt, together with Eduard Mihalas of the National Youth Council of Moldova.
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PASOS publishes guide to influencing EU policy
“The Right Approach to Europe. An Advocacy Handbook for Civil Society: Understanding and Influencing EU Policymaking” is the newest publication released by PASOS, as part of the Understanding and Influencing EU Policymaking project. The 112-page publication, released January 30, is primarily targeted at think-tanks and other policy-focused civil society organisations or networks.
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Ilko Kucheriv Democracy Partnership Programme announces fellows
Five professionals at independent democracy and human rights advocacy NGOs and think-tanks from the CIS region have been named recipients of an Ilko Kucheriv Democracy Partnership Programme fellowships.
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PASOS releases booklets on ethics, quality standards
PASOS has published two guidebooks for think-tanks, one a code of good governance and one based on a set of principles for ensuring quality control over policy work. “Thinking Ethically” and “How to win respect and influence policymakers” were released at the annual PASOS members assembly in Warsaw November 26.
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PASOS releases 4 policy briefs at annual conference
Four new PASOS policy briefs were released at “Democracy, Partnership, Enlargement – Challenges for Europe, Challenges for the Polish EU Presidency”, the network’s annual policymakers/think-tanks conference 25 November. The papers address such diverse topics as new media, visa liberalisation, the revolutions in North Africa, and the European neighbourhood.
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Democracy, Partnership, Enlargement – Challenges for Europe, Challenges for the Polish EU Presidency
The PASOS/IPA international think-tanks and policymakers’ conference was held in Warsaw, Poland, 25 November 2011. Krzysztof Stanowski, Undersecretary of State for Development and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Poland. delivered the keynote address.
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“Transparency in Lobbying,” a PASOS policy seminar in Prague
“Transparency in Lobbying,” a PASOS policy seminar held at the U.S. Embassy’s American Center in Prague 14 October, 2011, featured a lively panel discussion on ethics, legislative strategy, and how lobbying regulations should impact NGOs, including think tanks.
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PASOS seminar in Cairo marks first foray into Egypt
“Women’s Rights in Egypt: What now?,” a seminar on policy analysis and research, and policy advocacy, marked the first PASOS project to take place in Egypt. Held in Cairo on 28 September 2011, the seminar introduced the PASOS network to representatives of Egyptian NGOs. Two experts from the Center for Research and Policy Making in Macedonia also made presentations on policy analysis, research and advocacy.
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“Opening the Doors of Policy-Making in the South Caucasus and Central Asia” launches with Istanbul training
The PASOS program, funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund, seeks to empower civil society organizations and to enhance public participation in public policy development in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.
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PASOS and partners launch “No Visa” websites in support of visa liberalization for EaP countries
The launch of PASOS’ new NoVisa.eu website marks the inaguration of a new multi-NGO program to advocate for abolishing travel restrictions between the EU and the six Eastern Partnership (EaP) countries. The website is one of seven in the new “No Visa” network that includes country-specific versions of the site in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.
BISS poll shows declining support for EU in Belarus
The percentage of Belarusians who think their country should orient itself to the EU instead of Russia has declined sharply in the last year, according to the results of a public-opinion poll commissioned by the Belarusian Institute for Strategic Studies.
CEMI joins NGOs in support of corruption inquiry
The Monitoring Center – CEMI has joined a group of Montenegrin NGOs supporting a parliamentary investigation into the 2005 privatization of the country’s primary telecom company, a sale that has sparked a major corruption scandal.
BCPS roundtable, case studies tackle border issues
Economic underdevelopment is the biggest challenge facing people who live in the part of Serbia adjacent to Kosovo and Montenegro, but political solutions for border disputes are needed before the economy can be addressed, according to the conclusions of an April roundtable discussion held by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy.
IKDIF poll: 46 percent of Ukrainians favor EU membership
Less than half of the Ukrainians polled in an public-opinion survey conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation (IKDIF) say they favor their country joining the European Union. The results show that support for joining the union has crept up from the 42.8 percent that said Ukraine should be part of the EU in a similar IKDIF poll taken two years earlier.
Featured Publications
Women on the Polish political scene
This report is a description of the situation of Polish women in politics since 1989, with a particular emphasis on local elections in 2010 and parliamentary elections in 2011. The authors analyze the first Polish elections in which quota mechanisms and a First Past-The-Post system were implemented.
Spotlight on Azerbaijan
The Center for Economic and Social Development in Baku contributed to the economic section of “Spotlight on Azerbaijan,” a report published by the Foreign Policy Center.
Serbia and NATO: From enemies to (almost) partners
This BCSP paper analyzes the ambivalent relationship between Serbia and NATO. The author proposes that an exceptional case of socialisation took place in the wake of the 1999 NATO bombing campaign.
