EUROPEAN PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRACY

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1 March 2012 EU POLICY BRIEF Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the referendum in Egypt Brussels, 25 EU High Representative Catherine Ashton welcomes the peaceful and orderly environment during the referendum on the draft Constitution held on 15 and 22 December in Egypt. Moreover, Ms Ashton takes note of the majority voting in favour of the Constitution, but also of the voter turnout of only 33%. Therefore, the High Representative encourages all parties to engage in dialogue in order to make further progress towards sustainable and deep democracy, highlighting the central role of the President in this process. She finally stresses the importance for the EU of the cooperation with Egypt that had already been highlighted during the EU-Egypt Task Force held in Cairo on November. EU-Libya: supporting transition and reforms in key sectors Brussels, 20 The European Commission approved a EUR 25 million package to support the democratic transition in Libya. It consists of three programmes focusing on sectors that are important for the stability in the country and for delivering on expectations of the people: Education, with the programme "Technical and vocational education and training delivery and development" that will focus on unemployed of young people (EUR 6,5 million); Health care, with the programme "Libya health system strengthening" that will allow the government to improve the delivery of health care services (EUR 8,5 million); and Security and Rule of Law, with the programme "Strengthening democracy, good governance and civilian culture in the security and justice sectors" that will help the Libyan Government to deal with security, rule of law and reconciliation challenges (EUR 10 million). Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle stresses that the stabilisation of Libya is key to allow a democratic transition to take place and further states that with these new programmes the EU is providing a diversity of experience and expertise that will help Libya in setting-up its own solutions. The EU s support for Integration of the Maghreb countries Brussels, 19 The EU High Representative Catherine Ashton issued a Joint Communication setting out proposals to support the five countries of the Maghreb in their efforts towards closer cooperation and deeper regional integration. Although the five countries share the same culture and language and would all benefit from closer cooperation, the Maghreb is one of the less integrated regions in the world. Catherine Ashton welcomes the calls for a strengthened cooperation by the partners in the Maghreb region and states that the Joint Communication aims to support those countries in their efforts to take forward the Maghreb s integration. Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle highlights that the Communication responds also to calls from private and public actors for progress in the integration process and states that not only the citizens of the Maghreb region would benefit from a deeper cooperation between their countries, but the EU itself. Text of the Joint Communication available at: EUROPEAN PARTNERSHIP FOR DEMOCRACY Rue Froissart B-1040 Brussels Belgium info@epd.eu

2 13th EU-Georgia Cooperation Council Brussels, 18 The European Union and Georgia held the thirteenth meeting of their Cooperation Council in Brussels. The EU was represented by Dr Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, acting as Chair of the Cooperation Council on behalf of the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, and Štefan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, while the Georgian delegation was led by Dr Maia Panjikidze, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and by Alex Petriashvili, State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration. The EU congratulates Georgia for the fair conduct of the parliamentary elections held in October and looks forward to the further consolidation of Georgia s democracy ahead of the presidential election in Discussing the role of the democratic institutions, the EU stresses the importance of ensuring that criminal prosecutions are conducted in a transparent and impartial manner, free of political motivation. Both sides look ahead to next year s Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius and welcome the good progress made in the negotiations on an Association Agreement and a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area. Press Remarks of Commissioner Štefan Füle after Cooperation Council with Georgia, th EU Armenia Cooperation Council Brussels, 17 The cooperation Council between the European Union and Armenia met for the thirteenth time. The EU was represented by Dr Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, acting as Chair of the Cooperation Council on behalf of the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton, and Štefan Füle, Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy, while the Armenian delegation was led by Mr Edward Nalbandian, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. The Cooperation Council reviewed progress on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The EU reaffirmed that the status quo is unacceptable and that the solution of the conflict remains a top priority, expressing concerns over the incidents on the frontlines and calling both parts to maintain stability.the Cooperation Council further underlined the need to remain focused on the implementation of the reforms and both sides agreed to start soon the negotiations for an Association Agenda, intended to replace the European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan, and to prepare for the future implementation of the Association Agreement. Finally, the EU recognises the progress made by Armenia towards democracy and rule of law and encourages the country to conduct fair presidential elections in February Read More: EU-Armenia agreement on facilitating the issuing of visas, 17 Press points of Commissioner Štefan Füle after the Cooperation Council with Armenia, 17 Speech by FM Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis on behalf of High Representative Catherine Ashton on the situation in Egypt Brussels, 12 In front of the European Parliament, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, talked about the political situation in Egypt and expressed concerns over the increasing tension between President Morsi s supporters and the main opposition group, the National Salvation Front. The situation was also discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council, during which the EU Ministers agreed about the need of a de-escalation of the situation and an all-inclusive dialogue to find a solution based on consensus and joint ownership, while stressing the necessity of a Constitution that represents all Egyptians. 2

