2nd Joint meeting between the EESC and the EU-Russia Civil Society Forum

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

Venue: EESC premises –Van Maerlant building – Meeting room VM 3 / 2nd floor

(rue Van Maerlant 2, 1040 Brussels)

«Civil society’s potential to influence relations between Russia and the EU»

9.00h-9.15h / Opening Session
Mr Henri Malosse, President of the EESC (tbc)
Mr Vincent Degert, Head of Division, Russia, EEAS (tbc)
09.15h -11.30h / Session 1: Civil society in Russia in 2015: Trends, Challenges, Openings
This session will deal with the following questions:
- What are the challenges for the development of civil society in Russia? How the conflict in Ukraine is impacting the development of civil society?
- The Russian civil society in 2015: trends and opportunities. View from Russia.
- The role of EU civil society and the EU in providing support to civil society groups in Russia
- Media influence on social and political processes in the EU and in Russia
Mrs Mall Hellam, Member of the EESC
Mrs Carmen Falkenberg Ambrosio, Head of Section, Regional Programmes Neighbourhood East DG Devco
Ms. Natalia Taubina, Public Verdict Foundation
Mrs Indrė Vareikytė, Member of the EESC
Discussion
Coffee break
11:45-13.00h / Session 2: Fighting Transborder Corruption: Could Russia and the EU Work Together?
This session will look at cases illustrating the effects of transborder corruption on (local) environmental and socio-economic rights in Russia and solutions that can be found at EU level.
On behalf of the EU-Russia CSF:
Mr. Tim van der Maarel, Netherlands Helsinki Committee, The Hague
Mr. Andrei Kalikh, independent journalist, Saint-Petersburg
Mr. Dmitry Shevchenko, Ecological Watch on the Northern Caucasus
Mr. Denis Primakov, Transparency International - Russia
Q and A from EESC, media and other attendees
13.00 – 14.30h / Lunch
14.30-16.15h
. / Session 3: Socio-Economic and Labour Rights in Russia Today: the EU Impact?
This session will deal with the following questions:
- What is the impact of international developments and the EU policies on social and economic processes in Russia today?
-The impact of sanctions on the EU and Russia’s societies? How does economy influence labour rights in Russia?
- What international frameworks and instrumentscan be used by the EU and Russian actors to improve the labour rights’ situation?
Ms. Elena Gerasimova – Center for Social and Labour Rights, Moscow
Ms Grigor Gradev, PERC Executive Secretary, ITUH (tbc)
Ms Dilyana Slavova, EESC member
l
16.15-17.00h / Adoption of joint conclusions

p. 1/2