Докладчик: г-н Morkis

4.4The European Commission's offer to establish a Civil Society Forum (CSF) with the aim of strengthening the multilateral track of the Eastern Partnership via the involvement of CSOs from both the EU and partner countries has been met with great enthusiasm¹⁰. 439 CSOs have declared their interest in taking part in the first meeting of the Eastern Partnership CSF (EaP CSF), which was held in Brussels in November 2009. Due to the European Commission's technical and budgetary limits, the total number of CSOs invited to participate in the first meeting was 230 CSOs of which 150 CSOs were from partner countries. 530 CSOs expressed their interest in taking part in the second CSF meeting that was held in Berlin in November 2010. 153 CSOs from partner countries (of the total of 230 participating CSOs) were represented at the second meeting of the CSF. The numbers of CSOs from partner countries was as follows: Armenia - 26, Azerbaijan – 23, Belarus - 27, Georgia - 25, Moldova - 23, and Ukraine - 29.

4.5According to the list of CSOs invited to the second EaP CSF Berlin Forum¹¹, the majority of CSF members from partner countries are non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and think tanks active in various fields of public interest. Only 3 out of the 26 Armenian CSF member CSOs represent socio-economic interests, i.e. business associations and/or trade unions (Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Armenia, Republican Union of Employers of Armenia, and the Union of Armenian Governmental Employees). Similarly, 3 out of a total of 23 Azerbaijan CSOs represent socio-economic interests at the CSF (Azerbaijan Lawyers Confederation, Azerbaijan-Turkey Business Association, and the Ganja Agribusiness Association). 6 out of a total of 27 Belarusian member CSOs represent socio-economic interests (Belarusian Association of Journalists, Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Belarusian Congress of Democratic Trade Unions, Belarusian Trade Union of Workers of Education and Science, Business Union of Entrepreneurs and Employers named after Prof. Kouniavski, and the Federation of Belarusian Trade Unions). One out of 25 Georgian CSOs that are members of the CSF represent socio-economic interests (Confederation of Georgian Trade Unions), while none of the CSOs from Moldova and Ukraine attending the second meeting of the EaP CSFrepresented socio-economic interests.

4.6At the CSF's first meeting in Brussels in November 2009, four working groups were created, in line with the structure of the EaP's official thematic platforms. The aim of the working groups is to produce policy recommendations for the work of the official EaP platforms. Each working group is led by two coordinators, one of whom is a representative of a CSO from the partner countries. The first Brussels forum of 2009 also elected the CSF Steering Committee, which consists of 17 members: 8 are working group coordinators, 6 are national coordinators elected by the national delegations of partner countries’ CSOs to the CSF, and 3 are representatives of CSOs from the EU member states, including international networks. In total, 10 out of the 17 members of the EaP CSF are representatives of CSOs from partner countries¹². However, none of the members of the CSF Steering Committee represent a social partner CSO from the partner countries.

5.Armenia

5.1The Republican Party of Armenia - the party led by the then Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian - won 65 of 131 seats in the May 2007 National Assembly elections. Two other pro-presidential parties took a total of 41 seats, giving the government a clear majority. The next parliamentary elections are to be held in the spring of 2012. In the February 2008 presidential elections, Serzh Sarkisian was elected President of Armenia for a five-year period (until 2013). In both elections, opposition parties were put at a disadvantage due to lack of media coverage and the abuse of state resources ahead of the vote. Opposition demonstrations that began after the first round of presidential elections turned violent when the police clashed with protesters: according to the OSCE, 10 people were killed and more than 200 were injured. The current political situation is relatively stable and has enabled the government led by Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan to implement its manifesto. The Armenian government considers that European integration is a foreign policy priority and sees full EU membership as the future for Armenia.

5.2In 2010 there were about 3,300 CSOs registered at Armenia's Ministry of Justice. These CSOs are active in various fields of public interest, yet international institutions estimate that many are not active in a meaningful way. The central trade union organisation, which represents workers’ interests in social dialogue, is the Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia (CTUA). The CTUA was established in 1992 as a successor to the former Soviet trade unions. In 2007 it included 23 republican trade unions, 808 professional organisations, and 29,665 trade union members. The Union of Manufacturers and Businessmen (Employers) of Armenia is an umbrella association of 131 corporate members that represent employers’ interests in social dialogue.

5.3The Armenian CSOs that participated in the first meeting of the CSF in Brussels in November 2009 were the first to create a national EaP CSF platform. 138 Armenian CSOs participated in the first meeting of the Armenian EaP CSF Platform that was held in Yerevan in June 2010. At the first meeting they elected a Coordination Group consisting of 20 members and adopted the rules of procedure. The Yerevan Press Club took a leading role in providing information about EaP activities by launching a weekly electronic newsletter (in Armenian) covering the developments of the EaP and the CSF activities. However, the Armenian national platform failed to manage the process of selecting CSOs for the second meeting of the CSF in Berlin in November 2010. A misinterpretation of the rules of procedure resulted in something of a crisis for the platform. At present there are around 145CSOs participating in the activities of the national platform. There are two business associations involved, but no trade union organisations. The government of Armenia has said it is willing to cooperate with the platform, but there does not seem to be a regular and effective dialogue in place¹³.