Women's Ngos in Eastern EU
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Master Programme „International Gender Research and Feminist Politics” University programme, four semester, postgraduate January 2005 – December 2006 MASTER - THESIS Eastern European Women’s Organisations in times of EU enlargement The impact of EU accession on Women’s NGOs in Eastern European countries, which have women as their target group, and the impact on those women. A view from Western Europe to Bulgaria and Slovakia. Author: Maga. Silvia Payer First Advisor: Dr. Gesine Fuchs Second Advisor: Dr. Ursula Kubes Hofmann Closing Date: 16th October 2006 Rosa – Mayreder – College Vienna 1 I Table of Contents 1 PREFACE...................................................................................................................................7 1.1 Objectives of this Thesis ..................................................................................................8 1.2 Structur of the Thesis....................................................................................................... 9 1.3 Criteria for Selection of Countries for the analysis......................................................... 10 1.4 Research Interest...........................................................................................................12 1.5 The Dilemmas of being a researcher from Western EU doing research in Eastern EU.... 14 1.6 Approach to the Topic – Methodology and Tools ........................................................... 17 2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 18 2.1 EU’s Enlargement and it’s Limitations............................................................................ 18 3 GENDER DIMENSIONS OF RECONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT ............................. 21 3.1 What is Transition?.........................................................................................................22 3.2 Women in Economy and Work Force.............................................................................. 24 3.3 Women’s Rights - Legal Situation and Political Participation.......................................... 25 3.3.1 Women’s rights in Slovakia...................................................................................... 26 3.3.2 Women’s rights in Bulgaria ...................................................................................... 28 3.4 NGOs as important part of Civil Society......................................................................... 32 3.5 The EU’s Relationship to NGOs ...................................................................................... 34 4 CURRENT SITUATION OF WOMEN’S NGOS IN THE SELECTED COUNTRIES .................. 35 4.1 What does it mean to be a “Women’s NGO”?................................................................. 35 4.2 The Power of Women’s NGOs ........................................................................................ 38 4.3 The actual Work of Women’s NGOs in contrast to the Declaration of their Work........... 42 4.4 The Standing and Appreciation of Women’s NGOs ........................................................ 43 4.5 Financing Sources for Women’s NGOs........................................................................... 46 5 CONCLUSION – THE STATUS OF WOMEN’S NGOS IN THE EU’S COMMUNITY.............. 51 6 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................. 54 ANNEX I - INTERVIEWS............................................................................................................... 56 Questions asked in the semi-structured interview ................................................................... 57 Interviews in Bulgaria............................................................................................................... 59 Interview 1............................................................................................................................ 59 2 Interview 2............................................................................................................................ 60 Interview 3............................................................................................................................ 62 Interview 4............................................................................................................................ 63 Interview 5............................................................................................................................ 64 Interview 6............................................................................................................................ 66 Interview 7............................................................................................................................ 66 Interview 8............................................................................................................................ 68 Interview 9............................................................................................................................ 70 Interview 10.......................................................................................................................... 72 Interviews in Slovakia .............................................................................................................. 73 Interview 11.......................................................................................................................... 73 Interview 12.......................................................................................................................... 73 Interview 13.......................................................................................................................... 75 Interview 14.......................................................................................................................... 76 ANNEX II - ORGANISATIONS, NGOS AND NETWORKS, ACTING FOR WOMEN’S ISSUES .... 81 Supranational Umbrella Organisations and Networks of the Region........................................ 82 Women’s Organisations and NGOs in Bulgaria......................................................................... 86 Women’s Organisations and NGOs in Slovakia ......................................................................124 ANNEX III – AN OVERVIEW OF DONOR ORGANISATIONS AND FUNDS..............................141 National Donors in Bulgaria and Slovakia ..............................................................................141 Private independent Donors ..................................................................................................143 Multilateral and Foreign Governmental Donors......................................................................150 European Financial Assistance...............................................................................................153 LITERATURE...............................................................................................................................157 II List of Charts Chart 1: Number of interviews in relation to agreement and revisions.........................................16 3 III List of Abbreviations AWID – Association for women’s rights in development BG – Republic of Bulgaria CBO – Community Based Organisations CCI – Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEE – Central and Eastern Europe CEEC – Central and Eastern European Countries CIDA – Canadian International Development Agency CONECCS – The database for Consultation, the European Commission and Civil Society EAGGF – European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund EC – European Commission ERDF – European Regional Development Fund ESF – European Social Fund EU – European Union FIFG – Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance GDI – Gender-related Development Index GMI – Gender Empowerment Measure GPD – Gross Domestic Product HDI – Human Development Index IDA – International Development Association IBRD – International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IPA – Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance ISPA – Instrument for Structural Policies for Pre-accession LPD – Law on Protection against Discrimination (BG) MLSAF – Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and the Family (Slovak Republic) MP – Member of Parliament NGDO – Non Governmental Development Organisation NGO – Non Governmental Organisation NIS – New Independent States of the former Soviet Union NPO – Non Profit Organisation 4 ODACE – Official Development Assistance in Central Europe OSI – Open Society Institute & Soros Foundations Network PC – Personal Computer PHARE – (originally) Poland and Hungary Assistance for the Reconstruction of the Economy PPP – Private Public Partnership SAPARD – Special Accession Program for Agriculture and Rural Development SCP – Swiss Cultural Programme SDC – Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SK – Slovak Republic UNDP – United Nations Development Programme UNWCW – United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women WANGO – World Association of Non-Governmental Organisations WIDE – Women in Development 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to say thanks to all people, who supported my work greatly. Without them this thesis would not have been possible to that extent. Especially to name: Gesine Fuchs, my advisor, for both her scientific as well as her practical and non-intrusive personal advice, supporting me immediately whenever help was needed and creating a working climate of trust and professionalism. I was really