3 EP - Egypt needs a strong constitution representing all its citizens, 13 Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the situation in Egypt, 5 Tunisia: European Union adopts a new programme of support for democratic transition process Brussels, 10 The European Union has approved a new financial programme aimed at promoting the democratic transition in Tunisia and implementing some of the priorities recently agreed between the EU and the country. With a total of EUR 15 million, the new programme follows the first Programme of Support to the Association Agreement and the Transition Process (P3AT) of EUR 10 million adopted in March 2012 and two other programmes that supported the modernisation process: the support programme for the implementation of the Association Agreement (P3A) of EUR 20 million adopted in 2002 and the support programme for the implementation of the Association Agreement and the Neighbourhood Action Plan (P3A2) of EUR 30 million adopted in European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle highlights that the new programme indicates the EU s confidence in the transition process set in motion since the revolution. European Union supports human rights promotion in Morocco Brussels, 10 The European Commission adopted a programme of EUR 2.8 million for Morocco as part of its SPRING initiative, aimed at supporting two key institutions for protecting and promoting human rights in the country, i.e. the National Human Rights Council (CNDH) and the Inter-ministerial Delegation for Human Rights (DIDH). The European Commission recognises the progress in protecting and promoting human rights made by the Moroccan government from the late 1990s until this day, which has led to the ratification of an increasing number of international conventions related to human rights and the adoption of a new Constitution in Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle states that the new support programme demonstrates the importance that the EU attaches to the protection of human rights. Furthermore, the Commissioner is confident that the work of the CNDH and DIDH will contribute to bringing Morocco significantly closer to the EU s core values in the field of human rights, democracy and the rule of law. Council conclusions on Ukraine Brussels, 10 The Council of the European Union during the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council reaffirms the EU s engagement with Ukraine, stressing that any further steps towards stronger relations will be determined by the progress made by Ukraine in three areas: the compliance of the 2012 parliamentary elections with international standards; the progress in addressing cases of selective justice; and the implementation of the reforms defined in the Association Agreement. Regarding these issues, the Council expresses concerns over the conduct of the parliamentary elections held in October, which represented a back-step compared to standards previously achieved, and calls on the authorities to implement the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations. Strong concerns are also expressed over the politically motivated convictions of members of the former Government after trials that did not respect international standards and which the government is asked to address without delay. Always regarding the judiciary system, the Council welcomes the entry into force of a new Criminal Procedure Code and the establishment of a National Preventive Mechanism against torture and invites the Ukrainian Government to take additional steps on judicial reforms in close consultation with the Council of Europe/Venice Commission. Finally, the Council invites the EU High Representative and the European Commission to monitor and to inform the Council of the progress achieved by Ukraine in view of the next Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius. 3

