On June 30, 2016 at the premises of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service the international forum “Interaction and Cooperation of Government Authorities and Civil Society within the framework of the Association Agreement Implementation in Eastern Partnership Countries” got started. This event was organized by the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, the Center for Adaptation of the Civil Service to the Standards of the European Union with support of the Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership within the framework of the Working Group “Public Administration Reform” of the Thematic Platform № 1 “Democracy, Good Governance and Stability” of the EU initiative “Eastern Partnership”.
The main goal of this international forum was to discuss of the main approaches to formation of effective information state policy as well as to provide sharing best practices in the area of establishment interaction between government authorities and civil society in the countries of the EU initiative “Eastern Partnership” within the framework of the European integration policy.
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze, the Vice-Prime Minister for European integration, in her welcome speech mentioned that with the signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement the institutional need at establishing dialogue with the civil society on the basis of partnership appeared. The results of the systematic and comprehensive reforms envisaged by the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, the Strategy for Sustainable Development “Ukraine – 2020″ and the Action Program of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine are carried out just through establishing of either institutional or informal dialogue with the civil society.
At the same time, Kostiantyn Vashchenko, the Head of the National Agency of Ukraine on Civil Service, noticed that the forum was organized in joint cooperation with the Estonian Centre of Eastern Partnership for the third time. Organizationof such communicative events will permit to create a platform for development new approaches and mechanisms for establishing effective communication of public authorities with the civil society regarding actual issues on European integration, the publicity regarding organization of events aimed at the Association Agreement realization, the wide involvement of non-governmental organizations to the process of formation and implementation of the state policy which will facilitate solving specific problems on the way of integration of Ukraine into the European Union.
Furthermore Rostyslav Pavlenko, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, Tiina Ilsen, Chief Adviser, expert on International Communication of the Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership and Dobroslaw Dowiat-Urbański, Head of the Civil Service of the Republic of Poland in their welcome addresses underlined the extreme relevance of the chosen topic and emphasized that the public administration reform and creation of public, professional, politically impartial, effective, citizen-oriented public service which operates in the interests of the state and society are among the priorities identified by the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement.
The first day event programme envisages organization of three panel discussions during which participants will be able to learn the basic priorities and mechanisms of improvement the procedure of raising public awareness on the European integration of Ukraine issues as well as examination of the role of the media in this context.
Alongside this, during the panel discussions the best practices and effective procedures of cooperation and partnership between public authorities and civil society on the basis of international experience, including EU Member States and countries of the EU initiative "Eastern Partnership" would be studied.
In accordance with the international forum’s results the joint position paper will be elaborated.
Representatives of central and local government authorities of Ukraine and other EU Initiative “Eastern Partnership” countries, representatives of the EU Member States, institutes of civil society and the leading mass media, international organizations, foreign and Ukrainian experts participate in this event.
For reference: an important precondition for successful implementation of the Association Agreement is the support of civil society, awareness of all concerned parties, including representatives of civil society, business community and other non-governmental organizations about the benefits of Ukraine and major threats and challenges connected with the process of political association and economic integration of Ukraine into the EU.
