Newsletter
Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum

Working Group 2: Economic Integration and convergence with the EU Policies

WG2: Economic Integration

Introduction

EaP CSF Working Group “Economic Integration & Convergence with EU Policies" deals with the main issues on the agenda of EaP Thematic Platform 2 of the same name.

It tackles one of the biggest ambitions fixed at the Prague Summit which aimed at regional economic integration between Eastern Partner countries and opening negotiations on the deep and comprehensive free trade areas between the EU and the Eastern partner countries.

Goals of the Working Group

The WG2 would like to add the following economic and social issues to the agenda of the EaP:

  1. Increase the performance of social security and social protection systems and intensify the fight against poverty.

  2. Introduce the principles of sustainable development and adequate responses to climate change.

  3. Facilitate labour mobility and flexicurity.

  4. Support the efforts of those partner countries that are not yet members of WTO to become members

  5. Support for consumer protection organisations to become part of the new national action plans.

  6. Put in place a programme aimed at upgrading the support of business contacts, internationalisation and market acces

  7. Promote the role of the EaP and opportunities for economic growth, better regulations, social and health safety standards.

Sub-Groups

The following thematic sub-groups have been created within the framework of WG2 in order to coordinate the work in the respective areas:

  1. Agriculture
    Coordinator: Sergiu Mihailov, Pro Cooperare Regionala
  2. Harmonization of Digital Markets 
    Coordinators: Ihar Lednik, Human Rights Movement "Our Belarus"; Sergiu Tutunaru, Center for Economic Development and Public Affairs (CEDPA)
  3. Regional Policy, Territorial and Crossborder Cooperation 
    Coordinator: Zhivka Nikolova, Association European Perspectives
  4. Small and Medium Enterprises 
    Coordinators: Eugen Roscovanu, Small Business Association; Nino Elizbarashvili, Georgian Association “Women in Business”
  5. Trade and Trade Related Regulatory Cooperation 
    Coordinator: Kakha Gogolashvili, Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies

Coordinators

Iurii Vdovenko, Center for Cross-border Cooperation, EaP Coordinator | wg2@eap-csf.eu

Dovilė Šukytė, Eastern Europe Studies Centre,  EU Coordinator | wg2@eap-csf.eu

Reporting and News

WG2 Annual Meeting Report, September 2016

WG2 Annual Meeting Photos, September 2016



Project funded by the European UnionEU