Eastern Neighbours

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The EESC's activities concerning Eastern Neighbours involve Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The main objective of the EESC with regard to the European Eastern Neighbours is to enhance relations with civil society organisations in the region and to involve them in a dialogue with both their national policy makers and the EU organised civil society.

The main cooperation mechanisms with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine are the Civil Society Platforms which complement the political bodies existing within the framework of the EU Association Agreements with these countries. The Platforms allow civil society organisations from both the EU and the partner country side to monitor the implementation process and prepare their recommendations to the relevant authorities.

On the EU side, these Platforms comprise members of the EESC as well as representatives from large European civil society networks. On the partner country side, they represent a broad spectrum of civil society organizations. The membership of the Platforms is based on balanced representation of all interest groups (employers' organizations, trade unions and various interests' groups).

Within the EESC, the Eastern Neighbours Follow-up Committee was established in 2004 as a dedicated body responsible for relations with civil society in the Eastern Neighbourhood countries. The Follow-up Committee usually meets four times a year and its members take active part in the Eastern Partnership activities such as EaP multilateral platforms and the EaP Civil Society Forum.

  • Joint meeting

    The representatives of the two Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs) from the EU and Ukraine held their fourth joint meeting via a video conference on 28 October 2020. 

  • The Civil Society Platform complements the political bodies existing within the framework of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, and it allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the implementation process and prepare their recommendations to the relevant authorities both in Georgia as well as in the European Union.

    The 6th meeting of the EU-Georgia Civil Society Platform took place place on 26 February 2020 Brussels. During the meeting, a debate was held assessing the state of play of the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement. Constitutional reform in Georgia and occupational safety and health at workplace were also discussed.

     

  • The 6th meeting of the EU-Moldova Civil Society Platform took place on 13 February 2020 in Chisinau in Moldova. During the meeting, a debate was held assessing the state of play of the implementation of the EU-Moldova Association Agreement. Social aspects of the implementation of the Association Agreement and Moldovan initiatives in justice sector and fighting corruption were discussed. Platform members also took stock of the Association Agenda EU-Moldova 2017-2019.

  • The 8th meeting of the EU Domestic Advisory Group under the EU-Ukraine DCFTA took place via a video conference on 6 May 2020. Please click on the programme tab to consult the topics on the agenda.

  • CANCELLED / The 6th meeting of the EU-Georgia Domestic Advisory Group will take place on 30 March 2020 in Brussels. Please click on the programme tab to consult the topics on the agenda.

  • The 8th meeting of the EU-Ukraine Civil Society Platform took place on 3 December 2019 in Brussels. During the meeting, a debate was held assessing the state of play of the implementation of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement. And two reports, prepared by both sides, one on the Integration of Ukraine into the European Union's Digital Single Market and the second one on Transport component of the Association Agreement, were discussed.

  • Representatives of the two Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs) from the EU and Ukraine held their third joint meeting in Brussels on 6 November 2019. Please click on the programme tab to consult the topics on the agenda.

  • The 7th meeting of the EU Domestic Advisory Group under the EU-Ukraine DCFTA took place on 19 September 2019 in Brussels. Please click on the programme tab to consult the topics on the agenda.

  • The Civil Society Platform complements the political bodies existing within the framework of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement, and it allows civil society organisations from both sides to monitor the implementation process and prepare their recommendations to the relevant authorities both in Georgia as well as in the European Union.

    At the fifth meeting, the Members of the Platform assessed the state of play of the implementation of the EU-Georgia Association Agreement and adopted reports on 10 years of Eastern Partnership from the Georgian perspective, labour safety at workplace and on rights of migrants in Georgia.

  • Representatives of the two Domestic Advisory Groups (DAG) from the EU and Moldova, established under Chapter 13 on Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) of the Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, held the fourth joint meeting in Chisinau, Moldova, on 5 July 2019.