News

The ENoP member Hanns-Seidel-Stiftung organises the conference "European Development Policy - Goals and Challenges", which will take place on May 19th at the Representation of the Free State of Bavaria to the European Union. 

The ENoP member, Green Economics Institute, is announcing its forthcoming conference "Women as social and economic airbags and how they bear the brunt of the effects of the economic crisis", which will take place in Reading, Berkshire UK, on 20th - 21st May, 2011.

As a European Platform representing organisations involved into programmes in Africa ENoP was invited to attend the Joint Africa-EU task force meeting. It took place in Brussels on 4-5 April in the framework of JAES - the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. ENoP is part of the thematic coordinaton group of the second partnership on "Democratic Governance and Human Rights". Against the background of the movements in North Africa the identification of working methods and topics for the working groups advanced efficiently. The other seven partnerships are: peace and security; regional integraton; infrastructure; MDGs; energy; climate change & environment; S&T, ICT, space.

Six representatives related to Political Foundations in Europe attended the two days meeting of the Structured Dialogue on 30 and 31 March in Brussels. Launched in March 2010 the  "Structured Dialogue  for an efficient partnership in development"  gathers CSOs, EC, Member States and EP to discuss the modalities of EUs external cooperation. In the plenary session Joyce Hakmeh from the Arab Center for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity / Lebanon, a partner organisation of the EC co financed project "Freedom of Association in the Arab world",  reported on the conclusions of the "Democracy and Human Rights Support Initiative".

Democracy is not only one of the founding principles of the European Union but democracy support is a declared policy objective of the EU´s External Policy.  The council of the European Union confirmed this principle in the Council Conclusions published on 17 November 2009.  Against the background of the developments in the MENA-region and more than one and a half years after the Council conlusions the event strives to take stock of achieved adjustments and challenges ahead. This expert exchange aims at discussing the current state of the democracy support agenda in the European Union.

On 29 March the ENoP member Hanns Seidel Stiftung organises a round table discussion on this topic on 29 March in the representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia to the European Union 12:30 - 15:15.

Speakers:

Phillippe Darmuzey, Head of Unit, Panafrican issues & Institution, Governance & Migration, DG Devco, EC
Dr Dietmar Ehm, Deputy Director of the Institut For International Cooperation, Hanns Seidel Foundation
Günter Nooke, German Cancellor´s G8 Personal Representative for Africa
Dick Toornstra, Director, Office for Promotion of Parliamentary Democracy OPPD, EP

Project Managment under EC regulations was on the agenda of the sessions from 16-18 March in St Julians/MT.

20 participants from 16 member organisations, based in 12 countries and affiliated to 5 party families attended the training.

The design of  a project and its monitoring system, planning tools and EC contract rules were in the focus of the seminar. 

The training was held by Sonia Herrero, in Progress and facilitated by the two Maltese member organisations AZAD and IDEAT. The evening sessions were used by the ENoP partner organisations who are involved into the PRINCE project - awareness raising on EU Enlargement issues in 8 EU countries.

The Italian ENoP member organisation Magna Carta facilitated the internal training on Instruments and Thematic Programmes of the EU in Democracy Promotion and Development Cooperation. Collecting ideas, structuring of project proposals and possible cooperation was in the focus of the 3 days training on 21-23 February.

Representatives of six ENoP member organisatons coming from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands participated today in the first consultation with civil society organisations on Tunisia, Egypt and the wider region, organised by the EEAS. The results are supposed to feed into a high level taskforce which provides input for discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) of 21 February.