On 5-7 March 2014, experts from member organizations and observers of the Liaison Office of Ukrainian Think Tanks in Brussels have paid a visit to Brussels. The visit was organized by the Office, supported by the European Endowment for Democracy (Brussels) and the International Renaissance Foundation (Kyiv). During the visit, an expert discussion was organized and a number of meetings with EU officials, who consider Ukrainian matters, were conducted.
Expert discussion on the topic: "New Ukraine in the eye of Ukrainian experts: further transformation" was conducted in the office of European Endowment for Democracy on March 5. The event was conducted during an extremely important period, when Ukraine had to simultaneously perform two highly important tasks – resolve the occupation in Crimea and schedule the agenda for reforms. Leading Ukrainian experts have outlined possible ways to implementation if these two issues and presented the international and European communities a scheme for providing assistance to Ukraine.
More than 60 experts participated in the event: EU officials; representatives of international organizations, including representatives of UN and Council of Europe from offices in Brussels; Permanent Missions of EU Member States under EU, think-tanks, human rights organizations, donor organizations and mass media. Detailed report about the event is available on sites of member organizations of the Office in Ukrainian language and on the site of European Endowment for Democracy in English: https://democracyendowment.eu/
On the next day, March 6, experts have conducted a number of meetings with EU officials which deal with Ukrainian matters in different spheres. In particular meetings were conducted with: Dirk Shubel, Head of the Eastern Partnership Bilateral Division in the European External Action Service (EEAS), as well as its representatives; Iwona Piórko Bermig, Member of the Cabinet to European Commissioner Füle; Carl Hartzell, Member of Cabinet to Baroness Ashton; Members of European Parliament; advisors of political groups on Ukrainian matters; officials of Directorates for Trade, Energy, and Law-Enforcement System of the European Commission. In the end of the day, the experts visited Mission of Ukraine to the EU and Ukraine's Ambassador to the EU K.P. Yeliseyev.
Experts had a chance to discuss in detail ways to EU-Ukraine cooperation in every sphere and propose how this cooperation may be strengthened.
Liaison Office of Ukrainian Think Tanks in Brussels is aimed to continue its activities, so that Ukrainian think-tanks could directly communicate with EU officials and experts from Brussels, in order to jointly develop and implement decisions and projects, goaled for the future membership of Ukraine in the EU.
Member organizations of the Office:
- Europe without Barriers
- European Center for Democracy Development
- Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation
- Internews-Ukraine
- Civil Network OPORA
- Center for Political and Legal Reforms
- Ukrainian Center for Independent Political Research (UCIPR)
- Ilko Kucheriv Democratic Initiatives Foundation
- DiXi Group
Organizations-observers of the Office:
Kyiv:
- Bureau for Social and Political Development
- Institute of World Policy
- International Center for Policy Studies (ICPS)
- Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union
- Ukrainian School of Political Studies
- Ukrainian Institute for Public Policy
- Society Research Center
- Razumkov Centre
- Centre UA
Donetsk:
- Center for Legislative Initiatives
- Center for International Security
Crimea:
- Crimean Independent Center of Political Researchers and Journalists
Lviv:
- European Dialog
- Ji Magazine
Odesa:
- Odesa Public Institute for Social Research
- Center for Regional Studies
Kharkiv:
- Kharkiv Institute for Social Research
Chernihiv:
- Polissa Foundation for International and Regional Studies
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