4 Read more EU-Ukraine factsheet, 10 Joint statement on the situation in Ukraine, 12 Štefan Füle speech on Ukraine in the Plenary Session of the European Parliament, 12 Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the Presidential and Parliamentary elections process in Ghana Brussels, 10 Following the announcement by the Electoral Commission of the results of the Presidential elections held on December 7th 2012, EU High Representative Catherine Ashton congratulates the elected President John Dramani Mahama and welcomes the peaceful conduct of the elections, praising the candidates for the pledge made in the Kumasi Declaration to uphold peace before, during and after the elections. The EU High Representative also mentions that the EU has sent an Electoral Expert Mission to Ghana which will stay until the end of the Electoral process and furthermore expresses the wish to continue the strong partnership with Ghana with the aim of promoting the common democratic values and the social-economic development of the country. Human rights and civil society in South Neighbourhood key pillar of EU policy Brussels, 7 On the occasion of the meeting with the representatives of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Right Network (EMHRN), which aimed to share views on the state of human rights almost two years after the beginning of the Arab Spring, Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle expresses his disappointment over the limited progress in ensuring the respect of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the region. Commissioner Füle further calls on the local authorities in the Southern neighbourhood countries to ensure the respect of the fundamental rights and freedoms in the new Constitutions currently under preparation. Finally, Mr Füle expresses his delight over the good relations between the EU and the civil society organisations in the region, whose reinforcement is considered by the EU a key goal in the democratic transition. To this regard, the European Commission has adopted a new budget allocation for of EUR 22 million to support the new Civil Society Facility. European Commission announces increased support for civil society in the Neighbourhood area Belarus: reiterating our concerns about the situation of political prisoners Brussels, 5 Following a meeting with representatives of Belarusian Human Rights organisations Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle sent a strong message to the Belarusian authorities: don't harass human rights defenders, don't harass those who promote the freedom of speech in Belarus, don't harass those who work for us in the framework of the Dialogue on Modernisation on building a modern and European Belarus. Commissioner Füle expresses to Belarusian human rights organisations the full support from all the EU countries and institutions and reiterates the EU s commitment to work to build a democratic Belarus. Moreover, he expresses concerns over the situation of the political prisoners, stating that their liberation and complete rehabilitation is a fundamental condition for resuming the dialogue between the EU and Belarus. 4

5 Remarks at the meeting with Eastern Neighbourhood Policy senior officials Brussels, 5 On the occasion of a meeting with Eastern Neighbourhood senior officials, Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Füle stresses that the Eastern Partnership (EaP) in the framework of the renewed Eastern Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) is based on the principle of differentiation and more for more, which means that a stronger partnership with the EU is conditioned by more progress towards democracy and socio-economic reforms. Commissioner Füle further highlights that the EU is not imposing any reforms on these countries and that the national governments have the freedom to choose to undertake more ambitious reforms or not. The Commissioner states that, nevertheless, the direct outcomes of deeper reforms will be visible at the Vilnius Summit in 2013, such as the second phase of the Visa Liberalisation Action Plan for Moldova and the start of the first phase for Georgia. Egypt: MEPs worried about President Morsi's sweeping new powers Brussels, 4 During the Foreign Affairs Committee debate, many Members of the European Parliament express their deep concerns about the sweeping new powers that Egypt's draft constitution grants to President Mohamed Morsi, stressing the necessity to stand by the more for more principle with regards to EU aid to Egypt. Committee vice-chair Andrey Kovatchev (EPP, BG) regrets the political division in Egypt in this particular moment, when all parties should work together. President-Mursi's-sweeping-new-powers Statement by President Barroso following his meeting with Mr Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia Yerevan, 1 On the occasion of his visit to Armenia, President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso congratulates the President of the Republic of Armenia for the advancement of the EU-Armenia negotiations on the Association Agreement, which should be finalised before the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius in 2013, and for the good conduct of the parliamentary elections in May Mr Barroso announces that the EU will increase its financial support of EUR 15 million for an existing project on the reform of the Judiciary and for an on-going action on Vocational and Education Training, in recognition of the good work made by the Armenian government and in reinforcement of the reformist ambition. Speech by President Barroso: "European Union and Armenia: promoting our common values and forging stronger ties", Yerevan 1 5